[juniperblue]

I tend to have delayed reactions to skin irritants and am concerned about very likely poison oak exposure. (The other person I was hiking with got very severe poison all over his body and we were hiking the same place.) It's possible I do not react to poison oak at this point or that my long clothes protected me. But I would like to take preventative measures, if possible. I've read things that say some people take 7-10 days to break out in the rash. And my body is the type that may do that if I develop a poison oak rash. It's been about 3-4 days at this point. Is there anything I can do? Take a bath with something in it? Take an herb of some sort? Any suggestions? Or am I pretty much in the clear for the hike itself? (Though the clothes, shoes, and blanket involved have not been washed yet.) Thanks.

[aquest33]

Its doubtful that you will have a reaction after going 3 days with no reaction. You should wash your clothes, etc. The active part of poison oak is a chemical name urishol (that may not be spelled correctly). It is clear and has the consitency of pine tar. As you may know, pine tar does not wash off easily. This is why it is wise to wash yourself and your clothes in something like Tecnu which is designed to dissolve this chemical. Depending on your paranoia level of getting poison oak, you may want to wash everything twice.

There is a new ointment named Zanfel. The makers claim that Zanfel applied to exposed areas will eliminate poison oak. I have not tried it. It is very expensive.

Some people claim that Jewel weed helps with effect areas.

The best thing to do is search the internet - there are several sites that cover all aspects of poison oak.

And finally, the very best thing is prevention - long shirts and pants and the knowledge of what poison oak looks like during all seasons.

Good luck!