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Runners sweat. We also grunt and sometimes cry—and then, when we’re finished with our hot, sticky summer runs, we want nothing more than a glorious, cool shower...until you feel the water drip down your skin. You may not have realized you were chafing during that run, but the minute you step into the shower, you’ll know. And you’ll probably shriek in pain.
Nothing ruins a post-run shower like chafing—which is why you have to prevent it at the source. In my seven years as a runner, I’ve developed actual scars on my body—specifically my back and my underboob area—from on-the-run chafing. It’s painful, unattractive, and, well, unnecessary. In the spirit of preventing any further chafing scars and sad showers, I set out to test every chafing mechanism I could find. Here’s what worked—and what didn’t.
Body Glide is a balm that creates a protective barrier on top of your skin to help reduce friction against other skin and/or apparel. This is the wonder product. It’s not greasy, it comes in mini versions, which is great for traveling, and it’s super reliable. There are loads of versions of Body Glide, but I stick to the basic stuff and it works like a gem. I have liberally—and unabashedly—applied Body Glide: my inner thighs, my underarms, my butt crack (yup), my underboob area, my upper back, my lower back, my shoulders, and my feet.
The verdict: This stuff is my jam—just apply it liberally. My friend always says, “If you love it, lube it.” So don’t be shy about lathering yourself in Glide—which rolls on like deodorant—before you run. You can find Body Glide at your local running store. If you don’t have a local running store (sad!), Aquaphor is similar and also works well. I go through a stick of Body Glide at rapid speeds and should probably become an investor in the company. I love you, Body Glide.
If you’ve ever run a marathon, you’ve probably seen spectators around mile 20 holding up sticks with Vaseline on them. Those are great, probably, for the dudes whose nipples have gone bloody and are in serious pain. But how would Vaseline hold up on an everyday, non-blood-nippled run?
The verdict: At mile 20 of a marathon, you are desperate for relief—especially if you’re one of those bloody dudes. But for an everyday run, I found Vaseline to be mostly just a greasy alternative to Body Glide or Aquaphor. It’ll work for you in a pinch, but it was too slippery and slimy for my liking.
I hate baby powder. I hate how it smells, I hate how it gets all over the bathroom floor, and something about it just doesn’t sit right with me. I also feel this way about hairless cats and Stonehenge. But in the spirit of journalism, I was willing to dust some baby powder on my inner thighs to see if it would ease my chafing.
The verdict: I tried this before a short three-mile run. (And don’t you worry—I sweat just as much on a three-miler as I do during a half-marathon, so this testing is legit.) I hate to admit that this worked, but it did. My inner thighs almost always chafe at least a little when I’m wearing short shorts—which I almost always am—and I didn’t have any problems on this run. Still, on account of the mess and the smell and my general distaste for talcum powder, I’ll stick to my beloved Body Glide. But, you do you.
The majority of my chafing wounds have happened because I wore something with a pesky tag or too many seams. All that friction leads directly to Chafe City. A few years ago I decided to invest in some seam-free clothing, and that did the trick. Less fuss, less chafe-muss.
The verdict: Seam-free FTW.
My body has changed a lot over the past few years on account of illness, indulgence, travel, and a wedding. What hasn’t changed? My running wardrobe. And the more I ran in the same old stuff, the less it fit “the way it used to.” During one run last week, I found myself constantly stopping to tug on my shorts—trying to make them longer to cover more of my inner thighs, but also pulling them up so the wide elastic waistband would be perfectly positioned over my lower belly. The more I adjusted, the more I realized the clothes that fit me once may not necessarily fit me today. So I sucked it up and replaced my cute old short shorts with a new, slightly longer pair, and actually invested in a running skirt—something I was never really into, but that was actually super comfortable for running.
The verdict: Proper fit trumps style. Not only was I more comfortable, and not always readjusting my clothes, during my run, but it helped reduce chafing, too. And don’t discredit stuff that’s made for other disciplines: lululemon’s Align Crop is technically a yoga pant, but I love it for running. The fabric is buttery soft, the waistband is super high, and I can run 10 miles in them without ever adjusting the fit.
Confession: When I was a brand-new runner, I invested in the pricey-but-worth-it Moving Comfort Juno bra. After a few wears and washes, that bra fit perfectly. The once hard Velcro edges on the straps had softened, and it gave me a #flawless amount of lift without the bounce. But the more I ran, the smaller my boobs got. And I couldn’t bring myself to ditch that bra. Now, years later, I still have—and wear—that same bra. It’s discolored and worn out, but I still wear it because I’m stubborn. Every time I wear it, I end up with chafing where the bra clasps in the back. That’s why I have a scary red scar on my back that once prompted my yoga teacher to shriek when she saw me in the locker room after class. It’s not cute. I finally ditched my old bra and invested in new ones that fit my now-smaller chest.
The verdict: Victory! The looser a bra fits around your ribcage, the more room it has to move and shift around while you’re running. And moving and shifting plus sweat equals one nasty back scar. Ill-fitting sports bras must be tossed.
I read somewhere that if you’re properly hydrated before and during your run, your body won’t produce as much salt-based sweat, which can cause your skin to chafe more than it normally does. Challenge accepted! So, leading up to my weekend long run—10 sunny miles powered by girl talk and the desire to get in the pool ASAP—I made sure I drank more than my usual amount of water. The morning of my run, my pee was almost clear, which meant I was good and water-logged. As for whether it actually helped on the run in terms of chafing?
The verdict: Meh. I think the fact that I didn’t chafe on that run had more to do with my outfit and my lubed up thighs and less to do with my H20 intake. But I don’t think it hurt.
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