Ah, summer: fresh-cut grass tickling bare feet; beach days with a rolling ocean breeze; scoops of ice cream melting in the sun; a blistery burning between sweaty thighs. On hot-as-heck days when pants must be swapped for shorts, skirts, or dresses, the monster named Thigh Chafe rears its ugly head. For the blissfully unaware, thigh chafing is painful skin-irritating friction caused by your between-the-leg-soft-spots rubbing together. It’s a situation that’s exacerbated by two main factors: the type of clothing worn or, in this case, not worn and how much you sweat. I happen to have something called hyperhidrosis (in layman’s terms, I sweat profusely) so that burning sandpapery feeling is a year-round threat that crescendos during the months of June, July, and August.
I can remember one searing summer day back in 2015 when I took my first-ever trip to NYC with a group of peers from a fashion merchandising program. We were out for the day, traversing the hot city streets, and I had regrettably chosen to wear a skirt with zero anti-chafing precautions taken. After a few hours walking, the chafing got bad — I tried applying some lotion I had on hand but the relief from the pulsating pain was only temporary. It was an experience both physically painful and emotionally isolating; the last thing I wanted to do was TMI the group about my thighs being rubbed raw in the middle of the Garment District.
I’ve tried many chafing remedies over the years in hopes of achieving even a modicum of relief — from the adolescent-frequented vaseline to every oil and lotion imaginable and even giving up wearing certain types of clothing altogether — but I’ve yet to find THE one, the chafing diamond in the rough, the thick-thigh holy grail. That is until Megababe’s Thigh Rescue landed in my lap like a fallen anti-chafing angel from the heavens above. If you, too, have been searching for sweet thigh relief, then join me below on my smooth between-the-leg ride with Megababe: a miracle product that’s supposed to help chafe-prone thighs to “glide” friction-free against each other for happily ever after.
Megababe’s Thigh Rescue landed in my lap like a fallen anti-chafing angel from the heavens above.
Katie Sturino is the plus-size influencer/entrepreneur responsible for launching Megababe and creating my savior, Thigh Rescue. Sturino definitely knew what she was doing when she cooked this product up: it’s a $14 deodorant-like stick featuring an aesthetically pleasing color palette of pinks, blues, and oranges that says anything but “hey, there’s a burning sensation between my legs!” It’s a cruelty-free and non-toxic balm-like formula made with aloe, pomegranate seed extract, ginger root extract, grapeseed oil, and orange oil. Oh, it also has a serious internet cult following with a slew of best-of-beauty awards and hundreds of 5-star reviews raving about its anti-chafing prowess.
The reviews alone revved up my excitement (and hopes!) for trying out what could potentially be my anti-friction panacea. One Thigh Rescue superfan raved, “I have always struggled, especially in the summer months, with rubbing and irritation. This stick immediately resolved those issues.” Another attested, “Ok I went on vacation knowing I would be in dresses and shorts a majority of the time and in my swimsuit. When I tell you that this stuff literally is the best thing ever!! I had no chaffing WHAT SO EVER.” Could the solution to all of my friction-filled problems really be packaged in this $14 stick, too?
After popping it open, I noticed a very light (read: natural) scent that I deemed appropriate for a product applied near my lady parts. Praying to the anti-chafing gods that it would create the inner-thigh equivalent of a Slip N’ Slide, I rubbed two of my fingers across the surface of the open product. It felt smooth, light, and slippery enough to promise protection against enemy #1: Thigh Chafe.
Praying to the anti-chafing gods that it would create the inner-thigh equivalent of a Slip N’ Slide.
The website suggests swiping the product directly on anywhere that is a chafe-y, friction-prone problem area. I followed the directions as listed, but I tend to have a heavy hand SO I probably could have swiped on a little less (TBH). The instructions also warned against wearing garments made of delicate fabrics, like silk, in the chance that Thigh Rescue transfers off your skin and stains. I applied a nice evenly coated layer of the product to my inner thigh area every day over the course of three days. And, for reference, during those days I wore both a skirt AND a dress while walking for a few hours.
I tried not to get my hopes up because I’ve been disappointed in the past, but Megababe did not let me down. Not even in the slightest. It was the perfect level of sweet glide to prevent the gnarly impact friction usually has on my thighs — and it maintained effectiveness throughout my hot-and-sweaty outings. I managed to avoid reapplication for the few hours I was out, which has not been the norm with past products I’ve tried that dry up quickly and demand constant reapplication. “I LOVE this product. Last week I was able to hike in shorts for the first time ever without being in pain. This product is amazing. I had to reapply it a couple of times a day (as I was walking all day) and had zero chafing,” a fellow Thigh Rescue stan echoed.
While other chafing remedies I’ve relied on in the past (like petroleum jelly) would provide a lasting slickness, they often felt too heavy and greasy on my skin. Thigh Rescue stands out because it’s so much lighter while still providing the same slickness without the fear of product transfer onto my clothes. And, although I only really tested it on my inner thighs, many reviewers also swear by its benefits beyond the between-legs region — from under-boob to armpit and groin. One even celebrated it for helping to alleviate her chronic intertrigo rash after no other product could.
It was the perfect level of sweet glide to prevent the gnarly impact friction usually has on my thighs.
Chafing can feel like a lonely experience that puts limitations on what you wear and how much you share; it’s a condition that can leave you emotionally drained and physically vulnerable — but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you’re someone who’s felt helpless in your search for inner-thigh relief or you’ve spent years avoiding wearing certain clothing completely, you’re not in it alone. Thanks to brands like Megababe making products we can actually feel confident using, vanquishing the monster named Thigh Chafe is no longer a painful TMI feat.
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