If you have ever searched the internet for a poison ivy remedy, there are many sites that tout their own product.  Other sites offer no substance in their suggestions, only anecdotal evidence that cannot be relied on.  The reality is, no single remedy works for everyone.  If you have this skin dermatitis, there are some remedies that work more often than others.  

Prevention

The single best poison ivy remedy is to simply not come into contact with the poisonous plant.  Make a point to learn what the plant looks like and try to avoid it while outdoors.  Wearing boots, long socks and pants can go a long ways towards keeping the oils from coming into contact with your skin.  When removing articles of clothing that you suspect have oil from the plant on them, try to minimize contact with the clothing or shoe laces by wearing a pair of disposable gloves or using a plastic bag.  Once the clothing is off, it needs to be washed in hot water using a strong soap.  

Soaps and Water

If you come into contact with poison ivy, the sooner you can get rid of the oil from your skin, the less of an allergic reaction you are going to have.  If you can get to cold running water within ten to fifteen minutes of contact, the best poison ivy remedy is to get the part of your body that made contact under running water for about five to ten minutes.  This rinses away and dilutes the oil before it has a chance to be absorbed into the skin.  

If you are sensitive or more time has passed there are a number of soaps that are specifically designed to break down the oils in poison ivy.  These soaps break down the oils and are able to pull or leach the oil out of the skin.  They can be quite drying as they tend to pull out all the oils but are the best poison ivy remedy you can buy.  

Helping the Itch

If you realize days later that you have poison ivy, there are a couple of remedies that help.  First of all, the soaps can still help and you should use them on your hands if you relent and scratch at the affected areas.  It does not take much oil to cause a reaction and by scratching you can transfer the poison ivy’s toxic oil to other parts of your body if you forget and scratch.  There are a couple products designed to cover and protect the area as the oil naturally breaks down.  Some natural products such as aloe vera and tea tree oil can help with itching, inflammation and can also help break down the oils.