What can I do about heat rash?
Weather here has been 30 C+ for the past two weeks. I have no air conditioning, and since there are no openable windows, no way to ever get air conditioning. The heat wave isn’t going to break until Wednesday. The problem is that I am now covered head to toe in heat rash. I look like I have chicken pox. It started on my arms and chest, but now it’s marched all the way down to the backs of my hands and onto my face, and my back is so inflamed with heat rash pimples that leaning back in a chair feels like lying on a bed of nails.
To make matters worse, I can’t even take a shower to cool off, since there’s no shower or bath here. I have to take sponge baths in the sink. I also don’t have a refrigerator, so I don’t have access to ice.
Is there anything I can do about this heat rash?
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Oh man. I looked it up (WebMD) and see that you are not supposed to use any creams or ointments. It says to move to a cool, shady spot and lit it air dry. That is not possible in your case.
Do you have a clean paper towel or handkerchief available? If you wet it with cool water and put it on your neck, the evaporation will help cool you down. Rinse and repeat. Put it on your head too. The body loses a lot of heat from the head..
About where do you live? PM me if you don’t want to make it public.
Look up on how corn flour can be used best for your case. I have seen it work on others.
Talcum powder or cornstarch all over your body.
Hang a wet towel in front of a fan and sit close to it. Also, wet your hair. If your hair is wet, that will help keep you a little cooler. Can you put your feet in tepid water to try to keep your temperature down. I hope it settles down soon.
Thanks for the suggestions, folks, but unfortunately I can’t do anything to raise the humidity level in here. The building was abandoned for eight years and infested with toxic black mold. We managed to get it under control with a lot of bleach, a small HEPA air filter, and a dehumidifier that runs 24/7, but even as it is the mold smell comes back when it gets hot and humid out. I’ll pick up some talcum powder and see if that helps.
Is the mold visible? Are you guys technically savvy? I might have a suggestion for you.
Heat rash is caused by blocked pores, so it seems unlikely that using any type of fine powder will clear it up. A cooler, drier climate will.
Do you have to spend 24/7 in this building? What about using or building a shelter just outside that allows for better ventilation or AC unit when not having to be in the moldy, windowless, showerless pit of hell?
Is there a natural water source nearby that can be used to cool off your skin? A shady spot? How often does it rain there?
Get a spray bottle that can spray a fine mist. Fill it with clean water, and spray it frequently on yourself, especially your face, neck and head. We’re going through a heat wave here right now, and we find the spray bottle method quite helpful and refreshing. I don’t have AC, either.
Oh, and I don’t know why you say “no lotions”. On the actual rash, I find calamine lotion helpful.
Good lord man. Might be time to start thinking about finding a new place.
Sit in the bathroom with the fan on and wipe yourself with a wet towel.
@Darth_Algar Just moved in here, actually. I’m renovating this place right now for my union and the only way we can afford it is if I live in the bare concrete basement and pay rent while I do the repairs the building needs. My personal needs are at the bottom of the list of priorities, so I don’t have a shower, fridge, stove, bed, or anywhere to store anything except in cardboard boxes.
Anyway, the heat wave broke today, and I’m hoping the building will cool off within two or three days.
@LuckyGuy Not any more. We sealed off the factory and loading dock where the mold had gone wild with plastic tarp, then doused everything with bleach multiple times. We still get mold growth on some surfaces in the basement which tend to produce heat (such as my computer—it’s slowly killing it), but the rest is mold-free and the mold smell only comes back during really hot, humid weather. We have a dehumidifier running 24/7.
What about purchasing or even borrowing a cooler/ice chest and keeping a bag of ice in it? That would at least give you some ice for cool drinks and cold water to use as a compress on your skin.
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@Pied_Pfeffer It was about three days after the heat wave ended before the basement here cooled off, so the heat rash got… bad. By the time it started fading, I had heat rash everywhere, including the palms of my hands. It’s mostly gone now except for the inside of my elbows, but a few of the pimples became infected and one of them (in my groin, naturally) has formed an abscess. I’m hoping it will clear up on its own. The last time I had an abscess in my groin I nearly died, so I’m hoping I have a more pleasant experience this time.
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