Last week, after searching through an overgrown area of our property for a lost ball, my son came in contact with some poison ivy.
The next morning, he woke up and itched all over. At first, by the way his palms and bottoms of his feet itched so terribly, I thought he might be having an allergic reaction to something he ate. But then we remembered the poison ivy … and the itches all up and down his left arm and leg suddenly made a whole lot of sense.
I’ve never had poison ivy before, and I didn’t have my computer around to check for natural remedies. Instinctively I rubbed pure aloe vera gel on his itchy spots, but he still was scratching his skin like crazy.
So I pulled out my tube of Redmond Clay Hydrated First Aid Clay. I received the clay through the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle bonus materials earlier this spring, but honestly, I had never heard of using clay in first aid before. Could it work? Would it work?
The tube specified that the clay could be used for burns, cuts, abrasions, insect bites, bruises, rashes, bee stings, blisters, poison oak, poison ivy, and dry, itchy skin – so I slathered it on my son. Within five minutes, his itching stopped.
His affected areas started itching again twelve hours later, so I reapplied the clay at bedtime. When he woke up the next morning, all of his poison ivy rash and reaction had disappeared.
How is it possible?
So what in the world does the clay do? Redmond Clay is sodium bentonite volcanic ash that’s free from all preservatives, chemicals, and additives. According to Redmond Clay, “Redmond has a negative electrical charge, attracting positively charged toxins. The formation of bentonite resembles tiny business card shapes, with negatively charged wide surfaces and positively charged edges, providing a surprisingly high surface area and powerful drawing effect. As most toxins are positively charged, clay naturally rids the body of toxins as it pulls and holds the toxins into its core.”
There are no studies to show the effectiveness of clay, but it can relieve itchy skin, stings and bites, rashes (including diaper rash), cuts, burns – and it can be used for acne, as well.
To use, simply hydrate the clay into a pasty gel, and apply it directly on the affected skin. Or, use the pre-hydrated variety. (If using it as a facial mask, gently wash it off before it fully dries. ) To soothe painful areas, cover the gel with a wet cloth so it won’t dry.
Other natural poison ivy remedies
I am a firm believer that the Redmond Clay’s bentonite clay is what eliminated my son’s poison ivy reaction. I later read some natural remedies for soothing – but not curing – poison ivy:
- Apply pure aloe vera gel.
- Apply apple cider vinegar to the affected area and cover with a paper bag to draw out toxins.
- Apply cucumber slices to soothe the itch.
Talk back
How have you naturally treated poison ivy reactions?
Giveaway!
Would you like to have your own tube of Redmond Clay Hydrated First Aid Clay on hand for your family? Redmond Clay is sponsoring a great giveaway through Accidentally Green. Enter now to win one 4-oz. tube of Redmond Clay Hydrated First Aid Clay and one 10-oz. jar of Redmond Clay powder (a $20.86 value):
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Hello I would so like to try the first aid clay. I am highly allergic to poison ivy. I usually end up having to get a shot sometimes twice. Thanks for sharing your story. Much appreciated.
That clay is so fascinating. It’s makes a lot of sense to me. I throw pottery and have cut myself before in the studio. The only thing I had around was clay which I put on and let dry. It seemed to work wonders.
My daughter is highly allergic to poison ivy and her last breakout we used lavender and coconut oil. The first application was made at night before she went to bed and by the next morning, it had decreased in size by 50% and the inflammation was down, it was just a flat red spot. We continued using the oil combo until it was gone. I have heard the bentonite clay is good and if I would have had some one hand, I would have used it. I need to go ahead and order just to have some. Bentonite clay is good for bug bites, spider bites, etc.
I would really like to have this Redmond Clay Hydrated First Aid Clay. As I get older, I find that I have a much harder time healing from all of the scrapes and bug bites!! Fortunately here in Central Oregon we don’t have poison ivy, but we do have our fair share of bugs!!