How to Stop Thigh Chafing (And How to Treat Chafe, Too)
Chafing stems from friction and moisture—and with that in mind, it becomes exponentially easier to treat and prevent. Get ready, Thunder Thighs.
August 03, 2024
Thank you for using our links to make your purchases. All products featured are selected for editorial purposes, and are not sponsored placements. Any purchases made with our links may help us earn an affiliate commission, including but not limited to Amazon’s Associate Program. If possible, please prioritize brands’ own websites when they are provided by us.
Chafing is right up there with swamp crotch as one of man’s greatest miseries. You didn’t ask to be blessed with those juicy thighs, but alas, every crown has its thorns. Instead of tolerating the pain on your inner thighs—especially at the height of summer, woof—follow the below advice on how to stop thigh chafing, plus how to treat chafed skin in the first place.
(And yes, a lot of the solutions here match those of swamp ass, too.)
Jump to: Preventing Chafe | Treating Chafe
The Best Products for Chafing
These are some of the anti-chafing products that appear throughout the article.
- The Best Underwear for Chafe: Nike Dri-Fit Ultra Stretch Micro
- The Best Long Underwear for Chafe: Uniqlo Heattech Thermal Underwear
- The Best Chafe Prevention Cream: Happy Nuts Comfort Cream
- The Best Chafe Recovery Ointment: Calmoseptine Ointment
- The Best Chafe Recovery Jelly: Vaseline Original Petroleum Jelly
- The Best Chafe Recovery Cream: Prequel Skin Barrier Cream
- The Best Body Wash for Chafed Skin: Nécessaire Fragrance-Free Body Wash
- The Best Soap for Chafed Skin: Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar
Please use our links (those above as well as any links featured throughout the article); doing so supports the work we put into making Blue Print by Adam Hurly.
How to Prevent Thigh Chafe
Chafing obviously stems from the friction of your inner thighs rubbing together, or when they rub against a tough fabric like denim. Chafe is also provoked or worsened by the accumulation of sweat (or any moisture that isn’t able to evaporate in the area). So to prevent chafing, you’ve got to minimize both of these factors—friction and moisture. Here are a few ways to address one or the other, or both at the same time.
1. Wear looser or more breathable clothing
Don’t wear ill fitting clothing, bottom line. This advice applies to your underwear, shorts, and pants. Heavier products will either prevent your skin from getting enough airflow (so it’ll accumulate sweat), or they’ll rub against your skin as you move around (again, like denim). So, make sure your legs can actually breathe.
Secondly, for your underwear in particular, make certain to have moisture-wicking and flexible fabrics. Cotton is not your friend here, no matter how soft it might feel. Cotton absorbs and retains moisture, and is a recipe for swamp crotch and chafing. Look for fabrics geared towards performance, such as nylon, modal, spandex, and polyester. They will wear comfortably (assuming they’re the right size), and will help push sweat away from your skin and outwards to the exterior of the underwear, where it will more easily dissipate.
True Classic’s micro-modal/elastane boxer briefs are a great example. It will suit the next tip, too.
2. Wear longer, form-fitting underwear (or shorts lined with the same)
Whenever I’m worried about chafing, I reach for a pair of ¾-length performance trunks, and use them as my underwear for the day. It seems counterintuitive to wear my longest and tightest underwear on the hottest days of the year, but their length prevents my thighs from ever touching—and wicks moisture from the skin, too. It can be a little annoying when I’m wearing regular shorts and the skin-hugging black underwear peeks out from the bottom, like I’m wearing a cycling onesie. So I often wear bigger, looser shorts these days, or I just embrace the athleisure look and wear running shorts over top.
The above linked True Classic boxer briefs might help you on average-risk days, but for the high-risk days (like if you’re touristing San Francisco’s hilliest neighborhood on a 90-degree day), then rock with something like Nike Dri-Fit Ultra Stretch Micro should work perfectly.
And, if you’re worried about chafing in winter—maybe if you’re walking a lot in a pair of blue jeans, then it helps to wear a pair of long stretchy underwear underneath. As a bonus, you’ll stay super warm, and the non-cotton ones also wick moisture (to prevent wintry swamp ass). Uniqlo’s Heattech Thermal Underwear is fantastic—I must own 7 pairs of these.
The Newsletter: Subscribe to Blue Print by Adam Hurly
The best grooming gadgets, new products, gift guides, and game-changing advice—all inside our free newsletter. (Plus occasional big-ticket giveaways, too!)
3. Use a starch-based anti-chafe balm
Before you pull up your pants, apply some anti-chafe cream or balm to your thighs, wherever they rub together. (And all around the cheeks and thighs to mitigate sweat, too.) These products have a starch base—usually tapioca starch or cornstarch—to soak up moisture and to create a powdery, protective layer over skin. Whether it’s a balm, cream, or anti chafing stick, this product will reduce friction and moisture in one fell swoop.
Rare is the day I leave the house without applying Happy Nuts Comfort Cream, regardless of the season, or the clothes I’m wearing. It is often the difference between a great day and a miserable one.
