Chaffing. It’s not pleasant; it’s in a sensitive area and very irritating. Most cyclists will have suffered from irritations, chaffing or saddle sores and know they are painful, unpleasant and between the sheets, embarrassing.
Staying comfortable for hours in the saddle is a priority. The first step in preventing any of the above problems is a good pair of cycling shorts with a good chamois to reduce the pressure on the seat area. Avoid wearing underwear under your cycling shorts as the seams tend to cause irritation and chaffing. Once you’re finished your ride get out of the shorts as heat and sweat will breed bacteria which can lead to very nasty infections.
There are two different types of anti-chaffing products, wax and cream. I tried out DZ Nuts to test out if it really makes a difference. DZ aims to prevent and reduce abrasions, and prevent bacterial and fungal infections.
How thick do you apply it? That’s up to you. To apply the cream, lower your shorts; apply a moderate amount to the skin area or directly to the chamois by hand. The DZ Nuts cream has a tingling feeling on skin and might give you mixed feeling that feels refreshing.
Getting all lubed up
Once ‘applied’ to the crutch and seat area, the ride was smooth, not too cold, and lubricated the chamois against my skin perfectly without any rubbing between me and the chamois. A key feature of DZ Nuts is the Tea Tree oil which is a natural antiseptic and has antifungal, and antimicrobial qualities to stop any nasty infections – something I really like and want to avoid, prevention is simply better.
The box has its own quirky instructions:
“Drop your shorts to your ankles, or remove completely from body.
Apply a liberal amount directly to your perineal area.”
(At this point I started feeling like a porn star…)
“Be a champion and enjoy your long, satisfying, comfortable ride. Ahhhh that’s better…”
Key Ingredients of DZ Nuts
Tea Tree Oil
powerful anti-bacterial and anti-fungal
Evodia
powerful anti-inflammatory and wound healing from traditional Chinese herbal medicine
Masterwort (Peucedanum Ostruthium)
herb found in the Swiss Alps used by ancient Greeks for wound healing and calming properties -Name means “Supreme Strength”
The Low Down on DZ Nuts – Does it work?
So does it work? If you’re putting in long hours and lots of kilometres on the bike and want to protect your junk, then it is certainly worth testing. The initial reaction when applying takes getting used to, but once it’s on this sensation goes away leaving you with a cooling sensation. I sometimes suffer from chaffing; it’s part of being a cyclist. After using DZ Nuts for 4 weeks I noticed I wasn’t getting irritated skin or chaffing. It felt better sitting in the saddle for long hours after I’ve used DZ Nuts, than if I don’t. I also know I am protecting what’s most precious to me.
DZ Nuts retails in Australia for about $28 for the 120ml tube and can be purchased online from www.dz-nuts.com
Chaffing and solutions are being discussed in the Australian Cycling Forum
