Mad Professor

When my 8-year-old daughter got a case of poison oak, I went to the drug store to buy a tube of Zanfel, a poison ivy and poison oak soap that is purported to get rid of the urushiol oil that causes the itching and blisters. I'd heard good things about the stuff. People claim it stops the itching instantly. When I got to the drug store and saw the price tag -- $40 for a one-ounce tube of soap -- I hesitated. That's a lot of money for such a tiny container. I bought it anyway, figuring that if it didn't work I could ask for a refund.

I got home, squeezed a 1.5-bead on my wet palm and rubbed my hands together until the stuff formed a gritty paste. I then rubbed the paste on my kid's legs for about three minutes. She told me the itching was gone. The rash even looked like it had subsided. By the end of the day, the itch had resumed, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been earlier. One more application did the trick. The stuff is worth the price.

Note: Zanfel doesn't get rid of poison oak if you have a systemic case -- that is, if the urushiol has gotten into your bloodstream or lymph nodes. You can tell you have a systemic case if you keep getting new blisters al over your body. You need to go to a doctor and get a shot of steroids to take care of that. $39.95 for a 1 oz. tube