How to prevent chafing and excessive sweat this summer? (16 tips)
Summer is already around the corner and most of you might have been dreaming about those breezy clothes and beach outings. But you snap back into reality thinking about the intense sweat and chafing that comes with it.
While chafing may not be harmful to your body, too much of it can be painful and irritating. Well, these 15 tips to prevent chafing and excessive sweat will save you from those dreadful experiences and let you enjoy summer to the fullest.
1. Pick the right clothes
It’s a known fact, but most of us tend to forget it. Buy some super airy, cotton clothes especially for the summer season. Wearing breathable fabric can decrease the amount of sweat produced drastically.
It’s also a must to invest in some good 100% cotton underwear , so you can avoid the sweat bumps you get every time you get off a seat.
Investing in more breathable underwear or briefs can help prevent the excessive friction between your thighs that causes irritation and sweat bumps.
For women, avoid using underwire bras that can cause a great deal of pain and discomfort when worn for a long time in summer and switch to wireless bras if you can.
2. Invest in a good deodorant or powder
A good deodorant or antiperspirant can help regulate the body temperature and tackle the cause of friction, thus reducing chafing under your armpits. You will want to carry the deodorant with you in case it wears out, so you can reapply anytime and prevent any more sweat.
For people with extremely sensitive skin, Rosy Pits Deodorant would be a life saver. It’s formulated without baking soda and doesn’t tamper with your body’s ph.
Another option is anti-friction powder , which will absorb the sweat and reduce chafing.
3. Try an anti-friction stick
A stick like Gold Bond Friction Defense stick is easy to apply on these areas where you tend to get chaffing. It will reduce friction while soothing and moisturizing your skin.
4. Tackle your sweat with charcoal sheets
Charcoal sheets are a special kind of oil-absorbing charcoal tissues that can be used on any part of your body. It’s soft and contains activated charcoal that sucks up the excessive sweat. You can even use it on your face while wearing a full face of makeup. The sheet just absorbs the sweat alone, leaving your makeup intact.
You can even use it to avoid sweat bumps and to prevent chafing in your intimate areas. The product is free from chemicals, so it’s safe for people with sensitive skin as well.
5. Try underarm shields to avoid those yellow marks on white shirts
If you are tired of the excess underarm sweat no matter what kind of deodorants or tissues you use, you can give underarm shields a try. These are to be attached to your clothing, and they absorb sweat quickly. Further, they keep your underarms fresh and therefore prevent chafing.
Try using Kleinert’s Underarm shields that come in a pack of 24, and are disposable and hypoallergenic. The strong adhesive of these sweat pads lets you put it on any kind of fabric, including silk.
6. Apply a soothing lotion on the irritated area
Many plants have naturally soothing and anti-irritation properties that can relieve you from inflammations, so why not look in nature to prevent or soothe your chafing?
Calendula Flower: used in a cream from Boiron
Witch Hazel Flower: can be found at your local convenience store if you live in the US or online you can find Dickinson’s toner or other brands (just make sure it’s 100% witch hazel tough, some brands mix it with alcohol)
Aloe Vera: often used to soothe sunburns, aloe vera gel can also help soothe chafing
7. The cooling cushion on chairs to prevent sweaty bumps
Hate the rashes on your bumps that come as a result of increased sweat production and chafing? Well, say goodbye to those painful rashes by using cooling cushions on your chairs. When you install these cooling cushions on your chairs, it facilitates easy passage of air between your bottoms and the seat. This reduces sweat production and thereby prevents chafing.
8. Trim down hairs in your intimate areas
One of the reasons for increased sweat production and chafing in private areas is the presence of body hairs. You can trim them, and then apply some body powder to keep the area cool. Just make sure you don’t shave as that increases irritation. And if you use a powder, make sure it’s talc-free so it’s safer. A baby powder like Burt’s Bee Baby Powder is safer because it was developed for babies’ sensitive skins in mind.
9. Avoid consuming too many spicy or acidic foods
Everyone has a spice tolerance. Consuming foods that are way beyond your spice tolerance can increase sweat production in your body. So, it’s better to stay away from food that triggers sweat production, thereby causing excess chafing.
10. Drink sage tea to reduce sweating in your intimate areas
Sage tea is recommended for women during their menopause period to avoid experiencing any kind of hot flashes and night sweats. Sage leaves have tannic acid in them, which acts as a natural astringent and counteracts the operation of the sweat glands, thereby reducing the production of sweat.
If you dislike the taste of sage, you can go for a herbal tea concoction that contains sage. With that said, sage tea only limits the production of sweat and won’t completely put a stop to it. Make sure youconsume it in moderate quantities.
11. Using Intimate Wipes
Intimate Wipes are quite common nowadays and highly effective as well. These wipes are pH balanced, therefore, you can use it in your pubic areas as well. With some good intimate wipes in your hand, you can easily get rid of the sweat regularly and in turn prevent further chafing.
12. Pick the right size of clothing
Many times, people end up choosing the wrong size of clothing, especially underwear- resulting in worsened perspiration and chafing. Always get underwear that fits right. You can measure the size either by yourself or find the right size with the help of a salesman at the store.
Picking up the wrong underwear size can cause serious rashes and redness in your private parts.
13. Keep a towel handy
It’s always good to keep a towel handy in your car or handbag. Use it to wipe off the sweat wherever possible. Fast-drying towels are more eco-friendly than single-use ones, and are a great way to easily get rid of sweat without much effort.
A Turkish towel would be a great choice too because it is very versatile and can also be used at the gym, at home, at the beach, or for a picnic.
14. Pantyliners for intimate areas
This trick is especially for the ladies who have excess sweat production down there. If you believe that sweaty bumps follow you everywhere and ruin your favorite looks, go for panty liners. Panty liners look like normal pads but are smaller in size.
These work just like normal cotton pads and easily absorb the sweat, keeping you fresh and toasty down there. This is also a great way to prevent chafing and be comfortable in any kind of outfit.
Make sure you pick organic ones so you don’t get irritated, and that you replace them regularly if they get wet.
15. Choose compression shorts to prevent chafing
Made of Spandex or similar materials, compression shorts are highly elastic and are made to prevent your inner thighs from chafing.
Compression shorts have a lot other benefits like comfort or reduced muscle fatigue.
16. Go for black outfits if you still can’t control sweat
If you believe you have tried out all these tricks to no avail, go for outfits that are black or have shades of black in them. Black-colored material can easily hide the sweat stain marks.
Conclusion
I hope you found these 16 tips to reduce sweating and prevent chafing helpful! These tips won’t stop you from sweating, but at least it should help you keep things under control and spare you from the irritations and pain due to chafing.
If you find that you often leave sweat marks on your chair from all the excessive sweat down there, you may find these additional tips on how to prevent butt sweat helpful.
Another thing to note is that sweating is totally natural and there is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s time to de-stigmatize sweating and own it.
Some of the tips mentioned above might cause an allergic reaction. Thus, it’s advised to do a patch test before you go on with it. Some might find their sweat production under control with deodorants, while for others, even after trying all of these 15 tricks, nothing might seem to change. Thus, the key is to understand your body and then implement measures that suit the way your body is.
Cheers to Owning your Body!