"I got one less problem without you"
I don't think Ariana was talking about chub rub, but let me paint you a picture. The summer is coming! You get up so excited for that perfect picnic at the park with your friends, you put on the beautiful floral summery dress that you've been wanting to wear for a while. After a fun meal your friends want to go for a walk in the park. Amongst the bird singing, the giggling and the beautiful summery day, you sense it coming...the chub rub! The dreaded and hated chub rub. Also known as chafing, it's that very painful and uncomfortable thing you get when your poor thighs rub together in the midst of heat and sweat, leaving your skin "burnt" and raw and little wounds that take a while to heal. In this post I'll attempt to share with you some tips and tricks that I've learned over the years to deal which chub rub so I can wear dresses and skirts in peace!
But first let me tell you a story of something that I still remember from when I was little and it was quite painful. Me and my parents (and my little brother) went to the south of Portugal for a beach vacation, and I wore a dress of course because I always loved dresses. After a couple of hours on the beach my mom and a friend of the family wanted to go for a walk, so I went with them. It was one of the worst experiences I can think of and I still remember it quite well. After a while walking my thighs were killing me, I tried putting my dress between my legs to stop them from touching each other but it wouldn't work. I tried walking inside the water but the salty water made my already chaffed thighs to burn. By the time we got back to the towels my legs were burning and I had open bloody wounds that took a week or so to heal, and it ruined my vacation.
So, what can you do to make sure you don't have to worry about your thighs rubbing together when you go out? My aim here is to give you tips that you can use to prevent chub rub when you're going bare legged. So I'll leave out solutions such as wearing leggings under dresses (which will for obvious reasons prevent chub rub) or wearing boxer shorts under your dresses. I'm going over some ideas that might offer some relief but my holy grail is so far deodorant!
Number 1 - Baby powder
I used baby powder for a long time before discovering other things that worked. This works amazingly well, but for a short period of time. After you start sweating between your legs it will dissolve the baby powder and it won't work anymore. There was a summer where I remember bringing a baby powder bottle in my bag to reapply in the bathroom when I needed it, but it wasn't very practical. It's still a very good thing if you need some relief from the chaffing and you don't have anything else at hand. I like the vanilla puff powder by Lush.
Number 2 - Vaseline/any other slippery product
Rule of thumb is: slippery is good. You don't want your skin to stick together and give you that chaffing business nobody likes! You want it so slide smoothly, and that's what vaseline will provide. This is a very good and lasting option if you don't mind having vaseline between your legs all day and you can bring a little tub with you if you need to reapply it. Who says vaseline says Body Glide, coconut oil and other creams and potions that will give you that smooth slide.
Number 4 - Lubricant
Don't think I'm crazy! Think about it. It's meant to make stuff glide smoothly, isn't it? So it's not such a bad thing to think it would help with chub rub. And it will, specially the silicone ones. Give it a go before you say no.
Keep in mind that I haven't tried this option yet because deodorant has been working very well and I find them pricey, but I would love to if I didn't have to order it online and pay for shipping and all that hassle - if you live in America this is your lucky day because I'm guessing you won't pay much for shipping, if you live in the UK you can find it on Etsy. I have read amazing reviews on this product and I'm going to purchase it in the near future because I'm so curious about it. It's a lacey band that you put around your thighs and it stays there due to silicone bands that keep it attached to your skin. The band will make a barrier allowing your legs to move without rubbing together. Besides being useful, how sexy is this? I so want to try it. You can read a review of bandelettes at The Lingerie Addict.
Number 6 - Behold the all mighty deodorant
"Deodorant between your legs?". YES! I was sceptical too when I read this tip a couple of years ago but I tried it and voilà. I can go on walks in a dress, or spend a full day at school without worrying that my legs are chaffed and painful. Not the spray kind, the roll-on. If possible, use one that is an anti-perspirant since it will keep the sweat at bay or at least decrease it. I have found that I don't need to reapply it at all, but if you want to be safe take a little one with you, they're small and fit in your bag perfectly. I just swipe it between my thighs where I'd normally get chub rub and then I'm good to go. Don't bother buying an expensive deodorant for this, buy a cheap one and it will do its job.
If you know any other alternatives, please let me know.
