Cure for what ails ya

Lets face it, saddle sores suck. J says that I have a Princess Butt, and I have to admit that she is right.

When I do my new women's rides, I always start off with the hygiene lecture. And everyone is always grossed out. Hey, hygiene is very important when you are talking about hot, sweaty, dark areas.

Rule 1: As soon as possible, take off those nasty shorts.
Rule 2: Never wear shorts two days in a row without washing them.
Rule 3: on short rides you probably don't need chamois butter
Rule 4: On long rides, and tt's you do. On really long rides you may need to add more later in the ride.
Rule 5: some chamois creams come off the shorts in the wash easier than others. Vaseline has a bad habit of not coming out...
Rule 6: deforestation is a good thing... (no, I'm not explaining it here, you know what I'm talking about!

I used to make my own chamois cream. Hey, the stuff is expensive. Usually we're talking about a tub of Vaseline, and some antibiotic ointment. The Vaseline has the added benefit of polishing your saddle for you. But see Rule 5 about stuff not washing out...

So I have a few favorites;

Moo Cream: What I really like about this stuff is that it was given away for FREE by the caseload at tt's a few years ago. i still have some of the individual packets which conveniently store in a back pocket for on the road usage. Its cool, not too thick, washes well, and does a decent job for a fairly long time.

Badger Balm: Comes in a little tin and is kind of pricey, but when you already have a sore, it does wonders healing them up.

Bag Balm: Almost as good as Badger Balm, but it comes in a bigger tin, and costs alot less.

Butt Butt'r: Ah, relief! I generally use this before I have issues and switch to the Balms when I have issues. Its good, it lasts a pretty long time, and it doesn't have that unpleasant tingling you can get with some creams.

If you get a boil... you have to take care of it. Hot washcloths, and sometimes a drawing cream will do. If you keep getting them in the same place like I do, you probably have a fit or structural issue. I have a structural issue, and there isn't much I can do about it. But having to have to get a scarred up saddle sore cut out is not fun. Trust me on this. Prevention is a much nicer option.

See I was able to say all that without having to resort to pictures. The girls on my rides will be shocked!