After being sidelined by injury, I finally rode my bike for the first time in months. As expected, there was a bit of chafing after my first ride, and I began searching for the best chamois cream for my saddle-sore thighs. I did some deeper digging into these creams and realized that a lot of them had all sorts of scary ingredients—parabens and preservatives and silicone that I didn’t necessarily want to be smearing all over my crotch.
Then I stumbled upon a small regional company—Oasis Sport—out of the Western North Carolina Mountains who makes all-natural chamois bars. Their chamois butter bars provide better glide and protection than any other rub I’ve used. It’s a mix of bees wax, shea butter, coconut oil—along with tea tree oil and neem oil for their antibacterial and antifungal properties. Road Warrior worked best for me, but it contains menthol, so it’s a product for men only (menthol should not be used near mucus membranes). But their Ridge Ride chamois butter glide is an option for the ladies.
Both worked well on hikes, too. It glides on like deodorant and protects any place where friction occurs—where the pack sits on hips or shoulders, or even between your legs or under your arms on long treks.
I was able to go farther and faster. For $20, it’s worth every penny, providing rides, runs, and hikes that were silky smooth. It also felt good to be supporting an all-natural product made right here in the Blue Ridge.
Find out more at oasissport.net.
–Jeremy McNamara