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How to Prevent Your Thighs From Chafing During Workouts

The best part? You probably already have this product in your bathroom cabinet.

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(Photo: Ayana Underwood/Canva)

Whenever I’m in the market for some new gym shorts, I search for pairs that meet two specific criteria: they must be cute, and they can’t cause thigh chafing. Despite catwalking in fitting rooms and only buying pairs with longer inseams that really look like they won’t betray me, the ultimate test is wearing them in real life. Inevitably, most of the shorts I purchase creep up my inner thighs like they are aspiring to be underwear, leaving my inner legs exposed, unprotected, and a hazard to themselves. And, yet again, I’m left wondering how to stop chafing.

In an instance of divine timing (or social media listening to my conversations 1984-style), I recently came across several Instagram reels touting one trick to prevent inner thigh chafing for good. According to women in my Instagram feed, to prevent chafing, all you need to do is swipe deodorant on your inner thighs as you would on your armpits, and voilà: your legs are protected from the dreaded red patches that plague warm-weather enthusiasts around the world.

Like many things on the internet, this information made me wonder whether it was too good to be true. So I tested it for myself.

Can Natural Deodorants Stop Thigh Chafing? I Tested Three to Find Out.

Luckily, I had three natural deodorants collecting dust in my bathroom vanity. I was waiting for a good time to make the transition from using antiperspirant to natural deodorant on my armpits. There may, in fact, never be a good time. But testing them on my thighs? I could do that right away.

I’ve listed these picks in order of how much I love them. Despite having a clear winner, they each lasted for hours, didn’t need to be reapplied, and withstood lots of sweating.

1. The Smoothie Deo by Megababe ($11.20)

Founder says she founded when she couldn’t find other products that worked for her thighs, sweat, and body odor. (Who doesn’t love a relatable female entrepreneur?)

Did its adorable pink packaging sway me to purchase Megababe? Yes. Although the millennial-friendly branding hooked me, I stayed for the real results. This is my number-one everyday pick for when I want that no-chafe confidence in my favorite shorts.

Plus, this deodorant is free from the following ingredients: aluminum, phthalates, sulfates, baking soda, parabens, and synthetic fragrances. It’s cruelty-free and vegan and smells like a delicious blend of coconut and lime.

2. Cucumber Aloe Deodorant by Tom’s of Maine ($7.99)

I wore on a trip to Florida in June. Despite my profuse sweating from every pore on my body, the deodorant didn’t dissipate and allowed my thighs to glide against each other without chafing.

This deodorant is not tested on animals and is free of aluminum, artificial colors, parabens, and formaldehyde.

3. Lavender and Sage Deodorant by �����󳾾����’s ($9.99)

I was pretty much sold on when I saw their unique aromas—coconut and pineapple, cactus flower and pear. Who could turn that down?

Despite the alluring scents, this isn’t a formula you can quickly rub on skin, as it’s a bit thicker and chalkier. They recommend warming the stick against your body heat for a few seconds before application, which, in my experience, did help. It left a bit of residue on my thighs that I had to brush off before heading out the door, but the chafe-free effect was in full swing for the several hours I was walking in a dress (with no safety-net biker shorts underneath). I felt like freedom.

This deodorant is free of aluminum, artificial fragrance, filler ingredients, propylene glycol, phthalates, and parabens. It’s cruelty-free and vegan.

What I Learned

After doing this experiment, I realized that my thighs have unique requirements for a deodorant.

1. Scent Isn’t That Important

Though I sometimes catch a whiff of the scent of my deodorant when I wear it on my armpits, I can’t smell the deodorant I wear on my thighs. Though I’ll always choose a fun aroma over no aroma, I find it’s not as important for using the product to prevent thigh chafing. If you are aiming to mask the smell of your sweat, though, this may be a more important factor.

2. The Texture of the Formula Matters

This is important for armpits, yes, but maybe even more so for thighs due to the near-constant friction. I needed the deodorant to be thick enough to last on a long walk, but not so thick that it would cake or become gloopy, requiring me to wipe it away or worry about it.

3. It Definitely Should Not Stain Clothes

No one is delighted when they put on a black shirt and see the streaky remnants of deodorant on their armpits. When I tested deodorant on my thighs, I was diligent in checking and re-checking to see if I had those stains on my shorts. This wasn’t an issue with any of the natural deodorants I tried, even on black bike shorts.

When I say that using natural deodorant on my inner thighs to stop chafing has changed my life, I mean it. It feels like I’ve ended a long, painful, expensive chapter in my life—buying shorts, being optimistic I wouldn’t chafe, being disappointed I do chafe, masking my pain to save face at social outings, giving away said shorts to a donation center, looking for new shorts, rinse and repeat.

All along, the answer to my problem (and my HUGE beef with the shorts industry) was in my bathroom.

Do You Have to Use Natural or Whole-Body Deodorants to Prevent Thigh Chafing?

No. Antiperspirant works for some people, too. “Natural [deodorant] implies free of chemicals,” says dermatologist . But that doesn’t mean they’re safe for everyone. “I have seen patients develop reactions to ‘natural’ deodorants.”

You’ll want to check the ingredient list and do your research. When in doubt, test your deodorant on a small patch of skin before applying it to larger areas of your body.

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