Home Remedies: Heat Rash Treatments

Summer brings sunny days, bright skies and picnics in the park. It also brings heat, perspiration and the inevitable heat rash or prickly heat. Excessive sweating can often lead to skin irritation, redness and a prickly sensation, particularly on the back. Children especially are prone to this because they play around and stay out in the sun for so long that they perspire a lot and this can lead to a case of prickly heat rash. It mainly occurs because the sweat ducts get so clogged up that the sweat goes back into the skin rather than out of it.

While heat rash may be uncomfortable and irritating, it is also relatively easy to treat at home. Before you do that, however, it is important to distinguish it from other rashes. This can be done by examining the rash closely. Prickly heat will have tiny red dots which are an indication that sweat glands have become inflamed as they were exposed to heat and sweating; this inflammation leads to the prickly sensation that gives this rash its name.

Here are some simple skin rash treatments that can provide much needed relief from the prickly sensation and itching.

Wear Loose Clothes to Prevent Heat Rash

Wearing loose clothing can reduce friction and irritation by allowing  skin more space to breathe. Loose clothing made of cotton or other absorbent materials will help keep sweat away from the body, which can reduce the possibility of heat rash. Avoid wearing tight clothes, or those made of synthetic materials such as nylon, since these hold sweat on the body, forcing it back into the pores and causing heat rash.

Use An Absorbent Powder

Along with wearing loose clothes, use of talcum, cornstarch or medicated powders can keep the skin dry and prevent prickly heat from making a comeback.

Use Mild Soaps & Lotions for Prickly Heat Rash Relief

Using mild, antibacterial soap to wash followed by a thorough rinsing and an application of soothing skin lotions that contain calamine or dimethicone can relieve the itching and irritation that prickly heat causes.

Try a Baking Soda Bath

Yes. That’s right. Add a few tablespoons of regular baking soda to bath water. Stir to dissolve. Bathe normally. The soda bicarbonate is known to reduce irritation and soothe the skin.

Reduce Activity and Stay Cool

One of the easiest ways to prevent and deal with heat rash is to stay in cool environs and reduce hectic activity, simply because less activity means less perspiration which, in turn, means less chance of heat rash. So, if possible, try and restrain kids from playing in the sun or, if you’re suffering from prickly heat, then stay away from that exercise class for a couple of days or until the rash subsides.

These simple easy-to-do home remedies can keep prickly heat rash at bay and provide relief if you or your family are suffering from it already.

Readers of this article may also like articles on Home Remedies for Head Lice and Gout Pain.

About prerna malik

has written 82 posts in this blog.

Creator of The Mom Writes (www.themomwrites.com), Feature Writer at Suite 101, Green Living Writer at Blissfully Domestic. Mom, Wife, Home Maker and So Much More!!

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