Summer is here in its full glory and you are surely trying to hide in that AC room drinking chilled water and fruit juices. Well, it might not be that much difficult for a normal person to shun the skin problems that come with the hot and humid weather of summer but for pregnant ladies, it can be really challenging.
A lot of hormonal changes occur in the body of the expecting mothers during pregnancy and these hormonal changes make the skin more sensitive; making it prone to summer rashes and every other type of skin problems.
So, if you are living in a hot and humid weather and you are in any phase of trimester of pregnancy, it is important for you to take the right precautions to ensure that you are safe from the irritating prickly heat, which can make you feel really uncomfortable all the time.
To save yourself from prickly heat rashes it is important to make some lifestyle changes, including your clothing and diet pattern. Along with that following some easy home remedies can effectively reduce your chances of getting prickly heat.
Even if you have already started to get these rashes implementing these changes and following the home remedies can be helpful to solve the problem to a great extent.
So, without going into any much ado, we will directly start with the home remedies for pregnant women to get rid of prickly heat and to stay cool during summer.
Safe tips to avoid prickly heat
Avoid taking hot water baths
A pregnant woman must not bathe with hot water as she should aim to keep her skin cool and dry. Use natural or herbal cleansers and soaps while bathing.
Use prickly heat powders
A doctor’s prescribed prickly heat powder should be used by a pregnant woman. You can pat on some powder any time after bath or whenever you heed outside.
Pick comfortable cotton clothes
Prickly heat has a direct relation with your body heat and if you are able to stay cool even during this hot and humid summer, you are sure to stay steer clear from these rashes. One of the easiest ways to stay cool in summer is to opt for the right clothing.
Light, cotton made loose fitting clothes are the best to ensure that sweat is not accumulated on your skin under the cloth. Light, loose fitting cotton clothes will absorb the sweat and make sure that air can pass easily through the cloth, helping your skin to get dry quickly.
Pick thin cotton clothes that cover most of your body as it will also work as a protection for your skin from the external heat. Opting for pastel shades in cotton clothing is always wise to make sure that you feel cool and comfortable during summer.
Change your clothes frequently
Changing your clothes frequently can be of more help than you might think of. Wearing the same clothes even after they have become damp with sweat certainly increases your chance of getting heat rashes. So, make sure to change to dry clothes as soon as the ones you are wearing have become somehow damp due to sweating.
Stay in a cool and well aerated place
Staying in the room that enjoys maximum sunlight during summer is certainly going to make sure that you get prickly heat rashes. So, do not make the mistake and shift to a room that is well aerated but yet does not enjoy the maximum sunlight during summer. Staying in an Air conditioned room for the most part of the day can be most helpful in this regard.
Take frequent shower
Taking shower frequently can be an effective way to keep the body temperature low. In fact bathing is a most basic and effective process of lowering body temperature. So, during summer, instead of taking a long bath, make sure that you take frequent short baths.
This will help your skin to stay dry from sweat and will also help in reducing your body temperature. However, if you are taking frequent baths make sure that your skin is not getting dry due to all that bathing. In that case, use some lightweight moisturizer or opt for oatmeal bath.
Home remedies to get rid of prickly heat for pregnant women
To get rid of prickly heat during summer, maintaining the above suggestion in your daily life can be most helpful. Also use the below mentioned home remedies to get quick relief from these irritating rashes.
Baking soda
The ability of baking soda to remove impurities and its anti-inflammatory property makes it a must use for pregnant women. Add half a cup of baking soda to lukewarm water, mix it well and then bathe with it.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch has the property to stop your skin from sweating too much, which is the prime reason for the growth of heat rashes. You can apply it directly on the affected areas, but make sure you are not allergic to corn.
Camphor
Camphor can help your skin get rid of the burning sensation as well as itching. Crush a mallet to powdered form, apply it directly. You can also add a few drops of lavender oil to make a paste out of it.
Aloe Vera gel for treating prickly heat
Aloe Vera is a very effective and soothing natural treatment for prickly heat. Aloe Vera calms the skin and soothes any skin irritation. It also helps in resolving small skin infections.
To treat prickly heat you can simply apply pure Aloe Vera gel to the affected area of the skin. This will give you quick relief from any itchiness on the skin due to the rashes and will also help in keeping the skin healthy, preventing the breakout of new rashes.
Sandalwood for quick prickly heat relief
If you are suffering from prickly heat during pregnancy, one of the best natural treatments for you is to apply sandalwood paste onto the affected area of the skin.
Sandalwood has a natural property to soothe and calm the skin. Sandalwood oil also helps in nourishing the skin. Prepare some sandalwood paste and apply it onto the affected area of the skin in a thick layer and leave on.
You can repeat the application whenever you feel like to get relief from the pricking sensation of prickly heat.
Fuller’s earth and cucumber for getting rid of prickly itch
You can prepare a quick and effective treatment at home with fuller’s earth and cucumber juice to get rid of prickly heat. This treatment can effectively control even the worst type of prickly heat breakout and will give you immediate relief.
Grate a fresh cucumber, squeeze out the juice. Soak a sufficient amount of fuller’s earth in this cucumber juice for 10 minutes. Ones the earth becomes soft, make a paste with it by adding excess cucumber juice and apply the resulting pack onto the affected area. Leave on till it gets 90% dry and then wash off with plenty of water. You can repeat the treatment as many times as you want in a day.
Potato pack for prickly itch relief
Potato is a common kitchen ingredient that can come most helpful in relieving the uncomfortableness and itchy sensation of prickly itch. Take a raw potato, grate it and apply it onto the affected skin. Leave on till it becomes dark and dry. Remove with excess water. Repeat as and when required.
Oatmeal and cold milk pack for prickly itch
Oatmeal pack can be helpful to soothe prickly itch rashes and also to remove any oils trapped in the skin pores. Oatmeal also helps in calming the irritated skin. Cold milk on the other hand is very soothing and nourishing for the skin. You can use this treatment for quick relief from the irritation of prickly heat rashes.
Soak a handful of oatmeal in sufficient cold milk to make a pack and apply it directly onto the prickly heat affected skin area. Leave on for 15-20 minutes and then remove the pack gently with a wet cotton cloth.
Neem and basil pack for prickly heat
If your prickly heat rashes are bigger and they look like inviting other skin infections, using a neem and basil pack can be very effective. Basil helps in calming the skin while neem absorbs excess oil from the skin.
Both these ingredients are known for their excellent natural anti-microbial properties and can be effective in keeping any secondary infection from prickly itch rashes at bay.
Collect a handful of fresh neem leaves and 10-15 basil leaves. Wash them clean with water and grind them together to make a paste. Apply it directly onto the affected area of the skin for relief.
Alternatively, you can also prepare a concoction of neem and basil leaves by boiling the leaves in 2 cups of water until the water gets half. Keep this concoction in fridge and apply it onto the affected area of the skin frequently to get relief from the pricking sensation on the skin.
Note
If your prickly heat rashes seem not to soothe in 1-2 weeks even after following the above precautions and the treatments mentioned above, you should consider visiting your doctor because during pregnancy your skin is prone to infections and the rashes might be caused due to some other reasons. So, there is no reason to take a chance.
