Disclaimer: I received pjuactive to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRavePro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
It’s inevitable. If you are run, bike, swim, hike or do any of vast variety of other activities, you have experienced blisters and/or chafing. It’s just the nature of the game. Trust me, I’ve experienced both (sometimes from the same event!) and it’s not a pleasant experience!
Before we get into what I thought about this product, a little story…
August 28th, 2013 – Milwaukee WI. It was the day of the Brewers Mini Marathon.
I drove to Milwaukee the night before with a friend of mine so that we could run the half marathon. It ended up being a cool summer morning, that slowly would turn into a WARM morning. At this point, I was’t a newbie in the running world. This was my 6th half marathon. I did the training and knew I could do the miles. I was prepared with hydration and fuel. I had my favorite running skirt and tank on and was ready to go. I was ready to run the streets of Milwaukee and through Miller Park. What I wasn’t ready for was chafing.
Chafing like I had never experienced before!
Yes, I had mild chafing in previous races and training runs, but that was nothing compared to this day. At about mile 7, I could tell that I had some hot spots forming but didn’t think much of it. I ran those streets, enjoyed the day. It was not until after I finished that I realized how bad it was. Once I stopped running, and my body started to recover as I walked back to the car, the burn became evident!
It hurt to walk!
When I made it to the car, I pulled up the bottom of the shorts on my running skirt to find that my entire inner thighs (both legs) were raw. The chafing was so bad that my skin was on the verge of starting to bleed. This was not just a few small splotches – we are talking the size of softball!! I did take a photo to send to my husband at home to show him how bad it was, but I’ll spare you seeing that! With no option to shower before I drive the 2 hours back home, I grabbed a the loosest pair of shorts I had with me, changed in the back of my car and drive home. I got home to experience one of the most painful showers EVER!
I knew right then and there that I needed to find something to prevent this from happening again.
Over the last several years, I have tried several different anti chafing products. Some worked, some didn’t. Some worked for some places, others not so much.
I was excited last week when I received a package in the mail with samples of pjuractive 2skin to try! This product was different and I was anxious to give it a try. In all honestly, once I saw the packaging, I was reminded of some samples of this that I received last summer in a subscription crate that I had ordered… apparently I forgot to try them at that time, not sure why. Not this time! As I prepare for this summer’s crazy race season, I need to make sure I am armed with everything I need to keep me going – including a good anti chaf product!
What is pjuractive 2 skin you ask? In a nutshell, it is a silicone-based anti-chafing gel that bonds with the upper layer of skin, creating a protective film immediately after application. This creates a water and sweat resistant barrier that can take you through all your activities. You can actually repeat application to add additional layers, making this barrier even more protective!
Since I am currently on a “no run” order from my physical therapist, I was not able to give this the long run test that I wanted to. I am however teaching cycling classes a few mornings a week, and anyone that spends any amount of time in a bike seat knows that that bike seat and the constant pedaling motion of the legs can cause some friction. I headed to the cycling studio for class (hour long) followed by some extra time practicing some new stuff. I knew I as going to be cycling for about 2 hours, so I figured this was the perfect time to give 2skin a try!
Application is simple!
1. Apply just a few drops with your fingertips to the problem areas and spread over the skin
2. Wait 10 seconds after application
3. Put on clothing (if required)
And off you go!
There is no sticky residue left on your hands. Any remaining product left on your fingers can be wiped off with a cloth. You are ready to go! This right here, is the BEST THING EVER about pjuractive 2skin!
The ease of application was one of the best features of this product! I tried one before that told me that I needed to rub the product in until it started to turn “sticky”, then I had to wait for it to dry. I’m sorry, no matter how well it might work, the whole “rub until it’s sticky” is not really something that just doesn’t do it for me! And I’m sorry, I don’t have time to wait 2-3 minutes for something to dry before I put my clothes on to get ready to run!
Keep in mind – pjuractive 2skin creates a waterproof barrier on your skin. It won’t just wash off with water (remember, it’s designed to be used with all activities, including swimming!). If any excess gel remands on the skin after activity, it can e easily removed with soap and water (i.e. when you shower!)
Since I was using this while I was biking, and the areas of concern are mainly in conjunction with my clothing rubbing as I move in and out of the saddle, and I do try to keep my blog rated PG, I really can’t share a photo of the application 😉
But I am happy to report that after an hour long class and then almost another hour of riding through some new material, my results of this test were fabulous.
I can say that having nothing to report is one of the best reports I could make here! Zero hot spots! Zero Chafing!
I am hoping to get back to running again soon and am looking forward to seeing how it does with that! I’ll report back on those finding as soon as I can! In the meantime, check out pjuractive for yourself here
Comment below with any questions or comments and I will be back soon with further research updates! Have you tried pjuractive? Fill me in!!!