Body Glide: Product Review

Disclosure: Body Glide sent me products for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

I’ve used original Body Glide for years.

It’s one of the first things I grab when I’m preparing for a long run. Under-boob chafing can be a very real thing for us ladies (I know, TMI) and Body Glide does a great job keeping it at bay.

Body Glide Product Reviews

I’d seen other members of the Body Glide family in stores, but had never tried them.

Why mess with what works?

Spoiler alert: it can be good to try new things, you may just discover a new favorite.

Body Glide Body

This is the original product and I’ve used it for years to prevent (or at least minimize) chafing.

I have several tubes of it going at any given time. I have one for general use, one in my running ‘travel bag’ (what I grab and throw in the car if I’m driving to a run start) and one I’ve dedicated for use in the ‘nether regions.’

The tube is super easy to apply – I hate creams I have to rub on (my hands get all greasy and gross).

It has no scent, no petroleum, and no animal products. Plus, it’s not tested on animals.

I’ve heard some runners complain Body Glide doesn’t go on very thick, but personally, I prefer a thinner layer of chafe cream if a thinner layer will do the trick. I guess it’s personal preference if this falls into the pro or con category.

Foot Anti-Blister Balm

I have a pair of older running shoes I know I have to retire. I am terrible at switching out my shoes (do as I say, not as I do – retire your shoes when you need to!). The very predictable result of wearing older shoes is I get hot spots on the arch of my right foot.

I’m not sure why it’s only the right – regardless of the brand, shoe, or model, it’s always (only) on the right side.

A few swipes of the Foot Balm and I’m hot spot free!

That actually probably isn’t a good thing, I shouldn’t do anything that allows me to put off my shoe retirement any longer, but I’ll take blister/hot spot free feet- however it arrives.

A product-review-within-a-product-review aside

I used to get lots of blisters on my toes. I’m sure Body Glide Foot would work wonders on those toe blisters, but a few years ago, I started wearing Injinji toe-socks.

Sure they look a little silly (and can be a challenge to get on at 4 AM on race day), but I haven’t had a toe blister since.

For Her

A confession: I have a visceral (negative) reaction to ‘woman’s’ versions of products. They are usually more expensive than the regular version of the product, and they are usually very, very pink.

And why should we assume the ‘regular’ version is, by default, for men?

(As an aside, at the Oakland Marathon expo last week I helped sort the pacer shirts. They came in ‘adult’ and ‘women’s’ sizes. I’m not sure why women aren’t adults… but I digress)

So this product had an uphill climb for me.

It’s apparently the same as the regular product, but with added moisturizers and hydrating benefits. I’m not sure why that makes it for women, men don’t need moisturizing?

Regardless, I’ve found the women’s version to work just as well as the original as far as anti-chafing is concerned. Added moisturizers can only be a benefit, right?

To be fair, Body Glide also makes a ‘Camo’ version (which I haven’t tried). I guess they didn’t want to call it Body Glide Men? (It doesn’t ‘harm your clothing or your weapon’ according to the press release).

So at least they are equal opportunity when it comes to stereotyping users.

My snark notwithstanding, I really did like the For Her product, I just wish they hadn’t gendered a product that didn’t have to be gendered.

Sun

I’ll admit, when I first saw Body Glide Sun in the store, I was confused by it.

I use Body Glide under my bra, maybe between my thighs. Why would those areas need sun protection?

Sun has the usual Body Glide anti-chafe properties, but it also has an SPF 30. I first started using it as a really easy to apply sunscreen for the back of my neck (my poor, abused back of the neck – it’s perpetually singed on long runs, even with lots of sunscreen reapplication). It worked great as just a sunscreen.

But then I started using it on my shoulders. In summer, I’ll have tank top straps and my hydration pack all hitting in basically the same spot. It’s never been enough of an issue to regularly use Body Glide, but since I’d be applying sunscreen to that area anyway, I figured I’d use Body Glide Sun instead – get both the sunscreen and the anti-chafe benefits!

Gotta love that – solving a problem I didn’t know I had.

Body Glide Sun has quickly become my new favorite Body Glide product (sorry, Body Glide OG).

I only have a larger tube of it right now. I may have to get a smaller tube so I can carry it in my hydration vest for re-application during long runs (they say it’s good for 80 minutes of exposure before reapplication).