Do you get a rash from permethrin?

Did you use Saywer or mix your own? If you mixed your own you could get a rash from the “other” ingredients.

I have experienced the “rash” from home grown treatment and mildly with the Sawyer.  I must just be a bit more sensitive to it.

Oh, did you wash the garments after treatment?

I ran them through the washer but no soap and a double rinse.  The rash was almost exclusively on my wrists, nothing around my neck or thighs, the only other areas treated clothing was in direct contact with skin.

Yes, wash them with soap. You will not wash the permethrin out, only the “loose” stuff.

I didn’t wash the clothes after. I’m not sure what brand it was. It came from REI though so whatever kind they have. I’m not sure it did much good. I still got mosquito bites. Plus my legs were solid red. Next time I won’t bother.

nope never heard of this being an issue. normally we never wash after application and there are no issues

I’ve used a little.  No rash

Spray outside, let dry.  I hate to wash it because it will start washing the stuff away.

Couple things, first, we used the Sawyer brand for a trip recently and no rashes. Second, Sawyer recommends not washing in a machine. Its not the soap that effects the product its the agitator they claim that knocks off the molecules. Third, hand washing is recommended and will not degrade the products performance nearly as fast. Also if I remember correctly they recommend retreatment after about 40 days.

I guess I’m just really sensitive.

Piper, as it is not recommended to be sprayed on garments in contact with sensitive areas (underwear)  there may be some risk of reaction inherent in the product. If your sleeves, collar or pant leg openings were hanging loosely and open when sprayed, it could be that some of the product reached the inner side of the garments. If you give it another go I would take a few clothes pins and clamp the openings shut before spraying. Of course that may not make a difference if you are super sensitive to it.

Then I guess you have to decide between a possible reaction and any toxicity vs. a nasty blood born disease due to a bad tick bite or just roll the dice and be super vigilant with body checks after hiking. That’s what makes these damn tic’s so nasty.

Piper, I’ve been using the Sawyer brand for about 3-1/2 years now and I’ve never had a reaction to it (and I have sensitive skin). I put it on my shoes, socks, pants, shirt, hat, ground sheet, shelter and pack. We have a lot of ticks here on the east coast, but this stuff works. I have hiked 1200 miles on the AT with it and not the first tick. Did you let it full dry? I let mine hang on a clothesline in the garage for several days before wearing anything.

I’ve used Sawyer and only sprayed the outside of the garments.  No rash and no reaction at all for me.  I can’t use Tide laundry detergent as it gives me a rash.  So, I am sensitive to some chemicals.

We left the clothing to dry for a week outside and then they were moved inside where I just left them on their hangers until it was time to pack. It could also be our laundry detergent combined with the 95+ degree heat. I don’t normally have a rash, but I sometimes get rashes around my ankles from socks and dirty girls.

I doubt I will use permethrin again. I’m not really worried that much about ticks. I usually see them waiting on the ends of the brush and if it’s tick season I just do extra motions with my poles to knock them off the brush as much as I can. Just being covered up or taking refuge in my tent seemed to help more than the chemical since mosquitoes were landing all over me anyway.

Piper, did you use the dunk and soak method or did you only spray the outside of your clothes? I only spray the outside. Also the ticks that carry the Lyme disease around here are very tiny.

I use Permethrin quite a bit due to the ticks in the Big Sur area and having seen the effects of Lyme disease on someone I work with. After seeing how bad the disease can impact someone you’ll want to take all precautions on not getting bit. I spray both the insides and outsides of clothes and have had no problems with skin irritations, mosquitoes or ticks.

Piper, it’s odd that the rash only occurred on the legs but not the upper body or the back of the upper legs. Based on that, it’s hard to tell what the actual cause of the rash was.  Personally, I’d experiment more to determine if Permethrin caused the reaction.  Something like spraying only one pant leg and leaving the other untouched and see what happens.

I know, it was weird that my upper body wasn’t affected, at least what I can see of it. The stuff was only sprayed on.

I’ve used the Sawyer spray product on socks and the lower portion of my hiking cargo pants.
I never had a problem with developing a rash from it.  I was curious if I would have a problem with the socks, since they were touching my skin, but nothing materialized.

When I used it, I never had a problem with ticks.

I’m about an hours drive north of Ogdensburg and the ticks are getting much worse here, so time to spray again.

I haven’t sprayed my gear yet this year, and so far have found several off my torso.
Also had a trip to the ER to have one removed from the back of my thigh.