I started out this summer with a bang by getting a pretty bad reaction to poison ivy after a weekend of camping. It covered my hands and some of my arms. At first, the reaction was mild, but after about three to four days, it became increasingly irritated. My skin was swollen, itchy, painful, and overall it was highly uncomfortable.

I tried several products, including Burt's Bees Poison Ivy Soap, Aveeno Anti-Itch Cream, and some other products that were supposed to help with the discomfort and my symptoms (including regular tecnu poison ivy wash). Nothing really seemed to work, so I went to the store to see if I could find something better.

Tecnu Extreme Poison Ivy Scrub is a new product, and is made by the Oak-n-Ivy brand. This was the first time I had ever seen or heard of it, and I found this at the grocery store. It is pretty expensive, and cost me about $15.00. The scrub comes in a plastic squeeze container and holds 4 oz.

The container says that this product:
- eliminates poison oils
- cures itching
- speeds healing

"Tecnu Extreme, with its active ingredient, remove urushiol quickly, effectively, and helps heal the rash of poison oak, ivy, and sumac."


Ingredients

Active Ingredient: Grindelia Robusta 3x
Also contains: alcohol 0.55%, SD alcohol 40B 7.05%.
Benzethonium added as a preservative.
Steroid free.

The bottle is labeled "Homeopathic", and it is interesting that this does not use any powerful chemicals to treat the poison ivy.


Use

The directions say to "Squeeze the desired amount of product into hand and mix with equal amount of water. Apply to affected skin and surrounding areas and gently rub for 30 seconds; avoid breaking irritated skin. Rinse with cool running water and towel dry gently. Repeat as needed."

The scrub is clear with some scrubbing particles in it. It is pretty much unscented and has a barely detectable smell, sort of like soap. The container is really convenient since it is squeezable and sits cap end down, so the product is ready any time.

The tecnu scrub doesn't lather and pretty much goes on like a slimy soap. It didn't burn or hurt my skin even though I was working it in. It felt good to be scrubbing the irritated skin. After showering, I noticed a slightly greasy residue. Once my skin had fully dried out, the residue was unnoticeable (sort of like a moisturizer).


My Verdict

The best part of this scrub was that it felt great when I was rubbing it on my skin. I found that by taking a hot shower (or using warm/hot water in the sink), my skin would itch really even worse. Then by applying the scrub, the itching was relieved.

This product provided immediate, although temporary, relief. I was highly uncomfortable and itchy and the tecnu scrub relieved the discomfort for at least a few hours. Out of the many products I have tried, this did a good job of drying out my skin.

I was pretty far along after the exposure to the poison ivy when I tried the tecnu extreme scrub. However, it is best used when you are first exposed to poison ivy,oak or sumac. You can stop itching if you use this within 24 hours. If you wait longer, as I did, it at least removes the oils from your skin and also helps prevent the spread. It had already spread a little bit, so I definitely wanted to actively keep up with removing the oils from my skin. Getting the oils off your skin also aids in the healing process.

Although I was using other things (like calamine spray), I do feel like this helped treat the poison ivy. It lessened the irritation and aided in the drying process. If I ever get poison ivy again, I will immediately use tecnu extreme scrub to treat it. The only downside is that this product is SO expensive.


http://1800itching.com/


Recommended: Yes