The outdoor athlete is defined by that modifier — outdoor — because his or her sport pits athlete against the elements. Which means that winter, spring, summer or fall, the outdoor athlete braves rain, heat, sun, wind and cold in order to practice or compete.
When you’re up against the elements, comfort is essential. You can’t let things like sunburn or chafing or excessive sweat slow you down. Heck, even body odor is of concern — can you imagine being on mile 6 of a marathon and smelling like last night’s garlic fries?
Here are 8 grooming products that keep the outdoor athlete’s comfort top of mind — and preserve peace of mind meanwhile. You’ve got bigger things to worry about, like setting a new PR.
Happy Nuts Comfort Cream
Whether you’re preventing thigh rub and swamp crotch or recovering from painful chafing, Happy Nuts is a miracle worker on more than just your junk. It dissolves from cream to powder on the skin, creating a barrier that keeps skin dry in the right ways — that is, it preserves the skin’s natural moisture but creates a thin barrier atop the skin, in order to halt everything else. It keeps the area fresh (and fresh-smelling) and is made using aloe and coconut oil to help soothe and calm the skin down there.
Art of Sport Pain Recovery Cream
Indoors or outdoors, if you’re prone to soreness after a workout, then keep an arnica-infused topical lotion ready. When applied over sore muscles and joints, it helps neutralize the agony. Art of Sport’s ultimate-strength recovery cream also adds eucalyptus to the equation, which soothes and refreshes the skin. Not only do you get relief from pain, but you get to feel refreshed in the process.
Doctor Rogers RESTORE Healing Balm
If you suffer any scrapes or your skin starts cracking and chafing from cold or dry air, then use Doctor Rogers Restore to form a natural, nourishing barrier over top the skin. It’s made with castor seed oil instead of harmful petroleums, like similar products we commonly relied on up while growing up. This means it helps the skin stay hydrated, and also expedites safe healing. Restore is also good to apply over tattoos (after applying sunscreen) to slow their fading from the sun.
Bare Republic Mineral SPF50 Sport Sunscreen
Obviously, you need an SPF if you’re exercising outdoors. But you specifically need a lightweight sport SPF. It’s got to absorb quickly and invisibly, and it needs to withstand the sweating you’re doing while wearing it. Good mineral SPFs check all these boxes, and they also don’t leave chalky residues like many other sunblocks in the industry. Bare Republic is one such option, and its SPF 50 ensures that you resist sweat and water for up to 80 minutes before you need to reapply.
Coola Fragrance-Free Face Sunscreen SPF50
You also want an SPF-packed moisturizer, specifically engineered for the face. Face and body sunscreens are often categorized separately since body SPFs might be comedogenic. (Meaning, they use pore-clogging ingredients.) Secondly, they aren’t always loaded with nourishing, moisture-preserving ingredients like moisturizers. Coola’s face sunscreen uses SPF50 and it checks all the other boxes: It wears light, nourishes the skin, won’t clog pores and shields you thoroughly from the sun’s photo-aging effects.
Duke Cannon Dry Ice Body Powder Spray
If you want to prevent moisture, discomfort and smelling rank, then a body spray is another way to do this. Duke Cannon’s dry spray creates a powder-like layer over the skin like a powder or powder-cream. Point it at your feet, your chest, your back, if you want to feel and smell fresh all day. It neutralizes moisture with the help of talc and deodorizes thanks to the inclusion of activated charcoal.
Schmidt’s Charcoal and Magnesium Natural Deodorant
Speaking of charcoal, Schmidt’s natural deodorant uses the ingredient (along with magnesium) to keep you smelling fresh. It’s a great alternative to aluminum-packed anti-perspirants. Besides,this is one instance where you probably don’t need an antiperspirant, seeing as you’re going to be showering after your workout and not worrying about perspiring in the meantime. Just focus on your workout, and also on not smelling like an onion.
Jack Black Intense Lip Therapy SPF25 Lip Balm
Don’t neglect to apply a little SPF to your lips either, winter or summer. I speak firsthand as someone who has lathered sunscreen on every square centimeter, only to forget the lips — and they burn fast! Not to mention, you need to use them for eating, talking, kissing, etc. So get a lip balm with SPF, like Jack Black’s; it’s equally useful for healing chapped, cracked lips. (As is Doctor Rogers’ Restore balm, above.)
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