Bandelettes review-- do they help with thigh chafing on muscular legs?

A while ago, I stumbled across the website for Bandelettes (I'm pretty sure it was from a blog that mentioned or reviewed them, but I've since forgotten which one, whoops). As a person whose anatomy dictates that she will always have some part of her thighs that touch, regardless of relative body fat, I was immediately intrigued. I looked at many of the reviews linked on the site, but wasn't sure based on the reviews whether they would work well for more muscular legs.

I dithered over whether or not to order a few times over the next few weeks, but ultimately couldn't decide whether it was worth purchasing or not, so I emailed the company and asked if they'd be willing to send a pair for review, and was wondering whether they'd gotten feedback from muscular or hourglass women (two populations that are perhaps more likely than average to have thighs that touch). They kindly agreed to send me a pair* to try, and asked for my thigh measurement. (I measured at what I believed to be the largest part of my thigh at 24 inches-- which put me in size B).

I tried on the beige pair immediately upon arrival-- my husband commented that they are definitely attractive on (if there was any doubt, rest assured that they do look just like they do on the website on-- the appearance on is like the upper band of a thigh high stocking). For those purposes, the black pair are more visually appealing due to the contrast with my skin tone, in my opinion.

We've been having a terrible heat wave recently, which meant I had several opportunities to give them a whirl. I wore them on a weekend with my favorite short skirt-- the skirt was just long enough to cover the bands. For this reason, I went with the beige pair-- they are a good match for my fair skin tone, and were essentially invisible under the skirt even when the skirt moved up.

I just realized I haven't reviewed either of the tops I'm wearing in these pictures! The first is Urkye Kokorda** (36oo/ooo) in the muted plum color (with a Cleo balconette underneath). The skirt is a several years old olive-green miniskirt from American Eagle Outfitters (with a button fly-- the zipper ones tend to bunch up oddly in the front on me).

Though I can't swear they would be invisible underneath a thin jersey skirt, there are no telltale lines to show that I have the bandelettes on underneath with the skirts I tried (I prefer not to have obvious signs of what I'm wearing underneath clothing, for the most part).

More important than the appearance, they worked! Despite being outside in 100+ degree weather (38+ Celsius) and shopping for several hours wearing the bandelettes, without rest breaks, I experienced absolutely no chafing at all. Success!

Emboldened by the first success, I decided to wear a new knee-length skirt to work for a day where I needed to look professional. (The top is a BiuBiu Amargos** (36BB/BBB), which is no longer available for sale. It's quite low-cut, but as I got it predominantly for professional wear, I added a few stitches to the neckline to make it higher coverage, and it works admirably). The skirt is a knee-length polyester, lined pencil skirt I found at Kohl's for 90% off a few weeks ago. It's a larger size than I normally wear, so it sits at hips ( which I find more comfortable) instead of at my natural waist.

Though I didn't realize it at the time, this was a pretty intense challenge for the bandelettes-- it was another very high humidity, over 100 degree day, and I was doing a lot of walking outside, and it was a long work day, as well. I decided to wear the black pair since the skirt was long enough they wouldn't be visible unintentionally.

(my husband tucked the back tag of the shirt in before I left for the day)

In this case, the bandelettes did not completely prevent chafing by the end of the day-- but I had immeasurably less chafing than I would have if I hadn't worn them. The length, tightness, and material of this style of skirt, combined with the temperature and humidity, meant that my thighs started feeling sore during my fourth 10 minute walk to my car at the end of the day. I had a very small patch on my more sensitive thigh that took about a day to fade away.

I've cleaned both of the pairs I have several times now, and am pleased with how easy they are to clean (hand wash only, but since they are small and lack underwires, it truly is no hassle to toss them in the sink with a little detergent for a few minutes, then rinse), and how fast they dry (hang dry, but easily completely dry overnight with no special tricks needed).

 They really do enable me to wear skirts! Normally, I don't wear them when it's really hot due to the chafing risk-- but it really does allow me to wear a skirt, without needing to worry about whether it'll be so humid or hot that I'll have thigh chafing all day long (which is a miserable experience I'm loathe to repeat). I've worn skirts or dresses 3 days in the two weeks since I've received them, as compared to 3 times total this summer before that (and two of those times, I got such bad chafing that I considered swearing them off for all future summers).

I do think more muscular women (those that weight train regularly, for example) should consider sizing up-- when I measure at the very top of my thigh (it looks narrower compared to where I measured, at 24 inches, but I start to have butt muscles in that place, near the back where I experience chafing), my thighs are more like 24.25 inches. Size C is described for thighs between 25-26 inches (so, in theory, I still should fit better in size B), but I think the gaps in the lace might be slightly too large and allowed some of the skin to contact the textured lace on the outside of the other band, which was what allowed for the chafing to occur on the hot, knee-length skirt day (though swelling and sweat were also likely factors). I also have issues with the top of the band rolling down a bit in the back (though this is not visible with clothing, and the bands are able to stay up, regardless)-- I think because my muscles are firm and larger than many women's, I may not "squish" as much as the size has estimated and therefore a size up might be the correct size I should try.

I was contacted again by Bandelettes to see how the product worked for me, and I gave my honest experience (albeit shorter than my post here). They very kindly sent me a pair in size C to see if that solved the chafing issue (though I emphasized that it was a truly exceptional circumstance, and that I didn't think it was a product issue).

I had another day in which I needed to dress more formally only a few days later, so I broke out another pencil skirt (this one even more slim fitting than the earlier one-- and lacking a back slit!), and my brand new Portofino top (love!), and went to work. The bandelettes were noticeably a bit larger compared to the size B, and they did not show any crease or mark underneath, despite the slimness of the skirt. This was a really long day, again, with a 2 hour presentation (and assisting with set-up), several long walks in 100 degree heat, and a happy hour with friends immediately after work.

Though it felt absolutely wonderful to get home after that long day and shuck off my heels, skirt, and bandelettes, I experienced absolutely NO chafing. Based on my experience, I think it may be advisable to order a size larger than recommended for muscular women, at least if you are near the upper end of the size range for your particular size.

*Though this was received for review, not purchased directly, as always, all opinions are my own and I will give my honest opinion of a product, regardless of cost.

**I will try to get up some reviews on these tops in the next few weeks-- I didn't realize how far behind I was on reviews!