Chafing Home Remedies: Pros & Cons - Body Glide® (2024)

Pro:

A cure-all, use it in a pan for dinner, add a dollop to your morning smoothie, rub some in your hair to keep it strong and healthy- it’s also great for moisturizing your skin. Apply a pea-sized amount of coconut oil to soothe irritated skin. The coconut oil will moisturize the skin and help to calm the inflamed area.

Con:

While useful to heal irritated skin, coconut oil is not a good chafing prevention method. To adequately prevent chafing the barrier between your skin and the contact that causes irritation needs to last. Coconut oil is quickly absorbed into the skin and thus makes a poor chafing prevention method. Coconut oil can also cause permanent stains on clothing.

2. Aloe Vera

Pro:

Known for its ability to treat and help heal sunburns, aloe vera makes a great home remedy for relieving already chafed skin. Apply a liberal amount of aloe to treat red and inflamed skin, continue to apply until redness or stinging and irritation has ceased.

Con:

The constant need to re-apply aloe vera is its biggest drawback. It may also leave a sticky residue as it dries, which can be unsightly. Some people are also known to have adverse reactions when using it.

3. Olive Oil

Pro:

A powerful moisturizing agent and found in nearly every kitchen cabinet in America, Olive Oil is an easy to use holistic chafing treatment. Simply apply to affected areas after showering when the skin is looking for a boost of moisture. Allow for your skin to fully absorb the oil before applying more.

See Also

How to Deal with Inner Thigh Chafing15 products that help prevent thigh chafingSkin Fungus: Fungal Infection, Fungal Rash, Skin Fungus TreatmentChafing: Treatment, Prevention, and Causes

Con:

Similar to coconut oil, olive oil is good for giving your skin a healthy dose of moisture but its drawback is the greasy, oily feeling that will be left on your skin. Just like any oil it also has the potential to stain and discolor clothing.

4. Oatmeal Bath

Pro:

Oatmeal baths have been used for generations to soothe skin ailments. From sunburn and eczema to chicken pox, oatmeal has a wide range of medicinal qualities that simultaneously soothe and moisturize inflamed skin. Add 1 to 2 cups of steel cut oatmeal to a bath of lukewarm water, allow the oats to soak for a few minutes before lying in the tub. Pat oatmeal into skin but refrain from scrubbing or rubbing to avoid further irritating the skin.

Con:

While good for helping to heal and soothe irritated skin, oatmeal baths do nothing to help with preventing chafing.

5. Baby Powder & Cornstarch

Pro:

Cornstarch and baby powder can be used to reduce the friction caused by skin-on-skin or skin-on-clothing contact while also being good to absorb the moisture from sweat that causes chafing. It is inexpensive and common in most homes making it an easy to use and frugal means of chafing protection. Simply sprinkle some cornstarch or baby powder on the affected area and spread until it covers the entire area.

Con:

While simple and easy to use, applying cornstarch and baby powder is not a fool proof chafing protectant. The very small barrier created by the cornstarch or baby powder is too easily wiped away by your skin or clothing, rendering it useless. Excess moisture from sweat or humidity can also render the cornstarch and baby powder ineffective by causing them to clump up, which is not only unsightly but can also lead to more chafing.

6. Vaseline

Pro:

Vaseline is a common home remedy and go to product for chafing prevention. Simply slather on a fair amount of vaseline onto commonly affected areas to reduce friction and risk of chafing.

Con:

Thick and greasy, vaseline is made with petroleum jelly which is notorious for staining clothing and cannot be used with certain products and fabrics like neoprene wetsuits. Vaseline is not easily absorbed by the skin, thus leaving the treated area quite noticeable.

Would you rather prevent chafing before it starts with a proven, non-greasy formula or suffer the consequences after? Choose a Body Glide® balm to prevent chafing instead of treating it after the fact. Trusted by marathoners, construction workers, brides to be and elite athletes, Body Glide® balms stop chafing and pain before it starts!