Top 15 home remedies to control skin chafing in summers

When your skin repeatedly rubs against your clothes or skin, it becomes red and irritated. This condition is known as chafing. In summers, your skin repeatedly rubs against the clothes or your skin and it could be due to excessive sweating and heavy body weight.

In Medical terminology,’ Chafing’ is usually defined as a Skin ailment or typical kind of Skin sores, which usually occurs due to monotonous friction which emerges as a consequence of skin–to–skin contact of your multiple body parts.

This skin ailment is usually encountered in the interior of thighs or even in the interior of armpits or glutes.

The friction between the layers of the skin increases with excessive humidity, pressure, etc., and can make your skin more susceptible to infections. Also, moisture and heat can worsen chafing.

The obvious places where chafing could occur are your thighs, neck, underarms, groin, and nipples and this is more common in people who are having sensitive skin, long-distance athletes, and obese people.

This condition gets exacerbated by bacteria and sweat on the skin. It causes red patches on such susceptible areas and the pain could be unbearable.

This unpleasant condition causes a burning sensation and pain when it is left unattended.

If your workout clothes are leaving your skin irritated then opt for more sports-friendly clothing.

And, you also need to try a few home remedies which are amazingly effective in dealing with chafing and its symptoms.

Top 15 home remedies to control skin chafing in summers

1. Cold Compress:

Applying a cold compress over the chafed area can help soothe irritated skin [1]. Wrap a few ice cubes in a cloth and apply them to the affected area. It helps relieve irritation and reduce soreness.

Follow the same procedure for a few more minutes until you experience relief. Repeat the same procedure for a few more days until your skin gets back to normal.

2. Tea Tree Oil:

Tea tree oil is considered beneficial in protecting the skin from several infections and helps combat the bacteria responsible for chafing [2].

The antimicrobial properties of tea tree oil are responsible for its effectiveness in dealing with chafing.

All you have to do is add a few drops of tea tree oil to an unscented moisturizer and apply it to the chafed area.

Follow the same procedure several times every day until you experience relief. Make sure you use tea tree oil only after diluting it.

3. Cornstarch

Excessive sweating is one of the main reasons for chafing and hence it is essential to keep your skin dry [3]. Cornstarch not only helps absorb the moisture but also helps in obstructing the growth of the fungus.

Hence, it is considered effective in soothing the chafed area. So, to calm down the irritation due to chafing you need to gently rub cornstarch onto the affected area as often as possible. Follow this remedy regularly, particularly in summers to stay away from chafing.

4. Olive Oil

Olive oil is a rich source of Vitamin E and has various anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties thus applying it to chaffed prone areas significantly helps to heal up the irritated skin.

Besides this, olive oil is also a rich and primary source of Zinc Oxide as well, which considerably prompts the recovery process of chaffed skin.

Olive oil is known for its soothing and moisturizing properties and this is what makes it an excellent remedy to heal chafed skin [4].

• Rub olive oil directly on the affected area to get relief from itching and irritation.
• Alternatively, you can mix a few drops of olive oil into oatmeal
• Make a fine paste
• Apply to the chafed skin.
• Oatmeal is also known for its soothing properties and can show some amazing results when used along with olive oil.
• Leave the paste on your skin for around 15minutes before washing it off.
• The skin-softening properties of oatmeal help keep your skin soft and moisturized apart from healing the chafed skin.

Not only does this, soothe the inflamed area but also depreciates the burning sensation and itching to a greater extent. To get optimal results, try to use this remedy at least 2-3 times a day.

5. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is one such incredible plant that is known for its skin healing properties [5]. Using it for healing your chafed skin is an excellent way to soothe skin itching and irritation.

All you have to do is extract the gel from the aloe vera plant and apply it directly to the affected area. It not only helps calm itching but also provides relief from the burning sensation and pain caused due to chafing.

6. Calendula Oil

 

Calendula oil is known for its antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties and hence it is considered an important ingredient in several topical medicinal oils and ointments [6]. Also, it has amazing moisturizing and soothing properties and works great in healing the chafed skin.

Apply it directly onto the affected area to soothe your skin. This remedy also helps reduce inflammation caused due to chafing apart from providing relief from itching and irritation.

7. Talcum Powder

Excessive sweat can lead to chafing in summers and hence, it is necessary to keep your skin dry [7]. Talcum powder works great in absorbing moisture and this is the reason why it acts as an effective remedy to heal chafed skin.

