Its wedding season again!

image by Sarah Hagerty

Recently I worked on a wedding where one of the (out of town) bridesmaids came down with a seething dose of heat rash.
Of course it had to be across her throat, chest and upper arms, and of course  the bridesmaids were wearing strapless dresses, leaving her nowhere to hide the telltale red blotches.
 

image by Holly Schumacher for Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine

That got me thinking that throughout the summer girls everywhere will be getting married/being in bridal parties, and should this happen to them, they may need a quick fix.

Now in this case our bridesmaid had already been through hair and makeup, so the first course of action – a cold shower- wasn’t an option, so we soaked towels in icy cold water, wrung them out so that they weren’t dripping wet, and laid them over the areas covered in rash.
(Obviously she didn’t have her bridesmaid dress on at the time)
If cold showers/cold compresses don’t have a medicinal benefit, they at least cool down some of the firey redness, and reduce some of the blotchiness.
If you do shower, be super careful when towel drying. Rubbing the skin can just agitate it.

Next up, a staple in my makeup kit is Hylunia Colloidal Silver Spray. I use this on any and all skin irritations, and it miraculously seems to heal all. 
I’ve used it on models who have had the worst wax burns you have ever seen, sun burn, wind burn, everything you can imagine.
The stuff is magic.

there I am working away on a Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine shoot

Normally I will do 3 or 4 applications of colloidal silver spray, allowing it to air dry in between. 

If there is no Colloidal Silver spray on hand I reach for hydrocortisone cream. 

The last part of the equation, which may have verity, or may just be a placebo, is to drink icy cold water or sweet tea. Something about cooling you down from the inside and the outside at the same time seems to help enormously. I’m convinced that soda just makes anything worse, so avoid the colas and other soft drinks.

Phoenix Bride and Groom magazine

One last note on summer weddings: if you are getting married on a warm day, or if you are in a mid-summer wedding, pack a small bottle of either baby powder or Gold Bond powder. 
Thighs chafing together under those dresses can be misery. I can’t even tell you how many travel sized bottles of baby powder/Gold Bond have exited my kit to stay with the bridal party over the years!

To see more from the bridal shoots in this blogpost, and to find out more wedding related info, check out the Phoenix Bride and Groom blog