Perhaps you’re familiar with this too: in the summer, you wear a breezy dress or shorts instead of long jeans, and suddenly your bare inner thighs start rubbing against each other. It’s annoying and uncomfortable, but it doesn’t have to be that way. What can you use for chafing thighs? We’re here to reveal seven tricks to help you when your thighs chafe.
What remedies help against chafing thighs?
#1 Vaseline
Sweat may make the inner thighs somewhat slippery, but not enough to allow the skin to glide smoothly. Vaseline can easily come to the rescue. Just apply a little bit to the affected areas, and voilà, everything glides unnoticed and feels much more comfortable. You can find petroleum jelly at the supermarket or online stores like Amazon.
#2 Anti blister balm
Blisters on your feet are essentially caused by the same friction that occurs when your skin rubs together due to tight and uncomfortable shoes. In addition to blister plasters, there are special gels available in stick form that you can apply to your skin. They create a thin film over the affected areas, providing the perfect barrier against chafing thighs.
#3 Baby powder
It’s actually quite simple. What helps protect the little ones from diaper rash can also help us! When your thighs rub together, just sprinkle some baby powder on them and keep them dry. The powder absorbs sweat, allowing your skin to come into contact with each other without chafing.
#4 Deodorant
Whether it’s a spray or a roll-on, an extra-strong deodorant prevents sweat build-up that leads to chafing, just like baby powder. Once you apply and let it dry on the sweaty inner thighs, you’re guaranteed a friction-free walk.
#5 Secret hack for chafing thighs: sports skin protectant
For joggers, cyclists, and the like, there’s a silicone-based gel that serves as the ultimate weapon against chafing. Let’s go ahead and use that for ourselves when our thighs rub during walking or running!
#6 Shapewear
Body-shaping underwear in biker shorts style not only visually slims down the thighs, but also provides ideal protection against chafing when worn underneath a skirt or dress. Make sure the shorts don’t peek out and preferably choose a color that matches your dress or skirt, so the trickery remains unnoticed. Of course, you can also simply opt for biker shorts! After all, you can style them up too. The anti-chafing shorts should definitely fit comfortably, so you feel at ease wearing them.
#7 Cut-off pantyhose
If you don’t feel like buying specialized shapewear, you can simply wear an old pair of pantyhose and cut off the legs so that only the thighs are covered by the thin nylon fabric. This also prevents the uncomfortable feeling of chafing thighs. Special thigh bands called bandelettes serve the same purpose.
Also interesting: What sheer tights to wear in summer?
But what cause chafing thighs in the first place?
Experiencing thighs rubbing together without a layer of fabric in between is not limited to curvy women. This phenomenon can actually be anatomically related. It occurs when the pelvis is narrow, causing the thighs to be close together even in slender women (unlike the thigh gap that some women naturally have or strive for due to unhealthy standards). When running, they start rubbing against each other on the inner side, especially when you start sweating.
The result: an uncomfortable feeling, ranging from pain, itching, and redness to the point where the thighs become raw from the friction. It’s nonsense to keep silent about it out of shame and endure the annoying chafing instead of addressing it, fearing that others might label you as fat. Nobody has to put up with that uncomfortable feeling!
How can you train away chafing thighs?
If it’s purely anatomical and your legs naturally lie close together, there isn’t much you can do about it. However, if you believe that exercise might help tone your thighs, you can try some classic exercises like squats or lunges. To specifically target and train the muscles inside and outside your thighs, you can incorporate the following workout into your routine as a suitable solution for chafing thighs:
- Lie on your side on the floor and support your upper body with your forearm.
- Engage both legs stacked on top of each other and slowly lift the top leg upward, at about a 45-degree angle.
- Lower the leg back down, but instead of letting it relax, pull it back up just before it touches the ground. This will keep the tension and maximize the effectiveness of the exercise.
- Repeat this movement as many times as you can on one side, then switch positions so that your other leg is on top.
- Aim for three repetitions per side.
The more you train your legs (while also paying attention to your diet), the more effective it can be in combating chafing thighs. Give it a try!
As you can see, there are fortunately several beauty and fashion tips and tricks to prevent thigh chafing. They make wearing dresses, skirts, and hotpants much more comfortable and liberating. But if your thighs get chafed, here are our best tips for home remedies and treatments.