Essential Oils for Poison Ivy & Homemade Relief Recipes

With the warmer weather, we start venturing outdoors to go hiking, biking, and exploring. I love to encourage the kids to get outside and play in the fresh air. Unfortunately, there are times we may come across poison ivy without notice, and you need to know about effective homemade treatments. These pesky little plants love to spread rashes all over the body quickly. Learn how you can use essential oils to help prevent or relieve your discomfort.

Poison Ivy Relief with Essential Oils

To treat the itchy rash, I put together some of my favorite essential oils for poison ivy with apple cider vinegar as a base.

• Lavender is soothing and gentle to the skin when applied.
• Roman Chamomile is a favorite at our house to help speed the healing process.
• We use Peppermint all the time for itching, bug bites, and other skin irritations.
• Eucalyptus is a great tonic and cleanser and will help keep skin healthy through the healing process.

Essential oils aren’t going to prevent a reaction if you have sensitivities to the plant, but the spray recipe can help remove any lingering poison ivy oil from your body, and the gel will soothe itching and irritated skin. Powered by essential oils to help prevent infection, relieve pain, and heal skin, these recipes are a one-two punch that will knock out your poison ivy pain.

Before spraying your rash, always shake your bottle between uses. This helps prevent any settling of your ingredients. If you do not have a glass spray bottle on hand, you can apply a few drops of the mixture to your poison ivy rash with a smooth t-shirt-style rag. Use as needed for relief from itching and inflammation.

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Homemade Poison Ivy Relief Spray

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Author: Mama Z

Equipment

• 2-ounce glass spray bottle

Materials

• 1 tablespoon of 190-proof alcohol OR the highest-proof alcohol you can find
• ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt OR sea salt, ground
• 1 tablespoon organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar
• Purified OR distilled water to fill the rest of the bottle
• 1 drop Lavender essential oil
• 1 drop Roman Chamomile essential oil
• 1 drop Eucalyptus essential oil
• 1 drop Peppermint essential oil

Instructions

• Add essential oils to alcohol, stir, and add to the bottle.
• Mix water and apple cider vinegar in a separate container.
• Dissolve sea salt in water/vinegar mix.
• Carefully add to the EO mixture in the spray bottle to fill and mix together.
• Store in a glass bottle no more than 2 days before using.
• Spray the infected area as needed and rinse off with cool water to break up and wash away the oils of the poison ivy.

Notes

At least 60% alcohol is necessary to sanitize the hands, but this concentration is insufficient for solubilizing essential oils. So, shake the bottle before each use.

This blend is perfect for using immediately after contact to help dry up any of the remaining oils from the exposure.

Here’s a blend with aloe gel that will last longer on the shelf and can be applied during the healing process. It uses aloe gel and essential oils for a healing lotion.

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Poison Ivy Relief Aloe Gel

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Author: Mama Z

Equipment

• 2 ounce PET flip top bottle

Materials

• 1 drop lavender essential oil
• 1 drop Roman chamomile essential oil
• 1 drop eucalyptus essential oil
• 1 drop peppermint essential oil
• Thickened aloe gelly

Instructions

• Add aloe and essential oils in a small glass and mix thoroughly until the gel takes on a milky appearance.
• Using a funnel and a spoon, pour the mixture into your flip-top bottle.
• Apply as needed until your skin no longer itches.

Notes

If you want a thicker product, use Aloe Vera Gelly with added vitamin E and C.

*You can also use the equivalent in fresh aloe vera gel taken right from the leaf. Simply cut a leaf in half lengthwise, exposing as much surface area as possible. Use a spoon to pull out the aloe vera. If using this option, be sure to store your product in the refrigerator as it will go bad and separate if kept at room temperature. I also recommend blending using a Magic Bullet or an immersion blender in a glass measuring cup.

Poison ivy doesn’t have to slow you down too much when you enlist the power of natural medicines to help you heal!