The Chafe Challenge

Chafing is challenging. When skin rubs against skin, or clothing, especially in summer when we have so little control over humidity and heat, the sweat ducks get blocked and those little red bumps, the unmanageable itching, the swelling, and the irritations surface. Ouch!

Inner thighs, groin, under the breasts, fingers, toes, armpits, buttocks… sometimes in embarrassing areas that we prefer to not really talk about. That’s the chafe.

Recently Tammy C. from Smithville, ON wrote

“My husband works in chicken barns and it's very hot, as a result, he often gets heat rash on his inner thighs. I'm looking for something to help with the rash and then maybe something to prevent it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated."  

I certainly empathized with Tammy’s hubby because at the same time I had discovered a chafe under my left breast. Yes, it hurt.  We had some great suggestions for Tammy.

Commonly found Chafe home remedies

Coconut and or argan oil (good) 
Petroleum jelly (NO. don’t go there) 
Aloe Vera gel (good, especially, if obtained from the plant itself, rather than a commercial brand
Cornstarch (There are wiser alternatives.) See below*

What you probably won’t find as a remedy, but wish you had

Unrefined Emu oil (while various refined emu oils are available on the market and I encourage you to compare, unrefined is still superior, always safe and always good)
*Clay neem  (Clays are available. Our blend has the miraculous neem powder and oatmeal added) (clay would be the alternative to cornstarch)
Neem Salve (Our own 100% natural blend). A ‘go to’ salve
Zinc Oxide Blend (Our own, 100% natural) ( while there may some good zincs out there, beware of the hidden formaldehyde etc.)
Tamanu Oil (this is available on the market at various prices. From $10 to over $40. You get what you pay for. Dark Green is the best, like ours)

It is important to use good natural soaps and soak in acv or salt baths, or incorporate them into your shower routine. Make sprays with the acv or salt water, if a bath is not an option. Cleansing properly will help speed up the chafe healing. Using body washes, gels commercial soaps will hinder the healing.

Two weeks later Tammy wrote

“ I wanted to let you know that my husband's heat rash cleared up. He used the neem salve."

For my chafe,I experimented. I used tamanu oil and zinc. The discomfort went away immediately but it did take several days. What you choose may depend if you have other issues. If one product can help both then that might be a good option to try. If you need assistance, email us at info@natural.ca