The 7 Best Anti-Chafing Sticks for Runners

Nothing kills a runner’s high faster than chafing, whether it’s irritation from wet and scratchy clothing, or extended skin-on-skin friction that makes it feel like your inner thighs are trying to build a campfire. The joys of summer running are many, but for most of us, they come at the price of raw and irritated skin. In colder weather, you can reduce the chance of chafing by wearing full-length running tights and long-sleeve shirts that don’t shift while your body is in motion. But in short-shorts and singlet season? The best chafe-protector is a layer of lubricating balm on rub-prone areas.

Here, we’ve also listed our best anti-chafe sticks determined through multiple seasons of testing. We also laid out info to help you understand how chafing happens, when it’s most likely to occur, and how you can help prevent it.

Looking for more of our recommendations for running in the heat? Check out our reviews of summer running gear, running hats, and the running shorts.

The Best Anti-Chafing Sticks

• Best Overall: KT Tape Performance+ Anti Chafing Stick
• Longest Lasting: Coconut oil, cocoa butter, vitamin E oil
• Best Variety: Coconut smell may not be for everyone
• Best Bargain: Chamois Butt'r GoStik Anti-Chafing Solid
• Best Gel: Races - Places

How to Prevent Chafing

Robin Travers, M.D., a marathon runner and dermatologist at Boston-based Skincare Physicians, explains chafing as “a superficial abrasion and mechanical irritant dermatitis that occurs on skin due to prolonged rubbing.” This friction occurs most in areas “where skin touches skin, such as on the inner arms, thighs, or butt, or where clothing or running gear like hydration packs or heart rate monitors rub against skin.” Although it might sound counterintuitive, sweat or rain can make the situation worse because that moisture changes the properties of skin cells and causes the surface to become more gelatinous as it becomes more hydrated, increasing the degree of friction when rubbed against clothing or adjacent skin.

So what can you do to prevent chafing? First, Travers recommends wearing properly fitting clothes that wick sweat, and no cotton. “Moisture-wicking fabrics will direct the moisture away from the skin,” she says. “Cotton fibers retain moisture and keep the skin wetter, thus increasing the coefficient of friction.”

She suggests changing socks and sweat-logged clothing during a long run, and using an antiperspirant to reduce sweat. She also recommends cornstarch-based baby powder to prevent chafing and blisters on the toes, as well as skin lubricants like Vaseline and the speciality anti-chafe sticks listed below. Some chafing is inevitable in a long race, but chafe-resistant sticks and balms can provide helpful lubrication for up to an hour, which means you might have to reapply mid-race or run.

These balms prevent chafing by creating a lubricated barrier on your skin. This helps reduce friction, minimizing rubbing between skin surfaces or between skin and clothing, which can quickly lead to irritation. Anti-chafe sticks and balms also control moisture by repelling water and absorbing sweat, helping keep your skin dry. Some formulations also include soothing ingredients like aloe to calm and heal already irritated skin. Travers says Body Glide is her anti-chafe weapon of choice; while we’ve also found it to be effective, there are plenty of additional options out there, which we’ve tested and listed below.

What to Consider

Effectiveness

When you first try a new anti-chafe stick or balm, keep tabs on whether or not it’s actually making a difference in preventing irritation and discomfort during long runs. Is your skin sliding smoothly over itself, or is there still friction that leads to abrasion and chafing?

Ingredients

We like balms made with beeswax or plant-based oils for lubrication, and additional components like shea butter or coconut oil. Most anti-chafe sticks have the ingredients listed on the packaging, and we’ve included the active/notable ingredients for each below. If you have sensitive skin, look for anti-chafe balms with added soothing elements like aloe, Vitamin E, and calendula extract.

Application

Make sure the anti-chafe stick feels easy to apply, and note how often you’re supposed to reapply it. The balm should go on smoothly, create a noticeable coating over your skin, and not get rubbed off when you start walking or moving. We recommend smoothing out lumps or extra balm and making sure the layer is even in the application area.

Duration

Most anti-chafe sticks should last for about an hour of running, give or take. If you’re using this in humid conditions, you might have to reapply more frequently to maintain effective protection as the moisture in the air will create more friction during skin-to-skin contact.

Side Effects

While the purpose of anti-chafe balm is to prevent skin distress, not everyone’s skin reacts the same way to the same ingredients. Monitor the areas for any signs of irritation, redness, or itching after you use the balm. Pay attention to any unusual reactions such as rashes or swelling, which could mean you’re allergic to something in the formula.

How We Selected

Caitlin Giddings

As a marathon runner living in Texas, I’m intimately familiar with the many ways chafing can ruin a run. And I’m also skeptical of any product that promises to put me out of my friction-induced misery—having been burned before in more ways than one. To choose the best anti-chafing sticks here, I drew on my own considerable experiences trying to find the best weapon against chafing in the heat and humidity, as well as those of my Runner’s World colleagues and friends. My recommendations include what’s worked best for me and other runners in my community.

Maggie Slepian

Over the past few years, chafing has become the bane of my running existence. If I’m not wearing long-inseam compression shorts, my thighs are going to chafe. And when summer heats up, longer shorts aren’t a great option. So it goes without saying, anti-chafe balm is a necessity for every hot outing. While I have plenty of personal experience with chafe sticks, I tested multiple different brands and formulas during my runs to inform my recommendations here. The heat was in the 80s-90s, and the humidity ranged from super dry to moderate. I tracked which balms lasted the longest, which were the easiest to apply, and which felt the most effective during the first hour after application.