I learned the hard way I’m allergic to poison ivy. My first reaction to it was so bad, I had to visit Urgent Care.
Since then, I’ve been super cautious but still deal with small outbreaks. Until I found Tecnu in 2023, I relied on Dawn dish detergent to clean my skin after yard work. It’s a degreaser.
But once I began using Tecnu’s Poison Ivy & Oak Scrub, I became a loyal user. It’s amazing stuff – it effectively removes the oil that causes the rash, plus it smells good and leaves your skin feeling cool and refreshed.
® Dianna Huff
This year, however, has been particularly tough. We have poison oak and ivy growing everywhere due to lots of rain and high temps late spring into mid-summer.
One day I found myself scratching and OMG – realized my legs and arms had small patches that quickly became big patches. It was really bad. I’d clear up one patch only to have another appear. The stuff is bloody awful – the itch is like tiny needles beneath your skin. And the blisters and oozing – ugh!
After two weeks of misery, and realizing rubbing alcohol wasn’t drying things up as I had hoped, I knew it was time to call in the big guns. I ordered Tecnu’s Calagel and Detox Wipes.
I cannot say enough good things about this line of products, and apparently, I’m not the only one.
According to Lisa Muller, Marketing Director for Tec Labs, a division of Quest Products, LLC, the company has very loyal users. “We get lots of testimonials on social, of course, but even if someone posts a negative review, our users will reply to explain why the reviewer is wrong.”
I’ve tried all the different lotions and gels available for poison ivy and oak rashes; only Tecnu’s Calagel works – and works fast. It dries and heals the blisters within 24 to 48 hours — plus it relieves the itch. When I asked Muller why, she said to focus on the inactive ingredients versus the active ones.
“The inactive ingredients comprise the delivery system – meaning, how the skin absorbs the gel,” she says. “Calagel has a fantastic delivery system. That’s all I can say!”
The Detox Wipes are awesome as well: I use them to wipe down Rocky post-walk – it was he who was spreading the oil from his fur to me!
How it started: Serendipity plus lots of poison oak
Tecnu was initially developed by Dr. Robert Smith (Doc) during the Cold War as a solution capable of removing radioactive fallout from the skin. The solution, named Tecnu® for “technically new,” was sold in five-gallon buckets as a bomb shelter staple.
It was Doc’s wife who accidentally discovered the solution removed the rash-causing oil (urushiol) from poison oak plants – which grew all around the Smith’s yard. After dealing with her kids’ frequent rashes, she single-handedly pulled out all the plants (barehanded!) and then washed up using a bottle of Tecnu Doc had left by the sink.
Several days later, she had zero signs of rash! She told all her friends and neighbors and news quickly spread.
The company, founded in 1962 in the Smith’s garage, and now based in a 58,000 square foot facility in Albany, OR, became a family affair. Doc’s son Steve took over in the early 1980s to grow the business. His wife was the VP of Sales and Marketing. Vern Smith, Steve’s brother, still works in Product Development.
“I was hired 24 years ago,” says Muller, “fresh out of college with an Associates Degree and a two-year old son, who now works in Production. Over the years, I’ve worked as an executive sales assistant, marketing, and now marketing research.
“I did get to know Dr. Smith,” she adds. “He cared about everyone and was an inventor until the day he died.”
Everyone on the team answers the phone
As the company grew, Steve Smith discovered the biggest workman’s comp claim in terms of numbers was poison ivy / oak rash. People who worked outdoors – utility workers, forest workers, landscapers, even fire fighters – were filing claims.
Tec Labs began contacting companies and public works departments and over time, Tecnu became a standard item in workers’ kits.
Due to taking people’s calls, Tec Labs learned that many people who had the rash “below the knees” contacted it from their dogs without realizing it.
“Farmers get the rash, too,” says Muller. “One farmer called us and after some sleuthing, we learned he was getting it from his tractor. Once the oil contaminates something, such as a tractor seat or steering wheel, it stays there until you clean it off.”
My neighbor, who owns his own tree service company, said, “Yes, it’s true. I get it all over the truck bumper and wood chipper, my clothes, and the car seat.”
The guy who put in my fence said the same: “Oh, we all encounter poison ivy and oak, all the time. It’s everywhere. We keep the Detox wipes and scrub in our truck. By the way, did you know you have a poison sumac tree-shrub in the corner of your yard?” (Me: No! ACK!!)
The company builds word-of-mouth by providing free samples to doctors and pharmacists at tradeshows and conferences. They also sponsor large events, such as the Go Pro Mountain Games, and will send samples to smaller local events, such as disc golf tournaments and bike races.
Muller’s favorite story comes from when the company sponsored an adventure racing team; the team had to cross a huge patch of poison ivy.
“They either had to go around it or through it, so they crawled through it,” she says. “Immediately after, they washed with Tecnu Scrub and completed the race. Afterward, a team member said, ‘We trust your product – that’s why we were willing to crawl through the poison ivy.’ No one on the team contacted the rash.”
Purchased by Quest in February 2024
When I bought my first tube of Tecnu Scrub, I did so for two reasons: I had tried everything else and wanted something that worked. The packaging front boldly claimed “100% Guaranteed” – with the guarantee written out and an 800 number and physical address on the back. Wow!
Second, it was made in the USA. Muller says a few people ask about where the product is made, and is surprised more people don’t.
After posting about my experience with Tecnu Scrub on LinkedIn, Muller reached out and sent me four Detox Wipe samples and said to use them to wipe down Rocky. She assured me they were non-toxic and wouldn’t harm him.
The foil-wrapped wipes are easy to tuck into a pocket or fanny pack. I now keep a few in the car so that I can wipe Rocky down right after a trail walk versus waiting until we get home.
When I learned the company had been purchased, I immediately reached out to Muller to see if the products would still be made here.
“Yes, Tecnu will still be made at our Oregon facility,” she said. “Our manufacturing facility was designed to be built out three more times, so Quest now has the resources needed to expand. For example, we’re now in the process of moving Alocane® production to our facility.”
(Alocane® is Quest’s emergency burn gel and burn pad product line, so you can see that Tecnu is a good fit for them.)
Tec Labs has been a top 100 Oregon employer for 15 years, was inducted into Oregon Business Magazine’s Hall of Fame for small businesses, and was certified as a “Great Place to Work” in 2018. Oregon Business Magazine also selected the company as a Top 100 Best Green Company.
You can order any Tecnu product, or the Complete Ivy Kit, from the company website or purchase from your favorite retailer.
The company also has a blog with great information about the plants causing all the trouble, as well as photos and videos. Very helpful!
The one thing I learned: “Leaves three, leave them be,” is a good thing to know. However! Poison sumac is the exception as its leaves are similar to fronds. Here it is, in the wild corner of my yard. Because it’s higher than I am tall, I didn’t notice it until the fence guy pointed it out. It was growing along the ground as well.
Links
Tecnu company website — https://tecnu.com
Tecnu on LinkedIn — www.linkedin.com/company/tec-laboratories-inc.
Full Disclosure
I did receive four sample Detox Wipes in 2023 (to use on Rocky!) from Lisa Muller after posting about my experience with Tecnu Scrub on LinkedIn. I was not paid nor asked to write this post. All links are FREE — meaning, they’re not sponsored or paid for.
My mission is to keep manufacturing jobs stateside and this blog is my way of giving back.
We like to think a “small” choice, such as purchasing something made in the U.S. by American workers, won’t make a difference. It does.
