Chamois Butter

[lizc]

Hi Ladies -

I need the female opinion on this one. I get why the guys use Chamois Butter to keep their bits from chafing. I also understand that it claims to keep your shorts chamois supple and relatively bacteria free - a good thing since you can't wash in hot water and to keep you cooler while riding. Just trying to find out if that is true or simply marketing hype.

And since I always see it marketed alongside pictures of men, I want to know if it causes any problems for us gals (i.e. infections, itching, burning).

Any advice is welcome. Thanks!

[Eden]

Well - the supple chamois thing is really a throw back to the days when they really were made of chamois leather. If you didn't want your "pad" (it wasn't so much padding as a non seamed surface) to get stiff and hard you had to use a chamois cream all over. Now-a-days the creams/lotions/sticks, are for creating less friction between your body parts and the pad in your shorts, as synthetic pads don't have the problem of drying up or hardening.

Personally when I use a cream, and I don't all of the time - I apply it to my body, rather than the chamois and only in the places that are subject to rubbing - rather than slather all over the pad as it can be hard to wash out and get into places where I may not care to have it. I've used all kinds of stuff from creams made just for cycling to bag balms or zinc oxide and I've never had any irritation or infections from any of them, but I'm not prone to those types of things either (never had a UI or yeast infection).

[kelownagirl]

I use body butter from Walmart - $5 for a decent sized container. I have fairly sensitive skin so was cautious at first. I put it directly on my skin - generally the insides of my thighs (the crease) because that's where I chafe and avoid the "girly bits" so to speak. I only use it on rides over 60km.

[Starfish]

I have never found a real need for it, even on rides over 10 hours. In fact, the one and only time I ever got a saddle sore, it was the first time I tried Butt'r.

I have used the bar-style silicone-based ones...like Glide (I think is the name?)...just experimenting. I think if I had a need, I would prefer the feel and delivery method better...kind of like a push-up deodorant, you can just run it along the seams of your chamois.

Again, I just don't find the need. The one place I did used to need some lube, for the first couple of years, was under my gloves, in between my thumb and forefinger. Neosporin was perfect. Now I have callouses and don't need the lube.

[sarahkonamojo]

I use chamois butter sometimes. Hot days, long rides, certain shorts.

You might want to look into beljum butter. It is paraben free. Paraben is one of those cancer causing agents we continue to rub into our skin.

sarah

http://www.beljumbudder.com/

[Brandi]

If you don't need it don't use it!
I have never ever needed it except for a long bike trip we were on for a week. No showers! When we finally reached a lake we could all wash off at, i washed the shorts i was wearing and put on a pair of dry clean one's. For some reason these shorts started to rub in a bad area. I had to use something. I had a tube of monistat chafing relief powder gel and it was great. But that is the only time I have had to use something. Oh and my shorts were not the most expensive so that could be another reason. Don't buy cheap shorts. Lessoned learned on my part!

[OakLeaf]

I LOVE Chamois Butt'r.

If I ride more than 15 miles without lube I chafe gruesomely. I've tried many other lubes and that's my favorite. Generous glob rubbed into the critical part of my chamois, another generous glob applied to my person, plus I carry a 1/2 oz jar in my pocket to re-apply if I have to pee and wipe it off.

I always assumed women chafe worse than men, is that not the case? After all, we have a moist mucous membrane and a lot of thin irregular surfaces "down there" where they have nice dry skin and large parts.

[OakLeaf]

Eek Sarah, I guess I never read the label closely! :mad:

So tell me about Beljum Budder. How does it compare in consistency, protectiveness, greasiness, washability to products I know: Chamois Butt'r, Aquaphor, Assos, Crotch Guard, A&D?

I do try to avoid parabens and SLS's, but I'll be honest... if the choice is taking my chances with endocrine disruptors vs. being hamburger "down there" as I was constantly before Chamois Butt'r vs. not riding at all, I'll choose the parabens.

And... who's got a jar of Assos chamois cream handy to tell us what's on the ingredient list? It's not on their website. What is on their website is the instruction to "avoid intimate areas" when applying... where the heck else are we supposed to apply it???

[Eden]

What is on their website is the instruction to "avoid intimate areas" when applying... where the heck else are we supposed to apply it???

I've never used Assos, but I've heard that it contains menthol or something like it - if you accidently get it on your softer parts it can be ummmm tingly......

[SadieKate]

I looove Assos cream. It just feels a bit, um, cool. Not really tingly though I have heard people describe it that way.

[Pedal Wench]

I usually use Assos. I had some samples of Beljum butter that I really liked, I just can't find them locally. We're sponsored by Asmaster, and I like their stuff too. It's a bit lighter than the others, so better for me on shorter rides.

[GLC1968]

I use Assos. I've tried others, but Assos is the only one that I find continues to work for extended periods (without the need to reapply) and that washes out completely. It has witch hazel in it, so it does have a bit of a cooling effect. It did tingle the first few times I used it, but I no longer notice it. This stuff was actually recommended to me by a woman rider precisely because of the witch hazel which has a bit of a bacterial fighting effect.

I basically only need it if I've been off the bike for awhile (so I've lost a bit of my 'toughness' down there) or if I'm doing a ride that is significantly longer than usual. I really prefer it for any ride of 60 miles or longer, no matter how much I've been riding.

