Other varieties of poison oak include Atlantic poison oak, which grows in the southeast US. This variety is much less common than the western poison oak. [2] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source

If it turns out to be poison oak, make sure anything that has come into contact with the plant is washed with soap and water.

As the name suggests, the leaves look a bit like oak leaves. [3] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source

This will help you rule out other plants by noting what it doesn’t have. If it doesn’t have pointed leaves and it doesn’t have thorns, it isn’t poison oak.

In the winter, it loses its leaves and looks like reddish-brown sticks (sometimes a few poking up from the ground, sometimes a big clump) with alternating stubs. You can also find it as a thick vine climbing up a tree, sometimes (depending on the season) with small poison oak leaves coming out of it.

In addition, urushiol can become airborne if the plant is burned and is easily transported from one object to another. The rash from poison oak is not contagious in the standard sense, but if someone has the urushiol on their hands and touches another person, that second person can react as well. All parts of the poison oak plant contain the toxin urushiol. Even when the leaves fall off in winter, the plant is not safe to touch. [9] X Trustworthy Source US Food and Drug Administration U. S. government agency responsible for promoting public health Go to source

To make an oatmeal bath, pour two cups of oatmeal into a nylon sock or stocking and tie it onto the tap so that warm bath water runs through the oatmeal. Soak in the tub or soak the affected areas for at least 30 minutes. You can also use baking soda in a warm bath. [17] X Trustworthy Source American Academy of Dermatology Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists Go to source

Most rashes will heal in five to 12 days, but the rash can last as long as a month or more. [19] X Trustworthy Source American Academy of Dermatology Professional organization made of over 20,000 certified dermatologists Go to source