The Catskills Cure for Poison Ivy
Need a natural remedy for a poison ivy rash that actually works? Or maybe you just need a thoughtful hostess gift to bring along to a friend's country house? Check out Auntie Ivy's Poison Ivy Soap, made by hand at Honey Hollow Farm Stay in Earton, NY. The marbled golden and red soap has a rich, earthy, old-fashioned soapy scent. Farm owner Larissa Phillips makes the soap with soothing clays and infuses it with a secret concoction of herbs, some of which grow wild on her farm.
Larissa started making the soap out of "pure personal desperation." After three decades of suffering from poison ivy rashes and attempting to treat them with home remedies and pharmaceutical products, Larissa began to worry that she was slowly poisoning herself with the over-the-counter treatment that she used so frequently. When she discover that the product's active ingredients were all herbal, she took matters into her own hands: "I looked up other natural treatments for poison ivy rashes. What the Native Americans did. What the hippies did. What the pharmaceuticals did. I came up with a recipe. I made some soap."
For Larissa, the soap was more effective than anything she'd ever used before. It has been a life-changing cure. We haven't had occasion to use the soap on a poison ivy rash yet, but Larissa has been posting customer reviews on the Auntie Ivy Soap Facebook page, and it seems like a magical antidote.
We've got a bar on hand, and we're feeling prepared for the next bout of poison ivy at our place. With sweet, old-timey packaging, it makes a thoughtful gift for anyone who has trouble with poison ivy and appreciates a well-stocked medicine cabinet. It's also just a pretty bar soap for everyday use. You can buy Auntie Ivy's Poison Ivy Soap online (priced at $12 for a 4-oz. bar or $8 for a 2-oz. bar) or just send Larissa a message via the Auntie Ivy Facebook page.
Ramona gave it the sniff test...
...declared it "DEE-licious," and then promptly started kissing the soap! This all-natural remedy is gentle enough for a baby, and almost good enough to eat.
For more information, check out the Auntie Ivy's Poison Ivy Soap website and follow them via Facebook and Instagram. The soap is available for purchase online, at Honey Hollow Farm Stay, at Black Horse Farms in Coxsackie, and at Barlett's Farm Market on Nantucket.
