One of the most annoying things in the world is the itch and rash caused by poison ivy. The itching causes spreading and the spreading causes further itching. It can be a real vicious cycle if you don't know how to get rid of this scourge.

Let me give you an overview of the most popular poison ivy remedies. I know that a lot of them are not exactly second nature, so this will be sure to help you now or in the future, whenever's the next time you get hit by the old poison ivy plant.

Many people swear by a method that just seems too simple to be true: pouring hot water over the rash. Take whatever part of your body itches, and stick it under warm water, say in the shower. Gently increase the hotness and decrease the coolness until it's a little less hot than you can stand. Keep it right there. (Do not torture yourself or your kids; just use a little hotter than you would in the shower normally.) Let this hot water run over the poison-affected skin for as long as possible. Walk away for awhile and then come back periodically and repeat this method.

The other of the popular poison ivy remedies is yet another simple one. So many times in life the simplest and oldest remedies seem to work the best. Get in a bath that has had baking soda mixed into its water. This is a cheap method indeed. Soak in that baking soda water for a pretty long time. When you wake up the following morning you may find that the rash has notably abated.