I prefer these topical products for chafing, compared to powders, which I find a bit more useful for preventing swamp crotch or foot sweat. It’s harder to get a good, locked-in layer of powder on your thighs unless you’re sprinkling it into some compression underwear (like that mentioned above).
4. Monitor swampy sit-uations
In general, if you keep tabs on things that cause swamp ass (including some things mentioned above), then you’ll do yourself a ton of favors in the anti-chafing department, too. For example, what kind of seat do you park your ass on every day at work? Is it breathable, like a ventilated cushion? Or is it something leathery or hard-plasticky? Nix those last ones, in favor of something with a nice ventilated seat, like Elabest here:
Apply this same thinking to other situations in your day, to make sure you’re always giving your ass the most comfortable odds. (On that note, ditch the khakis, too! They’ll hold moisture and will look diaper-dumpy.)
5. Consider an antiperspirant for the area
Sometimes I feel like the only person who endorses this, but I’ve legit been given the green light to slather my groin with antiperspirant—by some of my most trusted dermatologist sources, too. It’s not something I do everyday. In fact, probably just those “dire” days, like a hot, punishing day where I’ll be walking around a lot or sitting more than I’d prefer to be.
The aerosol sprays are much easier to administer here, but what matters is that you get some sort of aluminum product in your sweatiest areas to prevent any moisture. It’s best to apply it the night before you need it, to help the ingredient absorb fully—plus the best ones, like Dove Men+Care Clean Comfort 72-Hour Dry Spray, will endure a few full days. I promise you, this will solve so many problems. But because aluminum is a controversial ingredient—and because I don’t want you to sue me in 2068 when they reveal that anyone who used aluminum on their groin has toxic testes—just use your best judgment on when to deploy this trick, aye?
6. Always fully dry skin after a shower or swim
Don’t race out of the shower without fully toweling off. Let your skin breathe before you cover it in fabric. And if you’re someone who prefers hot showers, then try taking milder ones, so that your skin doesn’t perspire so much after the fact. They’ll dry a lot faster—and stay dry—if you shower quickly and cooly.
How to Treat Chafed Skin
The below tips assume that you have a mild case of chafing—maybe from one or two dire days, max. If you have some truly irritated, beat-up skin, then see a dermatologist to get proper disinfectant and treatment.
1. Wear longer underwear to prevent friction
Now, more than ever, you need to prevent further chub rub. So wear your most breathable (but tight) underwear when you’re out and about. Make sure the fabric is moisture wicking, and maybe skip out on the heavier-set pants fabrics for a few days.
Again, consider the aforementioned Nike performance trunks and Uniqlo long underwear.
2. Use gentle cleansers and shower with cool/lukewarm water
Don’t further irritate the damaged skin with aggressive body washes or soaps, and be mindful of any shampoos, cleansers, and facial cleansers that you rinse downwards in the shower. Prioritize gentle, unscented body cleansers for the time being.
I adore Nécessaire’s fragrance-free body wash and Cetaphil’s super-sensitive cleansing bar for these situations. Trust!
3. Apply an occlusive healing ointment
After the shower, first let the irritated area “breathe” (avoid rubbing a towel over it, which hopefully goes without saying). You may choose to apply an aloe gel or unscented, gentle lotion to the area (some people even swear by petroleum jelly / Vaseline). Regardless of your choice, what’s most important is layering some kind of occlusive ointment or balm over top of it, to trap in any moisture and to expedite a quick recovery.
I’m a lifetime chafer, and the best healing remedy for me has always been Calmoseptine Ointment. It comes with a big warning, though: This ointment is pinkish, goes on goopy (before drying into a powdery finish of sorts), and thus it might stain fabrics. (I suggest wearing it with white underwear, boxer briefs, or pajamas.) It creates a protective barrier over the affected area and is a miracle worker for speedy recovery. Plus it tingles, happily so.
Regular ol’ Vaseline will do you wonders on the recovery, too, with its occlusive properties that trap moisture and expedite recovery. (Don’t fall for the uninformed claims that this stuff is the equivalent of applying crude oil to your skin—please, you think the FDA would clear that? Vaseline is so safe.)
4. Let it breathe at home
When you have a long stretch of time to just sit at home and let the irritated skin breathe… then absolutely let the irritated skin breathe! Wear some shorter underwear (and nothing else), or some loose running shorts, or some breathable long underwear if it’s cold inside. When the chafing is super fresh and especially bad, you might want the Calmoseptine around the clock, but when it’s on the road to recovery, it’s even better to just layer on some regular unscented lotion (during the day, or before bed), and do nothing else to the area.
Keep it simple with this lotion—the unscented drugstore brands are terrific, though Prequel’s Barrier Therapy Cream is equally affordable, and massive. I adore this brand and its accessible, highly effective products.
But only use them when the skin is closed up and nearly recovered. Swap them out for the preventative measures if you’re heading outside, though. The lotion won’t do you many favors once your thighs are rubbing together and making lots of poorly ventilated friction.
More from Blue Print by Adam Hurly:
