Everything You Need To Know To Prevent Sports Bra Chafing

Picture this. It’s a lovely Thursday evening. You look outside your window and the sun is waving at you. Your inner jukebox starts playing ‘Lovely Day’ by Bill Withers and you feel that irresistible urge to move your body and go for a run.

You open your closet and pick the first sports bra that your eyes can detect without thinking too much about it. You lace up your shoes and boom, they see you rollin’ and they hatin’.

The road is yours, the world is your oyster. You start running and your heart begins to beat faster.

Ten minutes pass by and your body starts releasing endorphins, triggering a positive feeling in the body. Oxytocin kicks in and everything’s good in the neighbourhood. You already picture yourself climbing Mount Everest when, all of a sudden, something terrible starts happening.

*dramatic music in the background* The chafing effect.

You wonder if it’s the underboob or the armpit and you soon realise it’s both. So you move your bra to the left to the left, but nothing changes and Beyoncé doesn’t even make a cameo appearance. “Perhaps if I move it to the right…” you start thinking. Even worse.

“Alright, it’s because I started sweating”, you whisper to yourself, trying to come up with all the excuses your brain can possibly think of. And I mean, I get it. After all, fabric and sweat go hand in hand. Name a more iconic duo. I’ll wait. “Hell no,” you say, “who got time for that”. And you’re right, my dear, because the chafe is real and you want to scratch, scrub and scream. In that order.

So what do you do? You stop running, guurrl. And replace that ill-fitting bra in 3, 2, 1 with one that can support your ( . )( . )

Because, let’s say it for the ones in the back: friction and moisture can indeed lead to chafing, a common skin problem, but the shape and fabric of what you decide to wear can also be the villain.

Stitches and tags can rub the skin too. You may have gotten rid of them with your big ol’ scissors a few times (and, let me guess, the chafing got even worse). Or perhaps you’ve been struggling with underboob chafing which happens when the underband on your sports bra is too high on the torso. And trust me when I say that most issues with sizing are underband-related.

If the rubbing on the skin is prolonged, your skin will start stinging or burning and you will end up developing a mild, red rash. And if that continues (we’ve got it, you got thick skin but perhaps you’re going a little too far), it could also include swelling, bleeding, or crusting. No bueno.

That beautiful skin of yours needs to be protected

Perhaps you never thought about it but your skin is your largest organ and even skin cells can reach their limit and break down if they’re overworked (we feel you, skin cells, we feel you).

That’s why activities that combine sweat and repeated motions of the body can lead to chafing UNLESS, yes we need capital letters for this, you make the conscious decision of choosing clothing that is tested and made to prevent chafing, among other benefits.

Enter, you guessed it, MAAREE.

Yes, because MAAREE didn’t put any boob-nipple-armpit chafing on the VIP list. Our bouncers at the door won’t let it in. Chafing can’t sit, run or dance with us.

If your sports bra rubs on your skin in an irritating way, it’s time to replace it with one that you’ll forget about once you wear it.

I mean, I could advise applying a restorative ointment or lotion on your skin, but the best treatment for chafing? Avoiding anything that causes it in the first place. There you go, I said it.

Wearing clothes that let your skin breathe while exercising is paramount – that’s how the sweat evaporates off your skin. Choosing the right sports bra is THE solution.

Wearing sports bras that are too big or too small can also cause chafing and, if you always get it wrong, please know that our ultimate guide to measuring your bra size can help.

Want a more personalised helping-hand? You might want to book one of our 15-min virtual free fittings. We do them over Zoom and across different time zones to help you get your ideal MAAREE sports bra size – whether you've already received a size in the post, or you're not sure which to buy.

Invest in a good sports bra

Preventing chafing is one of the (many) reasons you should invest in a good (great?) sports bra.

And, duh, MAAREE can help you with that – because our products conform to your unique body shape. Plus, our Overband® Technology uses stiffened fabrics orientated to create a curved structure over the top of the breasts so you can rely on enhanced support that stabilises upward motion when exercising. It’s a concept designed by yours truly, materialised IRL as a curved panel that runs over the top of your tatas, to reduce upwards motion when you're active.

My suggestions? Invest in one of these (or both)!

SOLIDARITY HIGH-IMPACT SPORTS BRA

The latest colour release is our sumptuous Forest Green, which Abazz is shown wearing in our image. The Forest Green Sports Bra pairs really well with our Black Cropped Leggings and Green Secret Pocket Scrunchie to create the best gym outfit.

EMPOWER MEDIUM-IMPACT SPORTS BRA