Girls Rash Vest

As the name suggests, a rash vest is designed to be some sort of protection against a rash.

Originally made to be worn underneath a wetsuit to prevent wetsuit rashes, the rash vest or rash guard is, in essence, an athletic shirt and now a fashionable item.

This great looking piece of apparel is now also worn simply to protect a person from harmful UV rays and as trendy casual attire.

The rash vest was invented because in earlier times, surfers suffered from several problems:

• They found that rubbing their chest against the sticky wax on their boards irritated their skin;

• That although wearing a heavy neoprene wetsuit offered excellent UV protection, the suit was too hot to wear during hot summer days and;

• The neoprene suits chafed when they wore the wetsuits during cold weather.

Their solution was to look for a suitable lightweight shirt to wear while they surfed and to wear underneath the wetsuit to keep the rubber from chafing on the skin.

Made of spandex, polyester or nylon, these lightweight “rash guards” shed water quickly and slid over the skin like smooth satin. These materials quickly became the favorite pick among surfers looking for a shirt because it was light even when the surfer got wet. These materials became even more popular when they were found to have properties that insulated the surfer from the cold.

As the idea took hold, rash guard makers found that, unlike boys, girls bought more than one rash vest because they did not like to seem to have only one shirt to wear to the beach. The manufacturers realized that there was a profitable market for it and if they could make girls rash vests more attractive, they had an open market in their hands. As the idea took hold, different styles and designs emerged, making the rash guard some sort of fashion accessory at the beach.

A girls rash vest was sometimes the more appropriate attire in some places near the beach, like a restaurant or hotel lobby, then a bikini. Instead of having to change, a girls rash vest is simply worn over the bikini to cover the upper body and viola – any bikini clad girl suddenly became appropriately dressed for the occasion.

The girls rash vest is especially fashionable now that the trend is towards physical fitness. Because of its lightweight material and body-hugging fit, the rash vest shows off the wearer’s curves and many girls use this fashionable accessory to flaunt what their form without seeming to do so.

Made in many designs and colors by sports accessories manufacturers such as O’neill, Tiki, Billabong, Quicksilver, Rip Curl and Saltrock, to name a few, these rash vests have become so popular that they are now worn in the malls, parks and other public areas.

What better way can you think of to declare your fitness as an athlete and still be fashionable at the same time? Just go to any sport accessory shop, ask for a girls rash vest and see for yourself.