The 6 Best Poison Ivy and Poison Oak Prevention Products of 2020

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Our Top Picks

Dawn Dishwashing Liquid at CVS

"Wash the affected area immediately after contact with dawn dishwashing liquid soap to get the toxic oil off your skin."

Alcohol Prep Pads at Amazon

"Bringing individually packaged alcohol prep pads lets you easily remove the toxic oil from poisonous plants from your skin."

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."

Tecnu Extreme Poison Ivy Scrub at Amazon

"The scrub can help you remove toxic oil from your skin, so that 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."

Fels Naptha Laundry Soap Bar at Amazon

"As with other scrubs, it should be used as soon as possible after exposure to prevent a poison ivy or oak rash."

Our Top Picks

Dawn Dishwashing Liquid

Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid Dish Soap — Courtesy of CVS

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.

Alcohol Prep Pads

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.

Tecnu Outdoor Skin Cleanser

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.

Tecnu Extreme Poison Ivy Scrub

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

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.

Fels Naptha Laundry Soap Bar

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.