"Blue Steel" Chamois Cream

I found this new brand of chamois cream at the Seattle Bike Expo in March. I've used it several times and really like it. It contains tea-tree oil, which gives it an anti-bacterial property, although it does have that funky strong tea-tree oil aroma too...which might be better than other funky smells coming from a chamois at the end of a long cycling day. :rolleyes: :p

I haven't seen it in bike shops yet, but you can find it online at Ebay and Amazon.com.

My only gripe about it: even though it says non-staining, it actually left a grey-ish/brownish stain on the white leather saddle of my brand new Dolce...sigh. I haven't found anything (including a weak bleach solution) that will get it off yet. So I bought a black lycra cover for the saddle, which is working out pretty well...still.

Then it sounds like you might really like Hoo Ha Ride Glide. It also has tea tree oil and other natural things and does not stain.

I remember looking at this stuff when I was checking out chamois butters. I really LOVE That Butt Stuff, which also has TTO. I will also use a bit of Brave Soldier Friction Zone (another product with TTO) on particular trouble-spots before rides of more than 3-4 hours or so.

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Originally Posted by AppleTree

My only gripe about it: even though it says non-staining, it actually left a grey-ish/brownish stain on the white leather saddle of my brand new Dolce...sigh. I haven't found anything (including a weak bleach solution) that will get it off yet. So I bought a black lycra cover for the saddle, which is working out pretty well...still.

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AppleTree, a saddle retailer once told me that they use rubbing alcohol to clean returned saddles before offering them for sale again. Maybe alcohol would dissolve the oils on your saddle.

Well, this won't help you remove the stain, however we have a local guy in Portland and he got tired of all the artificial ingredients/chemicals in his chamois butter, so he concocted his own. He has a website. I've never used chamois creme/butter yet. Here are his ingredients:
Shea butter has natural anti-inflammatory properties and acts as the base.
Aloe helps to soothe skin.
Arnica is rich in vitamins and helps to relieve sore muscles.
Olive oil keeps the skin moisturized.
Eucalyptus oil is antiseptic and anti-bacterial, which comes in handy on epic days in the saddle.
He calls it "Cream of the Gods" and sells it through local bike shops.

I tried Hoo ha but it didn’t do it for me, it was ok on really short rides but just not good enough on the longer rides. The girls on my group and I use Endur-It, it works great on really long and hard rides, it does not stain and washes out easily. Before I was using Okole Stuff, it worked fine but it was really greasy, hard to wash out and left a yellowish stain on the saddle. After using almost every major chamois cream I am sold on Endur-It and I really recommend giving it a try ;)

Alcohol didn't do the trick, but I appreciate all the great suggestions. I will check out the other chamois products with the tea tree oil. I did write to the company and let them know the problem I had, and they wrote back within the hour, really impressive. I probably used too much product, they recommend a very fine film applied directly to the skin. I am used to using big gobs of the stuff... To me more is better, but maybe not this time! :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by AppleTree

Alcohol didn't do the trick, but I appreciate all the great suggestions.

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Darn, I was sure alcohol would do the trick.

On another note, what's the story behind your avatar, AppleTree? It's gotta be a goodie!

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Originally Posted by Artista

Darn, I was sure alcohol would do the trick.

On another note, what's the story behind your avatar, AppleTree? It's gotta be a goodie!

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I know, I was really hoping that would work too!

Oh, the picture I found on another bike blog, and thought was hilarious. A bike!! Growing out of a tree!! I just love weird things like that. I wondered myself what the story behind it was. Did someone lean a bike against a tree 50 years ago and forget about it??

Anyway, I liked it better than the picture of me. :rolleyes:

I have a question, being new to the cycling and not having used any of these products and only riding with my husband. I get a bit chaffed and I thought I would try this. Do you apply to your shorts or self, my chamois are synthetic not real chamois? I also know that if I am a bit more clipped down there I am more comfortable. I am glad I can ask this here and not at the LBS which is all guys.

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Originally Posted by Lauralyn

I have a question, being new to the cycling and not having used any of these products and only riding with my husband. I get a bit chaffed and I thought I would try this. Do you apply to your shorts or self, my chamois are synthetic not real chamois? I also know that if I am a bit more clipped down there I am more comfortable. I am glad I can ask this here and not at the LBS which is all guys.

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Depends upon the product. I think most are designed to be applied to the chamois, but Brave Soldier Friction Zone is more of a thick oily salve in a small tube. That stuff is WAY concentrated and meant to be applied directly to the friction-prone areas.

Thanks for the info zoom-zoom.

Hoo Ha works great, but unfortunately it does stain. I have white side panels on my shorts and the cream has left purplish-gray stains on them.

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Originally Posted by florenceredhead

Hoo Ha works great, but unfortunately it does stain. I have white side panels on my shorts and the cream has left purplish-gray stains on them.

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That's good to know. I have a white saddle...I'll bet it would stain that, too.

Try a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Linkey. I've been amazed at what they will clean....

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Originally Posted by Blueberry

Try a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Linkey. I've been amazed at what they will clean....

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You know those are a mild abrasive, though, right? They work because they are removing a fine layer of whatever surface they are used on. They really can do a number on wall paint. I'm not about to use that on a saddle.

I do - but sometimes judicious use of them is a good call (particularly when I would have had to re-paint anyway). I think someone recommended using them on bar tape.