My not-quite-daily round-trip commute of 13 miles doesn't really necessitate chamois cream, but having to up my weekend mileage considerably while training for the Ride Across Britain (969 miles in nine consecutive days!) has meant trying a variety of products, with varying success. If you’re prone to chafed skin, you may want to consider using an anti-chafing gel or cream to protect your skin. You can also use these products to reduce friction while your chafed skin heals. Some products that work well include:

Aqua Hydrogenated Polydecene Octyldodecanol Synthetic Beeswax Glyceryl Stearate Se Glyceryl Propylene Glycol Cetearyl Alcohol Sorbitan Stearate Polysorbate 60 Cyclopentasiloxane Menthyl Lactate Phenoxyethanol Panthenol Dimethicone/Vinyltrimethylsiloxysilicate Crosspolymer Menthol Hamamelis Virginiana Water Tocopheryl Acetate Bha Alcohol Denat. Citric Acid. This product is made to the same classic formula as Assos' acclaimed 140ml Chamois Crème - it's just a bigger tub for more convenience!Other key ingredients are vitamins A & E, aloe vera, and tea tree oil. These additives help to nourish your skin, and their natural antiseptic properties prevent bacteria buildup that could lead to saddle sores.

It’s also versatile. You can use it on various body parts: all over your feet, your inner thighs, on your taint, on your chest, underarms, just about anywhere! Wear protective shorts. Leggings or bicycle shorts can prevent the skin from rubbing against itself. These shorts are usually made of soft elastic materials that can reduce friction. Diapers. Chafing can affect babies, too. Diapers that are too small, wet, or tight can cause skin chafing. Chamois Butt’r Coconut– A natural formulation from the makers of the original butt butter. You can’t go wrong with this stuff. Queen Helene’s contains mineral oil, water, beeswax, paraffin, cocoa seed butter, and lanolin. The ingredients are fairly similar to Chamois Butt’r Original, so it shouldn’t be surprising how well it works.

Prevent Saddle Sores. Friction between your skin, inflammations, irritation, and chafing are all precursors of saddle sores. Chamois cream is there to reduce the friction between you and your cycling shorts, specifically the 'chamois pad', which is the foam insert sewn into them that provides padding while you ride. Even if you have the optimum combination of saddle and shorts there's still going to be movement in the system, and so lubricating the interface helps reduce the possibility of any saddle sores. Some are creamy, some are more of a greasy paste, but they all do the same job. It's just a case of finding which one works for you. Is chamois cream better than Vaseline? Chamois Butt’r is entirely free of parabens, phthalates, gluten, and artificial fragrances, making it a good choice for cyclists with sensitive skin or allergies. I’ve been riding for many years. That has given me plenty of opportunity to test many different chamois creams. Swiss clothing company Assos has been producing its Chamois Creme for what seems like forever. Despite a much broader choice in the cycling skincare market than ever before, the Assos Chamois Creme can still hold its own: on long rides where comfort matters, a slather of this on your chamois will keep sores and irritation at bay.

Assos Chamois Creme Woman is a non-perfumey, non-oily concoction that, mostly, does a good job of keeping sores at bay. It doesn't always totally succeed, but I'd certainly rather have it than nothing. Whilst it’s likely you’ll have big pots of cream at home, you may want to consider carrying a small tube of cream with you on rides, just in case you get caught out. This might be alien to some cyclists but yet we carry spare inner tubes for tyre emergencies, gels for fuel emergencies and so why not for comfort too? Some brands make women’s-specific chamois cream, which contains different ingredients from the men’s version. The Assos company has been around since the 1970s. They have a long history in Europe, and their chamois cream uses high-quality, natural ingredients such as shea butter, almond oil, and chamomile extract. It also contains a small amount of menthol, which can provide a cooling sensation to help reduce discomfort during long rides, and witch hazel, for skin cleansing. This method of application can still be a great one to try. However, many people opt for applying directly to the problem areas once they have their kit on.

We've recommended the 'standard' formula, which doesn't come with any promises of cooling. The brand does offer a 'Euro Style' formula, which adds in Witch Hazel and Menthol, thus giving that freshening effect which is so 'marmite' among riders. Lin T-K, et al. (2018). Anti-inflammatory and skin barrier repair effects of topical application of some plant oils. DOI: Knowing how much product to use can make a huge difference for your comfort levels and overall experience while cycling. Therefore, ensuring that you get this right based around your own personal needs is really important. The only potential downside is that it’s liquid, so if you break the cap it could spill and leak. And sometimes you’re not allowed to travel with large bottles of liquid. Assos ChamoisCréme makes long rides more enjoyable and comfortable. It reduces friction and prevents bacterial and fungal infections on your skin. Apply a thin layer of Chamois Créme to your skin and padded insert before you ride.

Why use chamois cream? Simple, to prevent the aforementioned chafing, redness and soreness, which are incredibly painful if left without protection or treatment. The cream acts as a lubricant between surfaces, just in the same way as lubing your chain but with the added advantage of the chamois cream having anti-bacterial properties.

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With huge experience, they're really well placed to compare products, identify their strengths and weaknesses and bring you an honest, unbiased assessment of how they perform. Body Glide Original Anti-Chafe Balm. Made from plant-derived ingredients, you can apply this nongreasy balm on a daily basis to any area that’s prone to chafing.