I’m going to be blunt – chub rub sucks. There is nothing glam about chafing, which can be the bane of summer. It doesn’t matter if you’re fat, thin or somewhere in between, chub rub can happen to people of any size – it’s when your thighs rub together when you walk, causing friction. It sucks so much that every year when summer rolls around I get people asking me about how to avoid chafing. I decided to take one for the team and try out some solutions to help you say goodbye to chub rub.
Thigh Society Anti-Chafing Panty Shorts
These are a little different to other anti-chafing shorts I’ve tried in that they are actually underwear. As in, you don’t wear knickers underneath them. I thought that would be weird but it turned out to be very comfortable and it meant that they didn’t slip down (which happened when I did wear underwear with them). They come in two styles, mid rise and high rise. The team at Thigh Society sent me one of each to try and I definitely prefer the high rise ones (which I’m wearing here) because they provide better coverage. The mid rise ones barely cover my bum (big booty problems), so they slip down on me. I found the high rise shorts very comfy and they did a great job of preventing chub rub – no chafing in sight! The shorts are quite thick and opaque (I’m wearing them with patterned underwear underneath so you can see how opaque they are), and they’re great for smoothing but they aren’t shapewear. I’m wearing size 3XL/4XL (22/24).
SHOP IT: Find these at Thigh Society for AUD $44.00. They have flat rate shipping of $10 to NZ with free shipping on any order over $50 and orders take about 2 weeks to arrive.
Lush Dusting Powder
I remember my mum using talcum powder to stop chafing, but I wanted to find something similar that I knew was cruelty free (and would smell delicious), so off to Lush I went. After moisturising I just shake on the dusting powder and rub it in. It means there is no stickiness on my skin after I’ve put the moisturiser on and I don’t get any chafing. I’ve tried a few different ones from Lush but my current favourite is the Fairy Dust Dusting Powder – it smells like a Jellytip icecream and has a shimmer to it, and I actually use it all over my bod. Unfortunately it was a limited edition Christmas one, so I’ve found a couple of others that you might like to try. I prefer to use dusting powder on cooler days or days when I’m not running around a lot.
SHOP IT: Find these at Lush – Vanilla Puff Dusting Powder; Calm Down Calamine Dusting Powder; and Silky Underwear Dusting Powder for $18.50
Sonsee Woman Anti-Chafing Shorts
I have been wearing Sonsee’s stockings for the last few years and loving them, so when they got in touch to let me know that they were making anti-chafing shorts, I was stoked. They’re just as comfortable as their stockings (i.e. super comfy!) and I don’t have any problems with them slipping down. They come in both short and long leg options, in nude or back, with lace or without, depending on what you prefer and while they’re smoothing they aren’t shapewear so they’re not restrictive in anyway and (very importantly for summer) they’re breathable. They’re not as opaque as some of the other shorts I’ve tried but they’re soft and silky, and they feel quite luxe on your skin. I’m wearing nude short leg shorts in size Stunning (22/24) and would recommend sizing down if you’re trying to choose between two sizes as I find that they run large.
SHOP IT: Find these at Sonsee Woman for AUD $49.95. They have flat rate shipping of $16.55 to NZ and orders take 3-10 days to arrive.
Rachel and I reviewed a whole lot of other ways to prevent chub rub, which you can find here.
How do you beat chub rub? Let us know below – you may be saving someone else from the horrible pain of chafing!
The 3B Action Cream works a treat, available at supermarkets, I just pop a bit on inner thigh at start of day and rarely need to reapply throughout day 😀
I’ve heard good things about 3B – Rachel talked about it in one of our other posts about chafing and it seems to be a popular one!
Hi Megan, thanks for your review. I am thinking of buying these but since there is no return policy I wanted to make sure that these do not make the “swooshing” sound when walking, when the thighs rub. Do you have any thoughts on this?
Hi Laura, I’ve mentioned a number of things here – which one are you asking about?
I love the taking shape easy breezy shorts! They are a great mid-thigh length so they work with most of my dresses and come in black, nude and white. More importantly they are so breathable that I can forget I am wearing them – a feeling I’d almost forgotten existed (since I ALWAYS wore something due to chub rub fear)
Aren’t they so comfy?! I included them in my last post about chub rub, such a fab find.
I’m a size 12 and I battle with chub rub in summer, so after doing a little research last summer, I bought myself a pair of lace bandelettes (from Amazon). They look just like the ones in the pic at the top of your post. They work well, don’t fall down and become softer with wear. It just takes a little getting used to as they feel as if they’re going to fall down (it’s all in the mind) but they won’t, the non-slip silicone strips make them stay in place all day.
I also have a pair of Jockey No Panty Line Promise Next Generation Shorts (from Farmers) and they’re similar looking to the Anti-Chafing shorts above.
Personally, I prefer the bandelettes when I want to feel a little more sexy (or if I’m going out somewhere) and the shorts for when I’m just running errands or I’m at work or at home.
Your readers might want to remember not to use body lotion, body butter or oil when using either of these products, as the lotion, body butter or oil will cause the non-slip silicon strips on the bandelettes and shorts to deteriorate and might cause them to ride up or slip.
Thanks for the great blog post!
Great advice, thanks for the tip!
I love wearing Bandelettes to feel little more sexy. Well, actually I wear them all the time, They are my favorite thing for chafing.
Hi, I was just wondering if you knew of any of these anti-chafing knickers that are smaller than a 12? I’m usually a size 10, and like you said at the beginning, regardless of dress size, if your thighs touch, they will chafe! All the ones you reviewed start at a 12, and some you mentioned to size down… if you know of any, please let me know!
Thanks, Clare
Hey Clare, check out Cotton On – they have bike shorts from size 6-16 that will do the same job x
The Jockey Next Generation Shorts (available at Farmers) start at a size 10 and the bandelettes go by thigh measurement.
Hey Hun, Sonsee anti Chaf shorts are also available at Autograph. If they’re not available in store then you can get them online. 🙂 Approx $49.99 AUD, I’m not sure what they sell for in NZ $$.
They sure are, and you can find them online here.
I really want some of the Sonsee shorts! I have shapewear type ones and they’re just a bit too constricting around the middle especially. I usually rely on 3b cream but sometimes it wear off or I miss spots. My hot tip for that is oasis beauty rhino repair, i apply it before bed on any patches of chafing and it’s so good at healing.
Good tip – Oasis Beauty’s Rhino Cream is amazing!!!
I’ve always worn bike pants…the shiny lycra ones. Stop laughing. I find them better than anything with cotton content so that skirts and dresses don’t cling. Otherwise I use Bepanthen cream (from the baby section at the supermarket) – it has the same effect as Neat Effect 3B but because I use it for everything else then I only need one tube of fix-all-the-hurts cream (and it’s wonderfully soothing and healing if you are chafed). I always thought chafing was a chub thing but recently my international ironman cousin confessed that he has such bad chafing after a race that he can barely walk for a couple of days after 🙂
It’s definitely not just a chub thing – I have size 10 (and smaller) friends who suffer as well. Nothing wrong with shiny lycra bike pants if that’s your jam!
I don’t know if you have it over there but here in the states I can run over to walmart and pick up a chaffing gel/powder from Monistat and it works wonders! put it on before and it prevents chaffing, put it on after chaffing has happened and it soothes the pain and itch.
I’ve never heard of that brand here but thanks for the tip – could be handy for any of my US readers!