Are you trying to get rid of your poison ivy rash? I want to share with you the best at home poison ivy treatment I’ve found. This cream uses only three simple ingredients and cured my rash within a few days. (And my readers love it too – check out their reviews below.)
I don’t know about you but poison ivy is definitely not my friend. And even though I know the old saying, “Leaves of three, leave them be,” and, ” “Leaves of five, run and hide,” poison ivy always seems to find me.
The first time I had a poison ivy rash it spread so badly that I ended up having to go to the doctor and getting a shot to get rid of it. Once it finds its way into my blood stream it starts multiplying and popping up all over the place. It’s definitely not fun!
A few weeks ago I found myself with another spot of poison ivy. (I think I got it when I was mowing our grass because I’ve since learned where it is in our yard.)
And, once again, it started multiplying. After a few days of itching (and not wanting to go to the doctor) I decided to try to find a homemade remedy to cure my poison ivy.
A Three Ingredient Poison Ivy Remedy
After scouring the web I found this fabulous poison ivy cream.
It’s super simple and uses ingredients that you likely already have in your home or can quickly run to the nearest drug store to buy.
The best part is that it cleared up my rash within a few days…now that’s my kind of poison ivy treatment!
Let me show you how easy it is to make!
The Best At Home Poison Ivy Treatment
1 tablespoon Rubbing Alcohol
1 tablespoon Hydrocortisone Cream (make sure it’s cream and not lotion)
1 tablespoon Calamine Lotion
- Mix ingredients together and apply to affected area.
NOTE: I found that when I applied the cream with my fingers (instead of a tissue, etc) it worked a lot quicker!
REAPPLYING: As long as I was itching I reapplied the cream every 4 hours. I totally cleaned off the affected area with soap and water and then reapplied the cream.
And here’s the finished product. Once the ingredients are mixed together it becomes nice and creamy.
Like I said, this worked beautifully and cleared up my poison ivy within a few days. I have nothing against going to see a doctor but it’s always nice not only to save money on medicine and a co-pay but also to be able to make my own remedy at home!
Users Love This At Home Poison Ivy Treatment
Here are a few of the rave reviews I’ve received about this fabulous poison ivy treatment!
- “Thank you Lord for pinterest! I went to Walgreens bought all three products and mixed together..I too put it in a container with a lid and shook it..its watery at first then it gets creamy when you let it sit..INSTANT RELIEF..FEELS AWESOME” – Kelly
- “Thank you so much. Every year I appear to get poison ivy and I scratch myself raw. I tried your recipe tonight and I can’t believe how fast it worked. Thanks again.” – Kim Cady
- “Wow…i am in total disbelief. I have been really allergic to poison oak my whole life. Last year I went to th Dr. 4 times and got a shot and steroids all 4 times. I have tried every over the counter medicine. Saying that…some of them are as expensive as going to my Dr. I have tried every home remedy I have ever heard of and believe me..some of them are pretty out there (like take polk salad leaves and put them in a sandwich bag and squish em around till it is a watery green liquid and rub that on poison oak..which was my legs…well, it helped 0% and I had green legs till it wore off. I tried your remedy last week and cannot believe the instant relief. I almost forgot I had it. It healed in less than half the time it usually takes.i was over it in 4 days. Thank you.” – Jeanne
- “Thank you soooooooo much! I got into poison ivy last week doing yard work. This is the first thing that has truly relieved the itching. I may actually get a good nights sleep for a change. Thanks again.” – Kim Kelley
How To Prevent Getting Poison Ivy
A reader shared the following:
“Several years ago, a dermatologist told me that he loved to go hiking and was allergic to poison ivy. He kept a small spray bottle of rubbing alcohol with him in his car. Every hour or so, he sprayed himself with alcohol because it denatures the poison ivy sap.
I do a lot of gardening and I keep a spray bottle of alcohol in my golf cart. Every time I think I’ve been exposed to it, or poison sumac, I spray myself all over including my clothes. I have caught only minor breakouts (spots I missed with the alcohol) since I started using this preventive measure. Hope it helps.” – M.C.
If this at home poison ivy treatment recipe was helpful you might also like:
- One of my favorite ways to boost my family’s immune system have a bit of prevention for cold and flu season is by making my own elderberry syrup.
- A great resource to have in your healthy toolkit is to know how to naturally treat pink eye. (I hope you never have to use it though!)
- Do you have a cough that just won’t go away? Try these home remedies for cough from Dr. Axe.
- Having an emergency preparedness plan in place will give you piece of mind for the future. Learn how to create an ICE (In Case of Emergency Book).
So are you saying it worked or is the cure still a work in progress?
Yes, it worked great and I’ll definitely use it if I get Poison Ivy again!
I’m so allergic to poison ivy that if someone just says poison ivy I’ll get it. I currently have it all over my hand which makes it very hard when you work in a daycare! I’d really like to try this remedy you got but I need to know if I have to cover it after applying to the rash, wash it off after applying, or do I apply and then just let it dry?
Lillian,
I’m so sorry to hear that you are so allergic to poison ivy. It’s definitely not fun having it.
I didn’t cover it after applying the mixture. I simply applied it and let it dry. Hope this helps.
Thanks for stopping by!
after going from store to store none of the cream worked and made it worst I finally used honey and it worked instantly I couldn’t believe it
Well, isn’t that interesting! Thanks for sharing, Judi!
Thankyou Lord for pintrest! I went to Walgreens bought all three products and mixed together..I too put it in a container with a lid and shook it..its watery at first then it gets creamy when you let it sit..INSTANT RELIEF..FEELS AWESOME
Kelly, I’m so excited that you found this relief! Thanks for letting me know!
