Waxing / Shaving advice: sore backside

[Mad Doug Biker]

i think shaving all areas is good, ive been doing it for years, thing is i only took up cycling a few months ago

See if you ever have chemo and lose *everything*, then take it from me, the feeling on your barse (the bit between your ball and arse - or Farce ....Varce if you are a girl?) can be a bit odd as suddenly, you are able to feel your pants in that area again and you are wondering what the heck has just happened down there! (I guess that as a kid you are so used to it that you never notice).

There is a VERY good reason why you have hair down there, as you genuinely DO sweat down there .

Oh, and I had forgotten how itchy it is when it grows back in....

 

[globalee]

Hi first post here, yes i feel your pain, Im a member of New Force (google it) a bike club based in Hampshire around the new forset, but do exstended trips all over the UK. These hair removal pads really do work, the main benefit is that you dont get the razor bumps that then get infected when you got sweat running down your legs, on a hot day. Another tip i picked up from traveling around hot countries like (India) and sitting on busses for endless hours getting bounced all over the palce, is that you also get similar sweat rashes on your bum from infected hair folicules, a similar sort of problem to the chafing from being in the saddle all day. What I found is that by just getting a bottle of pure Alchole from the chemist and a pack of cotton wool is after showering at the end of the day just wipe down any sore areas on the inner leg or bottom with the cotton wool with aliberal splash of 70% alchole, this cleans out any bacteria and apon waking the next day the problem is fixed. No joke literally the next morning im good to go again, so now i religiously carry a bottle and cotton wool as essential kit for the long bike ride. OK hope you find this useful tip. cheers, Lee.

I started to get this problem recently and started to worry about really bad things (pilonidal sinuses, for example). However, I started being obsessive about washing the skin over my seat bones ("ischeal tuberosities"), have changed my saddle (only because I got a new bike), and I always put some tea tree oil on that area after my shower and also before putting on my cycling tights/shorts. Seems to have done the trick.

Don't shave or wax the area. The hairs are there to cut down the friction. If you shave them, then you may well get ingrowing hairs (sometimes known as "razor bumps"), which can lead to pilonidal sinuses. If you wax or pluck them , then they can come back stronger due to the damage you do to the follicles.

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

Hi, globalee, and welcome to the forums.

Thanks for the tips. To be honest, I have found that the use of Tea Tree oil has made the issue go away before it even became a problem for me. I just wipe it across the skin over my Ischeal Tuberosities with a bit of cotton wool before I put my cycling pants on in the morning.

Having said that, I don't do a lot of miles in one go as my commute is only 12.5 miles each way so, as they say, YMMV (literally).

 

[Munchkin100]

So we all take a look now

 

[numbnuts]

Oh, and I had forgotten how itchy it is when it grows back in....

that's the time to shave it again and after a while ( a few months) you don't even notice it

 

[Alessandro Petacchi]

Tee Tree oil is good also Surgical Spirit toughens up the skin, thats why its used for bedsores.

 

[Furkz]

what about that chafving gel/lube you see on adverts or some sort of antibacterial lube

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

So we all take a look now

I do hope you are referring either to the New Force or the hair removal pads!

 

[asterix]

Well obviously there more to being a professional cyclist than the public realises and it's not just a bit of doping. If only they appreciated the finer points..

Anyway, I aren't about to start shaving anywhere I didn't use ta.

 

[Munchkin100]

I do hope you are referring either to the New Force or the hair removal pads!

 

[Leaway2]

"sudocreme - cracking stuff."

Bum bum

 

[zacklaws]

I came across this website a few months back for home made chamois cream so I thought I would give it a go and it works a treat. Even after a 100 miler it is still their and not dried up, plus if you do not get showered very well, you discover you still have a greasy back side when you come to get dried. The anti bacterial oil that I saw recommended was tea tree oil on the cycling weekly forum, but it makes it stink like a sweaty jock strap but you soon get used to it. It cost me about £14 and despite using it frequently on every ride almost, I still have enough to see me through the year.

http://www.lagazzettadellabici.com/2011/01/home-made-chamois-cream.html

 

[buggi]

No no no!!! don't shave or wax, you will get ingrowing hairs from both of these methods. i have seen this on embarrassing bodies, a guy constantly got ingrowing hairs, thus boils and absesses, and shaving/waxing didn't help because the hairs still had to grown out and it caused a worse problem.

what you need to do is find a beautician that offers lazer treatment. it takes about 6 sessions i think, and then you may have to repeat it in a couple of years, but this method kills the folicle completely, so no hair grows at all.

the guy on the tv had boils and absesses and it looked awful. he had the treatment and six months later, he had baby smooth skin and no more problems.

from a girl's point of view, i know the pros and cons of shaving and waxing bikini area, and i don't do either before a long day ride as i know it can cause a problem with ingrowing hairs.

ps prices can varely widely on this treatment so shop around! when i say widely, i mean the difference between a hundred and a thousand!

 

[BentMikey]

Now if you had a proper bike, then you wouldn't have to use boy butter or any of those other problem fixes.

 

[BentMikey]

p.s. do not google boy butter at work.