There’s a shit-tonne to love about summer, endless sunny days, frolicking in the ocean, daylight savings, a full social calendar and ofc, cocktails, so many cocktails. However, it also means three or more looooong months of being a hot, sweaty mess — we’re talking upper lip sweat, under boob sweat, pit sweat, butt sweat and the unholiest of all, thigh sweat! And all that sweat usually results in one thing — chafe.
I don’t know a goddamn soul who hasn’t experience thigh chafe at least once in their life, and it’s HELL. The worst is when you’ve been at the beach all day and decide to go for one last dip before heading to the pub. You then proceed to walk albeit damp the two blocks up the road only to arrive having had more skin-on-skin contact than you’ve had since high school.
If you’re one of those blessed people who has never experience chafe (how?!), it’s caused by excessive skin-on-skin contact or fabric-on-skin contact, the friction causes irritation, dryness or blistering. It’s also worsened by moisture, hence why it’s more common in the summer or post-swims. You can get it anywhere that is more sweat-prone or where the skin is thinner — nipples, yes nipples, underarms, chest, groin and thighs.
While you might consider chafing to be a short-term problem that usually goes away after a day or so, if you get it often enough, you can cause damage to your skin barrier, which can make you even more prone to chafing in the future. No thank you.
That said, there are a few preventative measures you can take, like anti-chafing shorts and creams, to help protect your little drumsticks.
1. Anti-chafing shorts
Modibodi have developed seam-free, leak-proof anti-chafing shorts, so you walk around all summer friction-free. The shorts sit at mid-thigh and made with a super-soft blend of materials that sit seamlessly beneath any outfit. They also double as period shorts so you can even avoid chafing when you’re on your period. Huge win tbh. You can buy those bad bois here.
2. Stay as dry as possible
Easier said than done in summer, but the more you can avoid sweating and washing saltwater off after swimming, the better. This helps to remove the friction from between your thighs which we know causes chafe. You can also dab a little powder on your inner thighs if you know you’re going to be walking long distances or for a run. The powder acts as a drying barrier and eases the friction.
3. Prevent excess sweating while exercising
If you’re going to work out, try doing it indoors in the AC to avoid sweating like a demon and ending up with painful chafe. Also, opt for sweat-wicking fabrics when it comes to workout clothes to minimise excess moisture. You could even workout in the anti-chafing shorts we mentioned earlier.
4. Lube up
Yes, you read that correctly. If you’re wearing a skirt or short shorts and don’t have any kind of fabric barrier, you can also apply a chafing cream or healing ointment to help minimise friction. We like Bullet & Bone’s Protect and Care Anti-Chafe Cream, $27.99
