How to Prevent Chafing: Running, Cycling, Open-Water Swimming and Hiking

Chafing is friction plus moisture plus time. Skin rubs on skin or fabric, sweat or water softens it, and after enough repetitions the top layer wears through. You stop it by cutting the friction before you start, keeping the area as dry as the sport allows, and reapplying before the barrier wears off. Here is how, sport by sport, and what to look for in an anti-chafe balm.

The three causes

• Friction: inner thighs, underarms, nipples, waistbands, sock lines, sports-bra seams, saddle contact, wetsuit neck and cuffs.
• Moisture: sweat, rain, lake or sea water. Wet skin abrades at a fraction of the force dry skin tolerates, and salt crystals make it worse.
• Time: the longer the effort, the further past the point where the skin's own oils have washed away.

Before you start

1. Apply a barrier to every known hot spot, generously, on clean dry skin. A shea-based balm such as SPLAX gives a smooth, low-friction film that stays put in sweat and water because of the wax in it.
2. Choose fabric over seams. Flat-seamed, moisture-wicking layers; never cotton on a long day.
3. Fix the fit. A loose strap or a bunched short creates a new hot spot every stride.

By sport

• Running: inner thighs, nipples (men especially, with a wet shirt), underarms, waistband. Reapply on anything over 90 minutes; carry a small tin on marathon day.
• Cycling: saddle contact and the crease of the thigh. Apply to skin and to the chamois; a petroleum-free balm will not break down the chamois foam.
• Open-water swimming and triathlon: wetsuit neck, underarms, wrists and ankles where the suit seals. Apply before the suit goes on; a balm with no petroleum rinses out of neoprene and will not degrade it. Reapply at transition for the run.
• Hiking and paddling: pack straps, waistbelt, inner thighs, feet. Balm at the trailhead and at lunch.
• Team sports: pad and strap lines; apply under equipment.

What to look for in a balm

A wax for hold and water resistance; a fat that keeps the skin soft rather than drying it (shea, with its stearic and oleic acids, is ideal); no petroleum, so it rinses from technical fabric and neoprene; and, for sensitive skin or long days, no fragrance. It should not be a sunscreen and should not claim to be; wear sunscreen with it. Ours comes unscented with beeswax and vegan with clementine, both built on our unrefined Kperisi shea and made on Vancouver Island.

After the session

Rinse the area with cool water and mild soap, pat dry, and apply a thin layer of plain whipped shea to keep the skin soft overnight. If skin is raw, broken or weeping, keep it clean and covered and see a physician if it is not settling within a few days; a balm is for prevention, not for wounds.

Frequently asked

What stops chafing when running?

A friction-reducing balm on every hot spot before you start, flat-seamed wicking fabric, and reapplication on runs over 90 minutes.

Is anti-chafe balm safe on a wetsuit?

A petroleum-free balm is. Petroleum jelly can degrade neoprene over time; a shea-and-wax balm rinses out with water and mild soap.

Anti-chafe balm or petroleum jelly?

Petroleum jelly works but stains fabric, does not rinse out, and can damage neoprene and chamois. A shea-based balm holds as well, keeps skin soft, and washes out of gear.