There's a whole field of informal study about how to avoid chafing. It comes down to two principles: minimise friction and minimise moisture. If thigh chafing haunts you year round - when you work out, when it’s hot, when you wear jeans, when you don't wear jeans, when you walk like four steps with a wide stance and try your best not to let thighs even touch - you've come to the right place. With a proactive approach and the right products, you can be several degrees less uncomfortable. We narrowed the irregular literature (mostly Reddit forums and group texts) down to the following five crucial points.
1. Wear moisture-wicking underwear
While you’re probably inclined to wear cotton underwear on a normal day at the office, it doesn’t dry quickly enough to keep you comfortable. It soaks your sweat, then forces you to stew in it all day. This is a recipe for chafing. Make the switch over to polyester boxer briefs. Look for ones that call themselves “moisture wicking” or “sweat wicking,” which, in theory, wick the sweat away from the skin so that you dry quicker and don’t linger in your own soup. I think it’s important to get the boxer briefs too (rather than briefs or boxers), because they hug you a few inches down the leg (unlike briefs) and never bunch (unlike boxers), which prevents both excess rubbing and excess moisture.
GQ recommends: Some of the best (and most flattering) sweat-wicking briefs you can get are the Adidas Climalite boxer briefs.
2. Put powder in your pants
The best way to prevent moisture is a talcum powder. This is a fundamental technique for those just beginning to learn about how to avoid chafing. It absorbs sweat and oil without drying out the skin, plus it nixes odour and works as a lubricant for your upper thighs. I prefer using a powder when I wear pants (as opposed to a powder-based cream when I wear shorts, which you’ll see in the next tip). You’re less prone to chafing with pants, since the skin doesn’t rub against itself as readily, but you are still prone to friction from the fabric, like in denim. Secondly, since the powder absorbs moisture, it eliminates any threat of chafing in the first place. It’s just a little messy if you’re wearing shorts, because it tends to sprinkle out the bottom.
GQ recommends: Clubman Pinaud powder, the longstanding favourite in this field.
3. Lather on some anti-chafe cream
You should also stock up on powder-based creams and balms, which lather on and then dry into a chalky film over top the skin. They’re easier to distribute when you need to target a specific spot, like the thighs, and it’s a lot cleaner when you’re wearing shorts. It’s especially good if you’re working out with shorts that otherwise ride up inside the leg.
GQ recommends: The best brand you can shop for this is BodyGlide. I like both their anti-friction cream and the roll-on balm, which you apply to the skin just like a deodorant stick.
4. Exercise in performance trunks
Not only are most sports boxer briefs going to be targeted as sweat-wicking, but they’re also the right fit for preventing chafe and rubbing. Like I said before about avoiding boxers and briefs in every day life, trunks fit you snug, a few inches down the thigh, to prevent chafing and bunching. (Solving both problems, which you can’t get with either boxers or briefs - it’s one issue or the other.) So, since lots of your lined workout shorts still lead to chafing, since the liner fits like briefs and allows the thighs to touch, you should swap them out for performance trunks and standard workout shorts. (Or invest in an anti-chafe cream, per the previous tip.)
GQ recommends: Here’s Adidas again, equally reliable with their performance sport trunks.
5. Apply healing cream when you sleep
Part of preventing chafe is done while you sleep, in that you can promote healthy, strong skin (as well as recovery from any chafing that day) with an ultra nourishing cream. Since your skin cells regenerate overnight and promote skin healing far more rapidly than during the day, this is a good time to fortify the skin and prevent any damage the following day. Look for a zinc-oxide and vitamin-rich blend that creates a barrier over top the skin, and wear some white trunks or old shorts too, since the product can transfer to your bed sheets.
GQ recommends: Junk Stuff, a chafe-healing cream from Mayron’s Goods, since it’s rich in healing ingredients like calendula, aloe, chamomile, jojoba, vitamins A, B5, C, D, E, F, and zinc oxide. It soothes sunburn and bug bites, too.
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