Aloe vera, olive oil, coconut oil, vaseline, neem, oatmeal bath and turmeric are best remedies for chafing.

What is chafed skin?

Chafing is a very common skin condition that you may have noticed several times, of which many of the times you are unaware of it. You experience this as prolonged scratching of your skin due to friction. This leads to development of skin rashes which is referred to as chafing.

Some of the signs and symptoms observed in chafed skin are:

• Itchy rashes
• Red and inflamed rashes
• Burning or stinging sensation in the region of rashes
• In severe cases the skin can swell and bleed too

Read More: Itchy Skin During Pregnancy: Do I need to be worried?

What are the causes for chafed skin?

The common causes for chafing are:

• The fiber of your clothing is irritating your skin
• The wet skin or wet clothing rubbing against each other
• Your skin rubbing against the cloth
• Your skin rubbing against itself especially when it’s wet

Read More: Skin Tags During Pregnancy

Certain factors can increase the risk of chafing and some of these risk factors are:

• Obesity
• Breastfeeding
• Wearing soiled diapers for too long in infants and older adults
• Wearing a skirt without leggings or pants can cause thighs to rub against each other and development of chafing
• Endurance sports like biking and running

Chafing: 7 Must Know Home Remedies to Heal Chafed Skin

Now that you are familiar with what is chafing and the causes for chafing, let’s have a view of certain easy home remedies that you can try to get rid of chafing overnight.

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is an easy herb to grow and nurture and at the same time providing us with several benefits. You can extract aloe gel from a leaf and apply it on the affected area of the skin. Leave this on for about 20 to 30 minutes and then rinse it off with water.
Aloe vera with its rich anti – inflammatory properties helps to speed up the healing process of the affected skin areas.

Olive oil

Olive oil is another one such ingredient that has several uses that you can exploit to your benefit. Just take some amount of virgin olive oil in your palms and massage it gently on the affected area. Leave it on for about 30 minutes and then rinse it off. You can also put this on before going to sleep and leave it on overnight too.
Olive oil due to its anti – oxidant properties helps to enhance the healing speed and also confers protective and healing properties to the affected areas of your skin.

Vaseline

Vaseline or petroleum jelly is not just a cosmetic product to be used as a moisturizer. You can apply this on the affected area. And this would help in forming a protective layer on the skin thus preventing any further infections in the affected areas.

Coconut oil

Take some amount of coconut oil in your palms and spread it on the affected area. Allow the oil to dry on its own. Due to the presence of medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil it helps in keeping the skin well lubricated. Also the anti – inflammatory properties of coconut oil helps to relieve swelling and inflammation caused in severe cases of chafing.

Oatmeal bath

Oatmeal due to its rich anti – inflammatory and anti – itching properties works wonders on the affected areas of your skin. Add 1 – 2 cups of oatmeal to a tub filled with water. Allow yourself to soak in this bath for about 20 – 30 minutes. Pat your skin dry. You can repeat this for more 2 to 3 times. For added benefit, replace your loofah with a muslin cloth containing oatmeal.

Turmeric

Turmeric is the traditional root employed since time immemorial for its medicinal uses. Due to its rich anti – inflammatory properties it is an excellent ingredient for treating chafed skin.
Mix two teaspoons of turmeric powder with water to form a thick paste. Then apply this paste on the affected area of your skin. Leave this on for about 30 minutes allowing it to dry. Rinse it off. You can repeat this several times a day to fasten the healing speed.

Neem (Indian Lilac)

Neem is very common to help in fighting the inflammation, swelling and itching caused in severe cases of chafing. Take some neem leaves and wash them thoroughly. Grind them with water into a paste. Then apply it on the affected skin area. Leave this on for about 30 minutes and then rinse it off. Keep repeating this for increasing your healing speed.

How can you prevent chafed skin?

Here are some prevention tips that you can follow to prevent development of chafed skin.

• Wear appropriate clothing that would allow your skin to breathe.
• Choose proper exercise clothes which have smooth seams and avoid rubbing.
• Wear well fitting clothes to avoid friction with your skin.
• Avoid staying in wet clothes for long.
• Have a healthy diet that is rich in essential nutrients.
• Use a good moisturizer on chafing prone areas of your skin.

Conclusion

Chafing is a common skin condition that is caused due to friction between the skin and clothing. Some of the common causes are wet clothes, inappropriate exercise wear, etc.

You can follow certain home remedies to treat your chafing problems. Some of the effective and easy ingredients that you can use are – coconut oil, virgin olive oil, turmeric powder, aloe vera, vaseline, neem, oatmeal bath. Some others also include baking powder, tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar, calendula oil.

References

https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/effective-home-remedies-for-chafing/#gref

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/chafing-causes-treatments