Summer’s here, and the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and your calendar is starting to fill up with barbecues and camping trips.
Unfortunately, there’s one fly in the ointment in summer. That fly? Chub rub.
You know what we’re talking about! With the joy that floral summer dresses and warm sunshine bring, comes the horror of sweaty thighs and uncomfortable friction — which can leave your legs chafed and sore.
Thankfully, there are ways to deal with chub rub and treat thigh chafing — and lucky for you, we’re about to share our top tips. Read on for chafe-tackling advice.
Preventing chub rub in the first place
Preventing chub rub in the first place is far more accessible — and less painful — than having to deal with the consequences at a later date.
Here are some easy changes you can make to your wardrobe and your habits during the summer to prevent thigh chafing:
Air your legs
We cannot state the importance of airing your legs enough. Stuffing them into any restrictive garments, such as trousers or jeans — especially in hot weather — is going to make your thighs sad and sweaty.
The first step to preventing chub rub? Let your thighs breathe by wearing airy clothing. Choose anything from floaty skirts, dresses, linen trousers — whatever you fancy. By ventilating your legs, you’re keeping them fresh, cool and reducing sweat. If too much moisture builds up on your skin, it can break down the top layer of skin and leave it sore, irritated and painful (which is essentially what chub rub is).
By wearing looser clothing, you can protect your skin from sweat and keep it feeling fresh.
Get some anti-chafing shorts
Anti-chafing shorts do precisely what they say on the tin: they stop your thighs from rubbing against each other, creating painful friction and chafing. You can wear them underneath dresses, skirts, and trousers to stay prepped and pretty on those hot summer days.
Sometimes, this can work better than just wearing loose clothing — which might let your skin breathe and help with perspiration, but won’t help with friction between your thighs.
Anti-chafing shorts are the perfect solution: they provide that layer of protection between your thighs, and if you buy the right pair from the right brand, you’ll get a lightweight fabric, so you won’t even notice that you’re wearing them.
A good pair of anti-chafing shorts are moisture-wicking too — which means that they will draw the sweat away from the skin and dry quickly.
What an invention. Better than sliced bread, because wearing slices of bread under your dress won’t make your thighs stay happy and will also look silly.
Use an anti-chafing powder or gel
The modern world is a beautiful place? We’ve even invented gels and powders specifically for alleviating thigh chafe pain.
The concept is pretty simple: apply the anti-chafing product to the affected area — in this case, your thighs — and the extra layer will protect your skin from any painful rubbing and prevent thigh chafe in the first place.
There are all sorts of excellent anti-chafing products available, from gels to balms to powders to roll-ons, so pick your fave, and feel silky smooth and protected.
Wear thigh bands
Thigh bands are one of the latest trends in thigh chafing products.
If you haven’t heard of them before, they’re essentially bands of material for your thighs, which, like anti-chafing shorts, protect your thighs from rubbing together.
Thigh bands are made with non-slip silicone, which means they will stay in the right place throughout the day. Interested?
The most popular brand is Bandelettes, which come in a lacy design so that you still feel attractive rather than as if you’re wearing bandages on your legs.
Treating chub rub
Thigh chafing is painful, but there are plenty of things you can do the ease the pain, help your skin to heal. And because you’re now equipped with many different ways to prevent chub rub in the first place, there won’t be, the next time either!
Here are our top tips for treating chub rub:
Be careful when you clean
If you’re suffering from sore and painful thighs, you need to be extra cautious when you’re washing to make sure you don’t make them any worse.
Use gentle soaps and mild cleansers on your legs — nothing heavily scented or harsh because this will irritate your skin. Go as neutral as possible with products, don’t scrub the area, and use cold water rather than hot water to wash it off.
Once you’ve washed, make sure you moisturise the skin with a dermatological moisturiser or cream; this will keep your skin hydrated, protected and prevent inflammation. Again, avoid heavily perfumed or cheap moisturisers.
Separate those thighs
Your thighs can make chafing even worse if they carry on rubbing against each other. The best thing you can try and do in this situation is to keep your thighs separate.
There are a few ways you can do this:
- Wear loose, breathable trousers
- Wear those moisture-wicking, anti-chafing shorts if you want to wear a skirt or dress
- Pop on soft cotton pyjama bottoms before bed
- Wrap the affected area in gauze