It is different for everyone though. I know plenty of women who don't use it all all (men, too). I think, like the saddle, it's a matter of body geometry and personal preference.

[OakLeaf]

So what's in the Assos ingredients list? Are there parabens, quaternary ammonium compounds or other nasties?

[RolliePollie]

Not a fan of Chamois Butt'r myself. It irritates my nether regions. Maybe the lanolin? I just use a generous amount of baby lotion on my chamois. My favorite is Aveeno and my second favorite is Baby Magic. For long rides, I also slather myself up with Astroglide.

[GLC1968]

I was about to reply that I'd check the ingredients when I got home, when I remembered that I had a canister in my locker here at work!

Oh, here is the list:

Deonized water, glycerine, propylene glycol, decyl oleate, polydecene, which hazel extract, almond oil, soribitan stearate, menthol, cyclomethicone, oak bark extract, methylparaben, retinyl palminate, BHA.

I copied this directly from the jar, and it makes me snicker that they spelled it 'which hazel'. ;)

And clearly the 'cooling' is partly from the menthol as well as the witch hazel.

[VeloVT]

If I'm just running errands on my bike and going to be on it for a few miles here, a few miles there, I won't bother with lubricant. But on any "actual rides" I use lube, even if it's just 10 miles. I do get chafed without it. I've used Chamois Butt'r (works just fine), Assos (ok, but I think it breaks down really fast if it's at all hot out), Body Glide (my standby), Astroglide (this didn't work at all for me, might as well have used water...)... I slather lube liberally all over my chamois, but not on my body (this is actually one of the reasons I like Bodyglide, it's much less messy to apply to the chamois than, say, Assos).

I think the lube question is like the saddle question or the shorts question -- ultimately it comes down to personal preference and the only way to find out is to try.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I just use a bit of unscented hand lotion for sensitive skin. Inexpensive, washes right out, and doesn't smell like anything.

[sarahkonamojo]

Used a sample of Blejum this summer. It seemed much like other butters. Maybe a little thicker.

It was developed by men, for men, of course. But the health benefits are for everyone.

sarah

[lizc]

Thank you ladies!

Some good stuff I never learned. Seems like some truth to the Assos anti-bacterial claim, but beyond that sounds like no real advantage for me. I have a male friend who swears by the stuff, but I spent 5 weeks in my younger years tooling around Europe on an old 10-speed, wearing running shorts and never chaffed. Funny, I figured they had more to jumble around and chafe than we did.

So far no problems with the new bike and shorts, so will leave well enough alone. Thanks for all the great insight. First post to the forum and well worth it. :)

[Bad JuJu]

I swear by Assos. I don't use it for rides under, say, an hour, but for those long Saturday morning rides, I wouldn't be without it.

On the other hand, I have no basis for comparison. I've never tried any other lube--Assos just happened to be the one my LBS had when I first went looking for a chamois lube, and that's what I've always used. Has anyone tried both Assos and others? I'm loathe to try anything else and be miserable for a couple of hours.

[sundial]

I've never used Assos, but I've heard that it contains menthol or something like it - if you accidently get it on your softer parts it can be ummmm tingly......

AHA! Wait until hubby gets home. ;)

I use Chamois Butt'r and the only chafing I get is in the creases, where my pantyline runs (if I had them on under the shorts). 'Course I have full thighs and if I could get rid of my cellulite of steel, I probably wouldn't have the chafing to start with.

[aicabsolut]

I also use Assos. I tend to follow the instructions (particularly on the less slippery foam and not so elastic chamois pads) and apply it to the shorts when still wet after washing. I find that it does seem to soften up the fabric surface. Then, I apply some to my skin pre-ride, but it doesn't take as much. Except in the brutally hot and humid summer months, where I just slather the stuff on. It's cool feeling and temporarily tingly. Never any burning sensation.

I also wanted to add that I heard a rumor that Assos wasn't vegan. I found email correspondence posted from a customer where Assos states that none of its ingredients are animal products or derived from animal products. I'm assuming the parabens then are synthetic if that makes a difference for anyone. I personally like the menthol + witch hazel + almond oil part of it.

I also get horrible heat rashes (prickly heat) on my chest and neck in the summertime. This is kind of unusual, but I found that Assos applied lightly to that area pre-ride helped me avoid or lessen a post-ride breakout--the rash is usually itchy and painful vesicles. I think it's because of the cooling and antibacterial properties. Maybe it also kept the salt from my sweat from chafing me? Anyway, I thought to give it a try for that after looking at prickly heat remedies and noticing that Assos prevented bikini line razor bumps last summer.

[MyLitespeed]

I have been using a combination of Chamois Butt'r, Queen Helene's Cocoa Butter Creme and Bag Balm for years. Still haven't found the "secret" to keep me completely comfortable during the entire ride. Today I decided to go without anything and see how I felt. It wasn't bad, still had some slight irritation but I think it was due to my saddle not being adjusted correctly. My husband had put my saddle slightly higher and forward a few days ago and returned the nose to level, which I didn't realize. If the nose had been tipped slightly down I think I would have had a more comfortable ride. Hopefully Sunday I can ride again (if it doesn't rain) and try my experiment all over again.