Top 5 Effective Home Remedies For Prickly Heat

While summer is a particularly pleasant time of year for many, it can turn into a nightmare for those who suffer from prickly heat, also called sweat rash or heat rash. In medical terms, this condition is known as miliaria. It is a common skin problem experienced by adults, children and even infants.
It mostly happens to people who live in hot, humid climates. Living in such conditions leads to excessive sweating that can cause the sweat glands to become blocked.

When they subsequently burst open, it irritates the skin and results in prickly heat. Other causes of prickly heat are bacterial infections and underdeveloped sweat glands. Being overweight and leading a sedentary lifestyle can increase the risk for it.
Prickly heat can appear anywhere on the body, but it usually affects the feet, back, neck, groin, hands, armpits, abdomen and upper chest. Common symptoms are mild inflammation, stinging or prickling sensations, and small red round bumps or rashes that itch.

Typically prickly heat resolves naturally as the weather conditions improve. But when it strikes in the heat of the summer, the first thing you must do is cool down your body.
You can stay in an air-conditioned room, or take a cold shower or bath to minimize the prickly sensations on your skin. You can also try some home remedies that are very effective and do not have side effects.

1. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a popular treatment for prickly rash due to its anti-irritating, anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. It will have a soothing effect on the skin and give instant relief from inflammation and itching caused by prickly heat.

• Add one cup of finely ground oatmeal powder to a bathtub filled with cool water. Stir well, until the water gets a milky color.

• Soak in this bath for 20 to 30 minutes.

• Pat dry your body with a soft towel.

• Do this twice daily for a week to get relief.

2. Cold Treatment

Using a cold compress over the affected area will provide immediate relief from inflammation, prickling sensations and itching.

• Wrap a few ice cubes in a dishcloth. Place it on the affected areas for five to 10 minutes at a time. 

• Repeat every four to six hours for two to three days. This will prevent the rashes from getting worse and spreading further.

• Alternatively, you can soak a cotton cloth in cold water, wring out the excess water and place it over the affected area for five to 10 minutes. Repeat three or four times a day for about a week.

• You can also take a cold shower or bath as needed to reduce the intensity of prickly heat symptoms.

3. Aloe Vera

Owing to its anti-inflammatory, soothing and cooling properties, aloe vera is an excellent home remedy for prickly heat.

• Extract fresh aloe vera gel from an aloe leaf.

• Rub the gel over the affected skin.

• Leave it on for at least 20 minutes, and then take a cold bath.

• Do this at least two times a day for about a week.

4. Baking Soda

Baking soda is another useful remedy for prickly heat treatment. It works as a gentle exfoliating agent that helps unclog pores by removing dead skin cells, dirt and other impurities. This in turn relieves the itching and inflammation associated with prickly heat.

• Add one teaspoon of baking soda to one cup of cold water.

• Soak a clean washcloth in the solution and wring out the excess water.

• Put the washcloth over the affected area for five to 10 minutes.

• Repeat four or five times a day for a week.

5. Gram Flour

Gram flour helps absorb extra moisture off your body, which in turn helps treat prickly heat. Also, it removes dead skin cells, opens up clogged pores and provides relief from inflammation.

• Add a little water to two to three tablespoons of gram flour to make a paste.

• Apply it on the affected area.

• Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes, and then wash it off with cold water.

• Do this once daily for about a week.

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