Dealing with the skin irritation from hops plants

[mendelec]

This is the time of year when I'm constantly fiddling with my vines. Four varieties and they're planted close enough together that it takes some regular vine management to keep them from reaching across and growing together. No matter what I do to cover up, it seems I manage to brush an uncovered bit of skin against the vines. So, I'm often dealing with the rashy irritation you get from contact. I'd used benadryl spray and a host of other things in the past, to little effect.

This past week, I gave a product called Tricalm a try. Active ingredient is aluminum acetate. I had some sitting around the house and had never found a good use for it. Short story, it works great at stopping the irritation. Best thing I've found by far. Been using the spray, but it comes in different formats. Couple of minutes after applying, the irritation just fades away.

Anyway, thought I'd share. Anyone else found a good solution (other than avoiding the situation)?

 

[Spikybits]

long sleeves + long leather rose gloves that go past you elbows + long pants

dont rub your face or neck with your gloves on

 

[mendelec]

Not always a practical option on a hot summer day, but yes, prevention is certainly the best option.

I'm always sure I'm being careful to not let exposed skin touch anything (yeah, right). But, the vines always seem to find the chinks in the armor. Plus, sometimes I just can't stop myself from fiddling with them in shorts and gardening gloves when I'm standing right there and there's just that one (and that one and that one) that needs to be redirected. Ok, maybe that's usually what happens. So, it's good to have an effective treatment.

This was more a post to share a treatment that I found to be very effective and to toss it out there to see if anyone had come up with another treatment that worked too. I probably have a season's worth of tricalm on hand, but I like to have backups and then backups for my backups.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

This is a real thing. Interesting how some are not bothered while others suffer. I was tending to my bines recently. A few days later I have a rash on my leg where the hop plant brushed against me more than once. Hands and arms have no rash, just on my leg above the knee. At first I thought it was poison ivy bubbles. I haven't been anywhere near poison ivy. I know poison ivy, et al as I seem to break out from simply seeing a picture in a book.

 

[GoeHaarden]

I know poison ivy, et al as I seem to break out from simply seeing a picture in a book.

I feel your pain. I have PTSD from a couple very bad poison ivy battles. I'm convinced anything that grows on a vine is The Ivy.

This was more a post to share a treatment that I found to be very effective and to toss it out there to see if anyone had come

I bet Ivarest would work pretty good too. Its benadryl, calamine, and some other goodies. Works for the ivy well enough that you forget about it for a couple hrs.

 

[Dgallo]

I’m sure poison ivy soup made from jewel weed will work. Compound in the jewel weed break down oils rapidly so they easily rinse off your skin. We sell this product at the nursery and I can attest it works great for any plant that’s a skin irritant, as I use it daily because juniper makes itch as hell and if I use this right after moving them, the itch goes right away and I won’t break out

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

the irritation is caused by oil, clean the oil off the skin with rubbing alcohol, nothing that can be done after accept ivy dry or similar

 

[B-Hoppy]

I think hops cause the irritation by more of a physical means as opposed to the oils that something like poison ivy give off. There's glandular trichomes oriented all over the plant and certain ones all along the stem and also on the petiole and for that matter on the underside of the leaves form into some really nasty looking climbing hooks that create issues when you brush up against them: Hooked on Hops. The trichomes located at the base of the bracts/bracteoles in the cones are where the majority of the oils and resins are produced but that doesn't mean that the ones that develop into climbing hooks don't also make some sort of irritant? I've just never come across any info on that sort of thing.