How To Prevent The Hell Called Chafing

For as long as i can remember, I have always had to deal with chafed thighs. Here in Nigeria, it is popularly known as “Ibotan” and it can be a debilitating effect that can one way or the other affect one’s physical moral.

At one time or another, a lot of us have experienced the pain thigh chafing can cause!

What is chafing? Thigh chafing occurs when your thighs rub together, it creates friction that damages the outer layer of skin, causing pain and inflammation, impacting on our comfort level, freedom of movement, and often resulting in inner thigh sores.

Thigh chafing is a problem felt by women and men of all shapes and sizes.

This is a problem that occurs all year round and it can be caused by a variety of reasons, compounded by sweating and dryness between the thighs. When you sweat, moisture sits on the skin and breaks down the outer layer of skin even more, resulting in burning, redness, and in extreme cases can also lead to blisters on your inner thighs.

Chafing is characterised by irritated sore skin on the inner thighs and will usually blister due to the combination of constant friction and excessive sweating. The first sign that chafing is occurring is a hot spot, just like with blisters on your feet.

I’ve learned over the years that the key to avoiding thigh chafing is prevention.

In my experience, the best prevention methods boil down to two options: Bike shorts, and shea butter even though there are other options that can be considered.

So how do I prevent chafing between my legs?

1. Keep It Dry – Sweating when it’s hot, or when exercising can make chafing worse. One useful trick is to keep a small tub of anti-chafing powder in your bag so you can sprinkle some on to absorb excess moisture when you’re out and about.

2. Lubricate Your Skin – A bit of lubrication will help your thighs glide past each other, rather than pulling or rubbing the skin. Personally, I use shea butter which helps in lubricating my thighs and has helped to protect me against chafing.

3. Reduce Friction – One of the best ways to help prevent thigh chafing is also one of the simplest: wear appropriate clothing. When you’re teaming a skirt or dress with bare legs, it’s easy for your thighs to rub together, so investing in some bike shorts or tights that can help to guide against chafing.

4. Say no to cotton – Cotton is great for lounging and everyday wear, but as soon as you work up a sweat, it will take a long time for it to dry and can cause painful skin irritation when it rubs. Choose synthetic fibres preferably with moisture-wicking technology to remove the excess moisture from your skin.