Crotch Guard Skin Care Oil Review

Gary Schroeder

A new take on the problem of chafing with Crotch Guard Skin Care Oil.

When I started cycling nearly 5 years ago I immediately ran in to a slight problem that I’ve continued to struggle with on every ride I’ve taken since. At 5’11” and 65 kilos I don’t have much natural padding when in the saddle and so rather embarrassingly have suffered in prolonged silence. I’ve had to resort to wearing padded under-shorts under my bibs and with a host of different shapes of chamois pads it’s been at best something I could put up with and at worst had me in a state of annoyance, sometimes pain for hours at a time, many miles from home.

Crotch Guard, spray on and say goodbye to sore nether regions

I’ve used a host of chamois creams and ended up with one I’ve stuck to for the last 2 years. After my 24 hour ride in December I was contacted by Crotch Guard who are based in America and was eager to give their Skin Care Oil a try. I had nothing to lose.

The oil was originally found to heal chapped and cracked skin and Crotch Guard claim “it’s designed to reduce friction and reduce chaffing so you can ride longer and stronger.”

The science is that they’ve “developed a substance that matches the natural lipids in the skin” and the oil penetrates to fortify skin cells like mortar between bricks producing an “invisible shield that bacteria can’t penetrate and that Crotch Guard also heals and moisturises”.

The application process lasts just a few seconds, a couple of squirts of Crotch Guard applied directly to your skin. Having to apply chamois creams directly onto the padded area of shorts that I have had to do in the past is something that I won’t really miss. Albeit a nice little ritual I did enjoy when I first began cycling, but all too often it was added hastily at an ungodly hour in the morning; usually in the dark before breakfast and it did become a bit of a nuisance. Not a problem if you have a soigneur of course, we can but dream.

The excess oil can be massaged into your palms and not leaving a greasy residue is another plus. Once the bib shorts were on I didn’t feel much need to manoeuvre the chamois into a comfortable position and things seemed to fit well as I jumped on to the bike and headed off.

I was blown away! The two pairs of shorts I was wearing seemed as though they were a comfy cushion I was sitting on. I was planning to be out for four hours, but at the halfway point I found myself ignoring sign posts pointing back home and wanting to stay out longer. While on the ride I tried riding further back on the saddle, on the rivet, up climbs and not once did my shorts feel out of place. It was the most comfortable ride I’d ever had.

I raced the next day with different shorts and the same result. I contested in the sprint and woke up the next morning at dawn before the sun was up and was in the saddle again completely pain-free. No product has had such a positive effect on my cycling as Crotch Guard. My only worry is that the four fluid ounce bottle they sent me won’t last until I order some more and it’s sent from the States.

At £14.50 for a 4floz bottle it does make Crotch Guard a product in the highest of price brackets, but I believe well worth it for someone like me who has had issues in the past. I can honestly see it benefiting new riders and the most experienced who ride more regularly and for longer distances.

Out of 10 I’d have to give it top marks for performance and overall a 9.5 only on value.

Crotch Guard

[rps-include blog=127.0.0.1 post=30824]