Make a rice sock

 

If you do not want to deal with condensation from melting ice, make a rice sock instead. Fill a clean long sock with rice, knot the top and freeze it for about an hour. The compress stays cool for about half an hour.

How effective? Less bulky than a hot water bottle, a rice sock can be wrapped around my wrists or neck to make a cool pillow. Placing it on my forehead was also a good way to soothe a heat-induced headache.