Review of Ivy Cleanse Towelettes
Ivy Cleanse Towelettes are convenient to have around if you live (or are vacationing) somewhere where poison oak or poison ivy thrive. The key to preventing poison oak/ivy rash is to treat the exposed skin immediately – the longer you wait, the more time the harmful urushiol oil from the plants has to soak into the skin and cause that familiar, uncomfortable rash.
It can be inconvenient, however, to carry around a liquid treatement for poison oak or poison ivy when you're out hiking or spending time outdoors with the family. While liquid treatments are very useful to keep at home, these cleansing towelettes are light and compact enough to easily put into your purse or backpack and forget all about them until you need them. Then, if you accidentally have a brush with poison oak, ivy, or sumac, you have an effective treatment right on hand.
With urushiol, the important thing is to be quick to remove it. The longer it is left to its own devices, the more opportunity it has to absorb into the skin, and it can't be removed once that has happened. That's why it's a good idea to be able to recognize poison ivy or poison oak if you happen to be somewhere where they grow. If you brush against some and don't realize, you will break out in a rash within a day or two. If, however, you are able to identify the plant and know that you've touched it, then you can take preventative measures to stop the urushiol before it has time to get to work on your skin.
Urushiol initially rests on the surface of the skin. Trying to remove it by washing with warm water can be detrimental, as the water opens up your pores and might cause the oil to be absorbed rather than washed off! Ivy Cleanse Towelettes (from Hyland's) contain alcohol, which will help to loosen and remove the oil instead. Urushiol has a nasty tendency to bind to the skin, making ordinary wiping and washing less effective, but these wipes should bring it right off.
To use them, you simply wipe them using brisk movements across the affected areas of skin. If you're not sure where you might have been affected, then wipe all exposed areas of skin – anyone who has ever suffered from poison ivy rash or poison oak rash will tell you that it's well worth taking the time to do this thoroughly! You should also wipe down anything else you have with you that you think might have been exposed to the plants, as urushiol can rest on pretty much any surface, just waiting to be transferred to your skin the next time you touch them. Wipe down any tools, sports equipment, clothes, footwear and bags that you have with you. And don't forget about pets – furry animals can be the most guilty culprits when it comes to spreading poison oak or poison ivy, as the urushiol sticks to their fur as they brush past. It normally doesn't do them any harm, since the fur protects their skin and prevents the oil from reaching it, but it means that the unsuspecting owner can easily get covered in urushiol without realising, the next time that they touch their pet's fur. Wipe the fur with the Ivy Cleanse Towelettes to prevent this from happening. You can buy it online here.
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