Thigh chafing is the enemy of summer fun. One moment it's all fun and games: the sun's out, the weather's warm, and you're taking your short-shorts for their first ride of the season.
Before you know it, your inner thighs are overtaken with salty sweat—salt in the newly formed broken skin taking shape in your inner thighs. A cute seasonal outfit moment is ruined; a day at the beach cut short so you can run home to tend to your shredded inner thighs.
Frankly, it's unfair. Humans have evolved for hundreds of thousands of years and, yet, our apex form is one in which our thighs are absolutely ravaged by the alchemy of friction and sweat. Maybe that's how our ancestors first discovered fire? Jury's still out.
Evolutionary flaws aside, there are ways to help prevent chafing and skin irritation. Humidity be damned, what we're after are inner thighs that glide smoothly against one another.
With that, here's a look at some of the solutions in our anti-chafing arsenal.
Thigh Savers Are Friends to Inner Thighs Everywhere
Did you really think we were going to leave your inner thighs to fend for themselves? Clearly, thigh chafing is an issue we take very seriously here at Knix HQ, as evidenced by the fact that we have a garment specially designed to help prevent chafing called the Thigh Saver.
It's a superhero product that lives up to its vigilante-sounding name for its ability to make you forget all about skin on skin friction. What might look, at first glance, like a cross between a bike short and shapewear is actually an ultra lightweight, silky pair of shorts designed to help prevent thigh chafing.
To boot, Leakproof Thigh Savers are equipped to absorb up to 3 tsps worth of liquid, whether it be light blood, sweat, or urine leaks. Available in an extended assortment of fabrics and lengths, Thigh Savers can be discreetly worn under your OOTD or can be worn boldly in lace and leopard print styles.
Stretchy and seamless, these breathable babies are a literal game-changer. Not to mention, they make sitting on a subway seat in a sundress a less icky experience. It begs the question: are these thigh-savers or life-savers?
Shaper Shorts Can Help Prevent Thigh Chafing
If you like the sound of the Thigh Saver but are looking for something that offers more compression and contouring, the Shaper Short is your ticket to helping reduce thigh chafing.
It's designed with comfortable compression zones to smooth the upper and lower stomach, while providing your derriere with a little lift and definition. In keeping with our shapewear ethos, the Shaper Short is here to enhance your natural shape—not contort it.
Oh, and the best part? The breathable and anti-odor gusset means you can go commando all summer long, sans skin chafing.
Sport Skorts for Thigh Rescue
The Sport Skort is truly a triple threat, combining the forces of the skirt and short to help stop thigh chafing in its tracks.
Whether you're hitting the tennis court or grabbing a latte (and wanting to give off the vibe that you're someone who could, hypothetically, be hitting the tennis court) the Sport Skort is a friend to inner thighs everywhere—thigh gap who?
Made using ultra-stretch fabric for ease of movement (for aforementioned frolicking), this little number allows you to move around unrestrained. It's also surprisingly functional thanks to its not one, not two, but THREE pockets that can easily fit tennis balls or, you know, snacks.
Anti-Chafing Stick for Skin Irritation
It's no Thigh Saver, but if you're a chronic victim of thigh chafing, the internet seems to have reached a verdict as to the best anti-chafing stick. Made using aloe, pomegranate seed extract, orange and grapeseed oils, and hydrating vitamin E, the Megababe Anti-Chafe Stick might just be your new purse (or skort pocket) staple.
If your inner thigh rub, anti-chafing products like petroleum jelly (think: Vaseline) can also help prevent thigh chafing, are great for sensitive skin, and can also help repair chafed skin.
If you generally find ointments irritating, consider finding relief in a baby powder alternative, like Lush's Silky Underwear formula. It absorbs moisture, smells good, and is a promising anti-chafe elixir.
In a Pinch, Deodorant Will Do the Trick
When all else fails, there's the gliding power of a stick of deodorant. The reviews on how effective this is are mixed at best, but it certainly can't hurt to give it a try.
If deodorant can keep your armpits (another high-friction, sweaty area) from igniting a small fire, then surely it can help your thighs skate past one another free of incident. In a pinch, it can be a solid short-term fix.
Oops...It's Already Too Late: How to Treat Thigh Chafing
It happens at the dawn of each summer season: you forget the horror-show that is thigh chafing. Blissfully, you neglect last summer's blistering encounter with chafing thighs as you slide on your skirt (sans Thigh Saver) unaware of the dangers that loom.
Suddenly, it's warmer out than anticipated, you walk a little farther than planned, and there's a tingling sensation in your inner thighs from skin rubbing. Fret not, we've got you covered.
When chafing occurs, it may be tempting to spread out in front of your AC unit, refrain from doing so until you've hopped into a cool shower. Since it's the salt in your sweat that's primarily causing skin irritation, this should feel like instant relief for your tender skin.
Avoid harsh soaps and cleansers, pat your skin dry with a towel, and apply a cooling or moisturizing lotion to soothe your irritated skin (petroleum jelly and coconut oil are great options) and help repair your skin barrier.
Although thigh chafe is often lovingly referred to as chub rub, that really has nothing to do with it. Everyone sweats! Everyone's body torches together in the summer! It just happens.
The more we chat about how our thighs rub, the more we can dispel notions that it only happens to certain kinds of bodies. And the more we talk about it, the more we can create solutions, tips, and tricks that help us live unapologetically free.
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We hope you found this post informative — but remember: we’re not doctors and this post is not medical advice! While all posts are fact-checked and well researched, we always recommend you chat with your doctor about any questions or concerns you might have regarding a medical condition.
We’re here to support and educate, but never with the aim of disregarding professional medical advice you’ve been given. Phew, now that that’s out of the way, you can go on living unapologetically free.