Walking Injuries and Prevention The 6 Best Poison Ivy and Poison Oak Prevention Products of 2021 Use these products to remove toxic oil and prevent poison ivy rash By Wendy Bumgardner facebook twitter Wendy Bumgardner is a freelance writer covering walking and other health and fitness topics and has competed in more than 1,000 walking events. Learn about our editorial process Wendy Bumgardner Fact checked by Fact checked by Elaine Hinzey, RD on July 07, 2020 linkedin Elaine Hinzey is a fact checker, writer, researcher, and registered dietitian. Learn about our editorial process Elaine Hinzey, RD Updated on July 07, 2020 Print More in Walking Injuries and Prevention Walking for Weight Loss Treadmill Walking Long Distance Walking Beginners Walking Shoes Walking Fast Gear and Clothing Pedometers and Fitness Bands Clubs, Partners, and Programs Treadmill Workouts View All Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Our Top Picks Dawn Dish Soap at CVS "Wash the affected area immediately after contact with dawn dishwashing liquid soap to get the toxic oil off your skin." COVIDIEN Alcohol Prep Pads at Amazon "Bringing individually packaged alcohol prep pads lets you easily remove the toxic oil from poisonous plants from your skin." Tec Labs Tecnu Outdoor Skin Cleanser at Amazon "Use it at any time after exposure to poisonous plants to minimize the eventual rash, and you can even use it on gear or clothing." Tec Labs Tecnu Extreme Poison Ivy Scrub at Amazon "The scrub can help you remove toxic oil from your skin, so the reaction can stop and healing can start." All Terrain Poison Ivy Oak Bar at Amazon "The soap lathers well, enabling it to strip all oils from the skin to get the toxic oil off, with moisturizers to replenish it." Dial Laundry Bar Soap at Amazon "As with other scrubs, it should be used as soon as possible after exposure to prevent a poison ivy or oak rash." Dawn Dish Soap Buy on CVS Buy on Home Depot The first step is to wash the affected area immediately after contact with poison oak, ivy, or sumac plants to remove the toxic oil, which bonds quickly to your skin. Dawn dishwashing liquid soap is a powerful grease-cleaning product. It's used to clean oil-contaminated wildlife, and it will help get the nasty toxic oil off your skin. You may want to carry some in a small plastic bottle in your car or backpack to use in case you are exposed to poison ivy or oak during a hike or other outdoor activities. Lather and rinse thoroughly with water. It's gentle on fur and feathers for wildlife, so it shouldn't be toxic for you. COVIDIEN Webcol Alcohol Prep Pads Buy on Amazon NIOSH recommends immediately wiping the area of contact with alcohol to remove the toxic oil. Bringing individually packaged alcohol prep pads lets you do that conveniently. It's smart to carry these on longer walks as part of a blister kit. You can use them to clean any cuts or scrapes for first aid. Just be sure you are buying alcohol preps and not alcohol-free wipes, as alcohol is needed to remove the toxic oil. Rinse with water afterward. Also, authorities note that alcohol will strip protective oil from your skin, and you need to be careful to avoid any more contact with poison plants for the rest of the day. Tec Labs Tecnu Outdoor Skin Cleanser Buy on Amazon Buy on CVS This is the original skin cleanser from Tecnu, and you can also use it on gear and clothing. The manufacturer recommends washing skin within two hours of exposure, so it would be wise to keep this handy with your walking gear. But you can use it at any time after exposure to minimize the eventual rash. The key is removing the toxic oil from the skin whenever you can. The Best Family Hiking Gear of 2021 Tec Labs Tecnu Extreme Poison Ivy Scrub Buy on Amazon Tecnu is the pioneer in poison ivy and poison oak scrubs. This preparation is an actual scrub that contains grit to remove the toxic oil from the skin. Once the oil is off the skin, the reaction to it stops, and healing can start. You can use this scrub anytime after exposure. The sooner, the better. All Terrain Poison Ivy Oak Bar Buy on Amazon Buy on Walmart Hard-milled lye soap is the traditional scrub for after exposure to poison ivy or poison oak. All Terrain produces just such a bar, labeled for this use. It even includes a bag to save the soap for future use. The soap lathers well, enabling it to strip all oils from the skin to get the toxic oil off. But this also dries out your skin, so the soap contains humectants to help replace your skin oil. The 13 Best Pain Relief Creams of 2021 Dial Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap Buy on Amazon Fels Naptha soap is a traditional scrub for the removal of poison ivy and oak oil from skin, clothing, and gear. As with other scrubs, it should be used as soon as possible after exposure to prevent the rash. But it can also be used after the rash develops to remove remaining oil and shorten the rash outbreak. You can treat clothing and gear that has been exposed to the soap, too. For apparel, dampen the cloth and rub on the soap as a pre-treatment before washing. A Word from Verywell Fit As with so many things in life, prevention is the best cure. Learn what these plants look like and be wary of them when you are in areas where they grow. Be prepared to wash immediately if you have any suspected contact with the plants. You may not be able to completely avoid the rash, but you may help limit it. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Looking to start walking off the weight? Our free guide offers tips, workouts, and a printable schedule to help you get on the right track. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Outsmarting Poison Ivy and Other Poisonous Plants. Updated August 6, 2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Poisonous Plants. Updated June 1, 2018.