Poison ivy, a curse on humanity!

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Was trimming up the back of our lot, lots of sago's and done oak trees. Apparently it's been long enough since I encountered the itchy stuff that I wantwa paying attention and not my arms and face are covered in it!

Guess I'm just complaining, but why; oh why, is this stuff allowed to exist!? I'm miserable!
 
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Odd thing, but I can go out and pick the stuff and have never had a rash or other problems with poison ivy or poison oak. The down side is when some was spotting I was always called in to come clean it out.
 
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Was trimming up the back of our lot, lots of sago's and done oak trees. Apparently it's been long enough since I encountered the itchy stuff that I wantwa paying attention and not my arms and face are covered in it!

Guess I'm just complaining, but why; oh why, is this stuff allowed to exist!? I'm miserable!
You wanna know how to never get it again? You are gonna feel stupid when I tell you.
 
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Use a proper wash cloth. There are many soaps that work, but without a washrag the oil remains to some degree causing dermatitus. The soap just has to remove oils, which thankfully all but the most gentle soaps are designed to do. There is a timing element, but it is longer than you would think, at least 4 hours in my experience. I actually use two wash rags; one for an intitial ivy oriented wash which I remove from the shower when done and one to wash normally to ensure I did not miss a spot. I run a trimmer and carry on in the yard and in our understory in shorts due to the heat of summer and it used to be a drag.

I had a cat named Hemi that would rub my legs begging food when I went into the kitchen. His fur was the last source of dermatitus that plagued me. But I learned to wear pajama pants or sweats inside during ivy season. I miss him but not his evil ways.

Here is the video that taught me what to do.
 
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There is that. But you must admit after a few times of such negative reinforcement one learns the hard way to take a shower after random plant interactions.
Fair enough! It has been a long time since I got it, so it was time for a reminder!
 
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Poison oak is an important part of an ecological system. It can survive anything and it’s prolific. It’s used for restoration of natural woodlands below 4000 feet as it’s invincible and symbiotic. On our property its preferred areas to grow are with Oregon grapes and white oak trees. I have seen some vines run 30 feet into the air.
 
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Please, oh please tell me why it's important. Nothing but a curse which I would gladly eradicate.
 

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