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Do what I do to avoid that kind of work. Hire someone. It sounds like a one time deal, anyway. It would be worth it to eradicate the poison ivy for good.
Here's what I learned from working in historic sites in historic costume in hot summer seasons:
1: ONLY wear a natural fiber. No artificial fibers, no blends.
2: Wear something loose fitting.
3: Long sleeves and skirts trap the moisture next to your skin, thus keeping you cooler.
So, other than of course doing your gardening early in the morning and late at night, my advice is to wear a light colored long gauzy cotton khaftan, or a loose long sleeved blouse and long flowy skirt. That's what I wear. I also wear a sunbonnet and wear crocs. Really! I look crazy, but who cares.
For extra protection from the PI, you could also wear long white cotton knee socks. Shins aren't that much affected by heat.
In Dixie, Seersucker is the answer. However, my method is to use the heat to my advantage - I douse myself with water and let evaporation keep me cool.
A lot of these suggestions won't work. Anything that will soak up sweat will allow the transfer of the poison oak to reach your skin.
When I was younger, I used to work for the city's Parks and Recreation department (in TX), and we'd frequently encounter poison ivy/oak when clearing brush. Wearing jeans and long shirts did nothing, because when you started to sweat, it would carry anything on the outside of your clothes to your skin.
Only something that is actually impervious to water will work, but those types of things will not breathe and will be very hot. When I have to mess with poison oak, I wear long sleeves, my fishing pants "waders" and work quickly, either early in the morning before it's too hot, or later in the evening.
lol Is Texas a state full of masochists, or something? Why would anyone do that? The tough jobs like that should be done during the cooler seasons. The Mexican gardeners in New Mexico get all their work done between 6 a.m. and noon. Nobody works during the highest heat of the day, especially a project like the OP's.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 07-18-2016 at 08:46 AM..
try L.L. Bean for ventilated shirts- these are made for men but I know I've seen them for women. in fact I used to have one. Also get a few of those scarves which have beads in them..you get them wet and they keep your neck cool. DH just got some this week on sale at amazon.
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