Review of Cortaid Poison Ivy Toxin Removal Cloths
Cortaid Poison Ivy Toxin Removal Cloths are a convenient on-the-go solution to the ever-present threat of poison icy exposure. The best way to avoid getting a rash from poison ivy is, obviously, to avoid the plant itself. Most of us who live in areas where poison ivy, oak, and sumac grow are familiar with the warnings about these toxic plants, and many can recite several of the rhymes that are used for identification purposes: “leaves of three, let it be”, and “hairy vine, no friend of mine” being a couple of examples. Because over 80% of people are sensitive to urushiol, the oil contained in poisonous plants, people are urged to learn what the plants look like, and to avoid coming into contact with them if they see any.
This is because it is extremely easy to get urushiol on your skin if you go near poison ivy or poison oak. All it takes is for your skin to brush briefly against a leaf, or even for your clothes to do so, as the oil can easily be transferred from clothing and other objects to your skin the next time you touch them. And sometimes, unfortunately, it's very possible to come into contact with poison ivy before you've even realized that it's there.
That's where post-exposure remedies such as this one come into play. There are plenty of them on the market, with most taking the form of a liquid solution which is applied to the skin immediately after exposure to poison ivy/oak/sumac. The variety of the plant isn't really important, as they all contain the same poison – urushiol. It's the urushiol that causes the rash, not the plant itself. As soon as you've touched the plant, urushiol will be transferred to the exposed patch of skin. If left untreated (as happens in many cases simply because the victim doesn't notice at the time that they've been exposed), it will be absorbed by the skin and, in most cases, will result in an itchy, painful red rash.
Note that just because you don't see anything on your skin doesn't mean that you didn't actually touc the plant. Urushiol can go undetected, and the rash won't appear until it has soaked into the skin – sometimes up to two days later. So don't take the chance – if you see poison ivy in an area where you've been in contact with the leaves, assume that you have urushiol on your skin. Better to be safe than sorry! Traditional post-exposure treatments require you to apply them to the affected skin immediately, to kill and remover any urushiol on the skin before it can do any damage.
The difficulty with these, however, is that you might not always be carrying a liquid-filled container around with you, and your poison ivy exposure could occur somewhere far from where you keep the remedy in your garden shed! Cortaid's Poison Ivy Toxin Removal Cloths take up minimal space in your purse or sports bag, which makes them an ideal choice to carry with you at all times, just in case. Because they're pre-moistened (and individually wrapped in order to retain that moisture), they can be used anywhere, even if you have no immediate access to running water as many other treatments require. Simply wipe the cloth over your skin to remove any toxic oil, and then carefully fold and dispose of the cloth, making sure that you don't touch the side you used to wipe. Simple, but effective, for peace of mind when you're out and about. You can buy it online here.
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