good remedies for chiggers and poison ivy
 

okay just back in from the field and I'm dying over here........


Bad Chiggers Bites and some poison ivy........Anything to help both for itching?

good remedies for chiggers and poison ivy
 

Drug store and get a small bottle of distilled turpentine.

Fill bath tub with water as HOT as you can stand! Add 6 or 7 drops of turpentine and soak. Chiggers (aka Red Bugs) itching will stop, those buggers are dead.

BMT

Itch relief = Benadryl Lotion!!! Also take some tablets orally (Wal-Mart or Sam's store brand Diphenhydramine are MUCH cheaper than the Benadryl Brand).

A search here would have revealed that this has been discused before. In detail.

Benadryl or diphenhydramine tabs will make you drowsy, so don't plan on taking them before class or driving.

Next time, carry a bottle of Chigga-way with you and use it. Make sure you get plenty around your boot tops.

Liquid Benadryl or calamine lotion for the poison. Don't scratch it or even touch it, if you can avoid it.

I always put a couple of drops of clear nail polish on the chigger bites to seal them up. Stops the itching and kills bugs dead.

Good luck.

TR

We found that when I was a kid that just burning brush and not even physically contacting poison ivy would cause me to catch a hell of a rash.

Conventional wisdom tells you that you should let it weep and dry out. I had a small town doctor (pop. 758) see me one weekend and recommended a steroid cream. If none is available use cortizone cream. Apply either one you get and cover it in saran wrap. Tape it and leave it alone. The reason it worked for me so well is that regardless of being awake or asleep, I'd still scratch the crap out of it. It keeps the cream on site and from getting rubbed off, and keeps your hands from spreading it elsewhere since you cannot contact it. If you have it on your hands, wear rubber gloves with that above mentioned method. If you have kids or a spouse, you unconsciously do things like touch without thinking too much about it. Not that nice for the kiddies.

Take it from a person that grew up in Missouri (Poison Ivy Capitol of the Midwest) and use to get it so bad that I would bleed, it works. May not sound like that great of an idea but it's worked for me.

Chiggers, use clear nail polish to snuff them out. Cover the spots with the nail polish and they will eventually starve out of oxygen. Turpentine works really well too. :D I had an uncle that would rub us down with acetone after picking blackberries just as a precaution. Shameful thing about my heritage and family is, this is the same uncle that would smoke and do it at the same time. Not the brightest of bulbs in the box.

Hope this helps

Never had poison ivy. Don't know why as I certainly have romped around in it. I was told we mesomorphic-nordic types seem to have some sort of immunity. Agree with TR on the clear nail polish-works great. Make sure you take all your clothing and have it washed seperate from everything else. The little critters are trained guerrillas, they will go to "ground" in your clothing and emerge as soon as you put them on again. I used to dump dog flea and tick shampoo in the mix and all the little critters bobbed right up to the surface seriously dead.

Poison Ivy-
 

The reaction is generated by the oils of the plant. It will not "spread" from the weeping, but as you scratch one affected area it draws the offending oils from point A to point B. Relapses in the rash are usually due to recontacting the oil in your contaminating clothing. The oils generally do not come out in a single washing unless you use dish washing liquid. Anything that you use in your sink to "cut grease or oil" will work on your clothes.

Good luck-

Eagle

Nancy came down with a bout of Poison Ivy, she seems to be extremely sensitive...Ended up titrating Prednizone. This should not be tried at home w/out medical supervision!

Tecnu is something I just purchased, haven't tried it yet, but have heard good things about it.

Me neither, and I have been in a lot of it on the farm and in the woods.

Ironically, my brother gets it if the wind blows right, it seems.

Whatever the reason, I am thankful.:D

TR

I think one in the litter is destined to be bigger, uglier and more sensitive to environmental phenomenon.........I was the runt, look like Buddy Hackett, and can't figure out what influence causes my problem of the day. :p

The older brother is 6'2" 250lbs and not fat in the least. I'm 5'8" 170. I think mom was tired by the time she got to me.

The oldest brother is immune to any of the plants in the Sumac family. I get them all. I have however built up some immunity to it. I grew up running cattle in Missouri and cleared lots of fenceline, and cut lots of wood. I learned to deal with it.

Best of luck and a speedy recovery LW

Tecnu and Ivy Dry scrub seem to work really well. I've used it on my kids and it seems to cut the oils from the plants and also dry out the inflammation. Be careful using benadryl (diphenhydramine) cream and capsules together---too much and you can be "OD-ing" on the stuff. Not bad to get a little too much if you weigh 200 lbs--- but if you try that on a 50 lb kid it could be trouble.

TR is dead on. Your just going to have to bear with the Ivy. They also have Gels that go on as the ivy sores scab and make application easier.

This is going to date me and it is Pre Chigga-way:D but what we used to do prior to going on Opns we would chew a few of the match tips from the C-Rats (6-8) and do 1-2 twice a day during the Opn. They are not that bad. The Sulfur in the match heads would be sweat out and would keep the Chiggers off us. Had a Medic that found Sulfur Tab's and started taking 1/2 of one once a day and never got a single chigger bite. Oh as a boy scout we did the same thing. Guess Great minds think alike. :p This is good if you run out of Chigga-way. The only down side is you get sweat stains of Sulfur on your uniform, they come out in the wash but look funny the first time you see them.

There is also another product that I like to use because I am in the jungle a lot is a product called "Duranon tick Repellent" It is applied to clothes, tents, mosquito nets and gear. It dries orderless and repels and Kills Ticks, Chiggers and Mosquito's. It works great here in the Jungles of South America and in the Woods of NC and KY. I get it from Brigade Quartermaster. It is a spray can and they can mail it USPS. It is active for up to 6 weeks which is good.

SF_BHT:

The matches (and chiggers) have already been discussed on another thread. If you Search for chiggers, you will find it easily.

The matches work, but put a lot of other chemicals into your body, most of which are not good for you.

Sulfur tabs are a good idea, as long as the dose is not toxic.

Will have to get some of the tick repellent to try.

TR

I Did, just figured Longwire might want the info.. The repellent works great. I prep gear and go out and never need to carry the can.

Thanks for the Info guys........

First time beating brush in years, never had this problem before....currently using benadryl and cortizone 10, and chigarid............trying not to scratch