Ah spring. Renewal. Beautiful blooms. Spawning bass. Bush-whacking to get to the local impoundment. Itching. Scratching. Misery.
A couple of seasons ago, I was bush-whacking to the lake, plotting my strategy for a bow-and-arrow cast. I was not paying attention to the bushes that I was whacking. In reality, the bushes were whacking me. Poison Oak, Ivy, or Sumac is no fun.
A shot in the butt, several oatmeal baths, and a week of misery, I learned my lessons:
Leaves of three, let is be. If its shiny, watch your hiney.
Obviously, avoiding contact is best. Even if you are wearing waders, watch out. The oils will stick to waders, waiting for the end of the day when you peel them off and enjoy a beer. If you do touch it, wash the exposed area as soon as possible with technu. No technu? Wash with water for 10-15 minutes.
1 response so far ↓
1 janet vallance // Apr 21, 2009 at 12:13 pm
There are other things that work well for poison oak that are not made with paint thinner. Mugwort works really well at neutralizing urushoil. It gets it off clothes, pets and skin. Those who love the great outdoors but fear the leaves of three should become familiar with this plant that grows along side poison oak. Sand, earth and clay when rubbed on an area exposed can help get the oils off. Dish soap, baking soda and course laundry soap gets the oils off with the help of running water. Applying olive oil or any type of cooking oil or nut oil before you go out in poison oak territory will help prevent urushoil from soaking into your skin. http://www.libertybotanicals.com/poisonoakremedy.htm
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