Talcum powder absorbs the sweat and doesn’t allow bacteria to thrive in such an environment, thus reducing itching and irritation. Gently rub the affected area with talcum powder as often as required.

8. Petroleum Jelly

Constant friction between the skin and the body parts leads to chafing and reducing the friction itself can help eliminate chafing [8].

Rub some petroleum jelly directly onto the affected areas to protect your skin from further chafing and irritation. This is the reason why swimmers often use petroleum jelly to protect their skin from chafing.

9. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is known for its moisturizing properties and helps heal the chafed skin overnight [9]. Also, the antimicrobial properties help obstruct the growth of bacteria which could lead to chafing.

Gently rub the chafed area with a few drops of coconut oil. The soothing properties of coconut oil help calm down the itching and irritation apart from reducing the redness which is caused due to chafing.

10. Baking Soda

Baking Soda is another important and readily available ingredient in your pantry that is overloaded with anti-inflammatory properties that go a long way in getting away with chafing.

Baking soda is one such amazing ingredient that helps heal chafed skin.

Not only this, baking soda is effectively used in curing various skin impairments like psoriasis, skin pigmentation, and other kinds of severe and burning rashes.

Along with it, it also helps to evade infections, burning sensations, and itchiness in the infected region. Overall it is an excellent remedy for inflamed skin.

To use this home remedy,

• Take a small vessel.
• 1 small teaspoon of baking soda.
• Mix it with 2-3 spoons of water and lavender oil.
• Lavender oil is enriched with healing and soothing properties that go a long way in combating skin contaminations at large.
• Now, apply this paste gently to the chaffed prone area.
• Keep it for about 5-6 minutes.
• Then wash it off with normal water.

11. Moisturizer

A good moisturizer acts as a skin lubricant and helps reduce the friction between the skin and the body parts [11]. Rub a generous amount of moisturizer on such susceptible areas that are more prone to chafing.

Applying moisturizer to your chafed skin helps soothe the itching and irritation. However, prefer using waterproof moisturizers for the best results.
Keep the affected area clean and dry and then apply a good moisturizer to protect your skin from chafing.

12. Aim For Oatmeal Bath

 

Another readily available home ingredient that helps to get away with the issue of Chafing is Oatmeal.

It has a rich source of anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and outstanding healing properties that not only cleans the skin but also moisturizes it considerably. There are two ways to use Oatmeal for alleviating chaffing.

What you are required to use as an Oatmeal bath is to fill your Jacuzzi with a Luke-warm warm and add to it one and a half cups of oatmeal.

Then let it settle down in the water for about a minute. Then take an oatmeal bath for about half an hour and then rinse yourself to view the charismatic effect of this bath in soothing chaffing considerably.

13. Cornstarch Or Talcum -Powder 

As we have discussed earlier, chafing becomes quite un-manageable when your body begins to perspire.

So lubricating the prone area either with cornstarch or talcum powder does give you a sigh of relief besides diminishing itching to a greater extent. Not only has this but also aided in absorbing all the sweating and moisture from your infected areas, thus diminishing friction.

To use cornstarch or talcum powder on your chafing prone area, first, clean the area with Luke warm water and an antiseptic cleanser. Then dry it with a soft towel and then dust some cornstarch or talcum powder over it.

To get better and instant results, try to use this home remedy at least 2-3 times a day but mind it be sure that your skin is dried up before applying the cornstarch or talcum powder, because applying this remedy on wet skin often tends to cause Fungal infections, thus enhancing the criticality of the problem.

14. Turmeric Paste

Turmeric is a readily available and purely natural home ingredient that has rich anti-inflammatory properties, that goes a long way in speeding the healing process.

Not only this, turmeric powder contains medicinal properties and is a very effective ingredient in restoring the damage caused to the inflamed skin.

For using this remedy, take a small vessel and put 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder in it. Now, add a few drops of rose water or plain water and make a consistent paste.

Apply this paste to the infected area and wrap it up with a cotton cloth and leave it tied for about half an hour. After the stipulated time frame, un-tie the cloth and wash it with normal water.

Initially, it does bring a mild itching but is a very effective treatment. To get optimal results, try to use this remedy at least twice a day.

15. Lavender essential oil

Lavender essential oil helps reduce soreness and inflammation. Including it in your bath blend recipe can promote faster healing. Soak for around 20 minutes. Repeat the same procedure regularly until your skin gets back to normal.