I’ve been talking about blackberries so much on the blog lately because I’ve been enjoying picking them along the trail behind our office. There’s one drawback to picking blackberries, though: THORNS. The vines are covered with nasty, vicious, hooked thorns that seem intent on drawing blood in their zeal to guard the precious fruit. It’s virtually impossible to pick a fair amount of berries without getting “picked,” yourself (wear gloves and you usually wind up squashing the fruit).

What’s even worse than the initial scratches is the way they ITCH afterwards, and the hand lotion I keep at my desk didn’t help at all. I was spending the afternoons typing away, my pale hands covered with itchy red splotches. I finally realized that the itch was similar to what I experience from mosquito bites, so I began treating them the same way: by bathing them in witch hazel. Voila! No more itch.

I now keep a bottle of witch hazel at my desk to bathe my hands in after picking blackberries, and follow it up with some moisturizing hand lotion.

Please note: it is possible to have an allergic reaction to blackberry thorns. If you or a family member experiences pain along with the itch, try taking an antihistaminic (like Benadryl) and applying cold compresses to the scratches. A topical steroid cream may also prove helpful. If the pain and itching persist or the scratches become infected, see your doctor.

Got any tips to eradicate blackberry itch? Share them here!