i was getting some sunshine and cutting up some poison ivy... while getting some poison ivy cuttings for sunshine rofl
LOL! That's ironic. I'm glad you remembered that I wanted some.
It is my understanding that the active chemical combines with fat(?) cells in your skin, hence why you can't just wash it off after it has already set into your skin for a period.
If you're going to test efficacy of poison ivy remedies I'd like you to try goldenseal. I think the mechanism of action behind it is that it dries out the skin and absorbs the oil, even after it has set in. My father seems to think it works, though I've never tried it personally. You can find it at health food stores. Though, they are likely to keep it behind the counter. A lot of people steal it and use it to flush their systems before drug tests.
"tea tree" is "melaleuca tree," and I have it on good report that melaleuca oil works wonders on poison oak rash, with almost instant itch relief, and close to overnight disappearance of the rash.
Mix 1/4 part clean water, 1/4 part aloe stems or juice, 1/2 part jewelweed stems and leaves. Mix all in blender. Add one bag of comphry tea per quart and bring to a slow boil. Strain out liquid and put in spray bottle. can easily be sprayed on poison ivy rash as needed. this helps me alot and makes the rash go away quicker with less irritation.
....... make a paste out of Goldenseal Root powder and Aloe Vera Gel. Rub it onto the infected area. The abrasives of the Golden Seal feels great, as well as its ability to draw out the toxins. The Aloe Vera Gel seems to help in keeping the skin from scaring.
My 88 year old neighbor told me about Rat Vein Tea to treat poison ivy. It's an old southern rememdy.
she told me to use touch me nots. Take the stems and flowers and boil them in water. I did and as soon as the mixture cooled I rubbed it on my skin and got instant relief I couldn't believe it but it instantly took the itching away and it only took about three days for it to be gone.
I have a touch of poison oak and what I use to get rid of it is a plant called Wild Peach. It's kind of hard to describe, but the leaves look just like leaves from a peach tree. You pull of some of the leaves and boil them in water to make a tea. You should use an older pot as the leaves will leave a residue. It will come out with an SOS pad. You should drink the tea and dab the tea on the spots of poison oak that you have. It will taste bitter and very different, but it works! I've tried adding sugar, honey but it doesn't help. If you have it over a large part of your body you can take a tepid bath with it. It will take a couple of days to get rid of the poison oak but it is supposed to help build up an ammunity to it. Wild Peach grows close to if not next to poison oak.
http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/natural.html