Why Do Yoga Pants Make You Itch?

When starting out with yoga, you may experience some drawbacks at the beginning. Something particular that stands out is feeling an itch when wearing yoga pants. That’s not necessarily the yoga causing it, but the sweat instead.

It’s believed that the moist environment created after sweating from yoga or any physical exercise for that matter, gives fungal infections an environment to grow. It can be a good idea to take a shower after the practice, and it can also be worth adding something to battle that yeast infection, such as a powder. 

Now, from a spiritual perspective, it’s recommended against bathing or taking a shower right after the yoga practice, but this is an exception and if you’re not doing yoga for any spiritual reasons, you might not care about the spiritual benefits yoga can provide. 

Using Moisturizers To Prevent Itching

Some use moisturizers as a way to prevent itching, and you may consider applying a moisturizer before you do the yoga practice. 

Now, you may not want to use moisturizers, but it’s worth noting that dry skin is another cause of itching and it’s not a yoga thing. 

There’s nothing that points at yoga, specifically being the cause for itching, even if there might be a correlation, itching can happen for many different reasons and many attribute the itching to yoga. 

Moisturizers are a good option since they provide a layer of protection, but not everyone can afford a moisturizer and many want to keep the practice as natural as possible. 

Do You Need Yoga Pants To Practice Yoga?

Yoga pants are meant to make it easier to move but you don’t need them to do yoga. There are many, such as myself that do yoga without pants. The upside to pants is that they make it easier to stretch. 

You may use normal pants or other types of pants that don’t necessarily cause any itching. What’s important is being able to keep the poses and follow the yoga exercises all the way through. If you’re able to do that without using pants, more power to you. 

Doing yoga shouldn’t be complicated and regardless of what anyone says, you should always find what works best for you. There are other ways to find comfort in doing yoga without necessarily using any pants.

Should Newbies Use Yoga Pants?

While you might not need yoga pants to get started, assuming you don’t have an itching problem, you might want to use pants if you want to make the yoga session as easy as possible for you. 

Yoga requires a lot of stretching after all and if you suffer all the way for not wearing clothes that make yoga more comfortable, you might be propelled to put a pause on the practice. 

Of course, every case is different but the easier your yoga practice is, the easier it will be to adopt the habit of yoga as a whole. Yoga pants aren’t expensive after all but if you are really price-conscious and want to get started with yoga for as low a cost as you can, you can skip them.

Many swear by these pants but they are not worth it if they cause itching for you. You might still want to use those pants, but of different materials that don’t trigger any itching. 

An alternative to yoga pants is wearing soft pants that don’t have a tight grip around your leg but that can still emulate a similar level of comfort to yoga pants. 

There are a lot of pros and cons to using yoga pants, but consider if they are really worth it for your yoga session or consider using these pants exclusively for yoga. 

Don’t buy into general advice just because you’ve heard that yoga has to be done a certain way, there are many workarounds and many ways to do yoga. 

Most yoga advice out there might not apply to your situation and that’s where you ultimately need to step in and evaluate whether in this case, yoga pants are worth the hassle for you and if they make your practice easier as a whole. 

Feel free to experiment to find a combination that works for you, what worked for other yoga practitioners might not work for you, and vice versa.

Wearing Yoga Pants Outside Yoga

Most consider these pants comfortable, and many that wear them don’t even practice yoga, to begin with. 

But consistently wearing the same pants can have a price that in this case comes in the form of sweating and itching. It’s worth considering just using yoga pants for yoga practices and regular pants outside of yoga sessions. 

Of course, this doesn’t necessarily prevent itching but it might, the itching can be attributed to accumulated sweat but you may do yoga that doesn’t make you sweat. 

Always be sure to wash those pants and keep them in good condition and you might avoid lots of the itching that comes with wearing yoga pants. 

Can Yoga Mats Cause Itching?

Similarly to yoga pants, there can also be yeast infections in yoga mats, or you might be allergic to the material of the yoga mat. 

Both yoga mats and pants are meant to make the practice easier, but all that could be causing the itching is the material behind them. 

Make sure you wash your yoga mat regularly and keep good hygiene overall and you’ll come a long way in preventing itching in the first place. 

What To Do When It Itches

Try finding the underlying cause of the itching first and foremost, don’t just mindlessly continue the yoga practice if you notice that level of discomfort since it can ruin the experience. 

The idea of yoga is for the body and organs as a whole to feel the best and if you are feeling an itch during yoga, it’d defeat the purpose. 

Alternatively, you can try doing low-intensity yoga that doesn’t produce any sweat, but if you are keen on doing high-intensity yoga, consider changing the pants you use. Make sure you find a pose and clothing that works for you since the solution to the itching could be a simple fix.