Life

These Old Wives Tales About Chafing Could Help You Have Your Comfiest Summer Yet

by Alice Broster
Studio Firma / Stocksy

Any sign of hot weather and my jeans disappear to the bottom of the clothes pile in favour of a summer dress or cute skirt. But the hot weather also means one thing for my thighs — chafing. Whether you are out for a run, or just walking to the pub at a bit of a pace, chafing can be an all-too uncomfortable reality. But rumour has it there are things you can do. There are some old wives tales about chafing that actually work. While your thighs may love each other so much they touch you don’t have to be left missing the cold weather and jeans.

You shouldn’t have to change what you wear in fear of a little chafe. It is 2019, surely there is a reliable cure to the most irritating by-product of the sun coming out. There are only so many days in the year in the UK that you can feasibly wear that very overpriced summer dress you bought. When it makes it once a year appearance you want to enjoy it. Well it turns out chafing is an age old problem and for as long as people have been suffering with it, they have been trying to find a fail safe way of preventing it. Here are a few old wives tales, and some specialist solutions that should help you get rid of chafing all together.

Lip Balm

Studio Firma/Stocksy

I'm not necessarily suggesting you use all of your priciest lip balm on your inner thighs, but as Very Well Fit reports, some people claim that whether you are a marathon runner or summer dress fanatic, if you suffer with chafing then plain old Vaseline is great for protecting your skin and healing the irritation. Petroleum jelly is great for adding a smooth layer of moisture, so could well be the answer to all of your summer woes.

Roll On Deodorant

Hear me out. Before an awards show I saw comedic goddess and all round queen Amy Schumer rolling some deodorant between her thighs. Initially I thought this may be a rogue way to make her nether regions more fragrant but it was actually a way to prevent chafing and it isn’t that much of a secret. According to Irish Examiner, using a very lightly fragranced roll on has a similar affect to petroleum jelly in that it provides you with the moisturiser you need to stop your thighs rubbing. Just make sure you aren’t going for strong smelling stuff because it could cause further irritation.

Talcum Powder

VICTOR TORRES/Stocksy

It is a bit of a running joke that older people use talcum powder for everything. It is hardly surprising that according to Health, it's been seen it as a cure for chafing for years. Super soft on the skin but with drying properties to get rid of all that excess moisture, it's used on everything from break outs to nappy rash. If it is good enough for babies, it is good enough for me.

Anti-chafing Bands

Now on to the specialist stuff. Anti-chafing bands might be the worst kept secret when it comes to remedies. Whereas you may have once had to suffer in silence feeling your thighs chafe all summer long, anti-chafing bands, like these from Pretty Little Thing, might be your new saviour and they are so readily available. Not the most attractive things in the world they absolutely get the job done and you can buy them at lots of high street and online stores.

Specialist Anti-chafing Products

If the chaff is real and you have exhausted all options the experts have got your back. Combining all the knowledge of chafing sufferers before specialist products have been created to combat chub rub. Many of them come in the form of a gel or stick are designed to soothe and protect the skin. You can pick them up over the counter at pharmacies or at boots and they are too affordable to pass up.

No one should have to dread summer days for fear that they will end up with red raw thighs. While some cures for chafing are a little bit more experimental, if the old wives tales are to be believed it really doesn’t have to be too hard to avoid it. With anti-chafe bands readily available on the high street and specialists products designed specially it has never been easier to have a chafe-free summer.