I got poison ivy for the first time in my life (I’m 27) and ended up going to the doctors and getting a shot but it didn’t seem to work and I seem to be getting new spots everywhere. Tried this last night and I don’t know if its making it go away faster but is definitely helping with the itch and does seem to be drying out in some spots. Going to continue to use it and we will see how it goes. Thanks for the recipe.
Eknoop, I’m so sorry to hear that the shot didn’t work!
So glad to hear that this cream is making the itching stop…that makes a huge difference. Hopefully your poison ivy will clear up altogether!
My son has it on his face, arms and legs. It looks to have spread to his face over night. I was just wondering if you knew how long it takes to clear up? We have a soccer tournament this weekend and was trying to get it under control.
I’m so sorry to hear that Kathleen!
I think it’ll vary depending on each person, but I would say 3-4 days. I hope the tournament goes well!
thank you soooooooo much! I got into poison ivy last week doing yard work. This is the first thing that has truly relieved the itching. I may actually get a good nights sleep for a change. Thanks again.
That’s wonderful news, Jeanne! I’m so glad it helped!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
Thank you so much. Every year I appear to get poison ivy and I scratch myself raw. I tried your recipe tonight and I can’t believe how fast it worked. Thanks again.
I’m so glad it worked so well for you, Kim!
Thank you for letting me know!
Hi Tshanina, I tried your Homemade Poison Ivy Cure on my husband’s arms. He had a few spot of poison ivy on them after using this product his entire arm is covered and ozzing puss I caution people to do your research. Just thought you should know the positive as well as the negative feedback.
Concerned Pinner,
Angela
I’m sorry to hear this, Angela!
Thanks for sharing this at the #HomeMattersParty – we hope to see you back again next week. I’ll be sure to keep this in mind if we ever get Poison Ivy. Haven’t had it yet, thank God!
You’re welcome, Chelsea!
As much as I love this poison ivy cure, I hope you never have to use it. :O)
Don’t know how I got this on my hand and my arm but I’m trying this tonight. Only using calamine now, not wkg. We’ll see if all three work together.
I look forward to hearing how it works for you, Vickie!
I used this when I first thought that I had come in contact with poison ivy while weed eating and started itching. It stopped the itching immediately! I was outside watering my plants last evening and got several mosquito bites and put this on. The itching stopped in less than five minutes! It worked wonders for me. Thank you!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Diana!
Wow…i am in total disbelief. I have been really allergic to poison oak my whole life. Last year I went to th Dr. 4 times and got a shot and steroids all 4 times. I have tried every over the counter medicine. Saying that…some of them are as expensive as going to my Dr. I have tried every home remedy I have ever heard of and believe me..some of them are pretty out there (like take polk salad leaves and put them in a sandwich bag and squish em around till it is a watery green liquid and rub that on poison oak..which was my legs…well,it helped 0% and I had green legs till it wore off.
I tried your remedy last week and cannot believe the instant relief. I almost forgot I had it. It healed in less than half the time it usually takes.i was over it in 4 days.
Thank you
That’s WONDERFUL news, KimKelley! Thank you so much for sharing!
I use your recipe whenever I get poison and it helps so much. I try to stay away from it but my dogs usually are the ones who give it me every time. Thank you so much!
I’m so glad, Deb. Thank you for sharing!
This helped tremendously. I have tried everything and haven’t had any relief. This combination is perfect. My skin stopped screaming immediately. I rubbed it on with my hands just like a lotion. Arms and legs were covered with poison ivy rash. Thank you for sharing. What a lifesaver.
This is awesome news, Suzie. I’m so glad you were able to find relief!
Thank you! I can’t wait to try this.
It is my understanding (via my doctor) that it doesn’t enter the blood stream. It doesn’t intact spread although it seems like it does.
It’s just that the rash manifests later on thicker skin and the areas with lesser exposer, say from rubbing off the clothing you were wearing opposed to touching the plants oil directly from the plant. She said not to be surprised if new spots appear over 2 weeks. It’s not spreading, it’s catching up. :(
I look forward to hearing how it works for you, Jess.
Thanks for the tips.
doesn’t in fact* spread… It works wonders!!! I did this after a baking soda bath. Thank you so much!!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad I found your home made remedy for poison ivy, I had it last year for the first time on my chest and neck. I got it again this year on my legs. I used your recipe after about 10 days of trying different remedies, right away the itching was much less, after three to four days the improvement was so significant, thank you so much for sharing.
Lidia, I’m sorry to hear that you got it for a second year in a row. So glad that this remedy helped get it cleared up!
I’ve had poison ivy or oak or sumak. (not sure) for 4 days now. Just made your recipe and it is wonderful. You’ve saved me.
thank you so much.
Yay, I’m so glad to hear that Jeanne.
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing!
I always have hand sanitizer and wet wipes in my car. After hiking, etc, I rub sanitizer on all exposed skin. Wipes will also work. The alcohol cut through the oil and removes it. This has worked for me for yrs.
Great tip, Dee! Thanks for sharing.
When I get poison, I am a scratcher and nothing ever seemed to work fast enough and I have tried many home remedies. So, I figured what’s one more. This is the BEST one ever. It stopped the itch very quickly and was totally cleared up in 4 days. I cannot thank you enough.
I’m so glad to hear that, Donna! Thank you so much for sharing, and here’s to hoping you don’t run into anymore poison ivy!