How to Use Your TrailSkin Kit: Revival, Anti-Chafe & TrailSkin Trench Foot Cream

Suffer Well.™

Trail and ultra running punishes skin in ways road running never will, hours of wet feet, relentless friction, and terrain that doesn't care how well you trained. TrailSkin was born out of exactly that problem, on a wet, brutal night on the North Coast of Devon, where twenty-plus hours of soaked feet made it clear that off-the-shelf products weren't built for what we actually do out there.

Here's how to get the most out of the three products in your kit.

1. Revival Foot Balm

Revival is your recovery and preparation step - designed to restore skin that's spent hours under load, moisture, and friction, and to condition it before it's ever put to the test.

After the run:

1. Wash and thoroughly dry your feet after your run or race.
2. Massage a generous amount (think pea to grape size) into soles, heels, and between toes, paying extra attention to any hot spots or areas of visible wear.
3. Let it absorb for a few minutes before pulling on socks, or roll your socks straight on - rolling works best.
4. Use it nightly during heavy training blocks, not just after long efforts. Consistent use between sessions keeps skin resilient rather than only patching it up after the damage is done.

Important: Do not apply to broken skin. Revival contains essential oils, so keep it off open blisters, cuts, or wounds. If skin is broken, clean and cover it first, and bring Revival back in once the skin has closed. 

Pro tip: On a multi-day adventure, keep a tub in your drop bag. Applying Revival at a drop bag or at the end of the day helps reset tired skin, and your mind, before the next leg.

Before the event - start weeks out, not the night before:

Skin that's supple and well-conditioned flexes under hours of friction and moisture instead of cracking. (Some runners swear by toughening skin instead - that debate has run for decades. Our experience, and the reason TrailSkin exists, is that pliable skin resists cracking and hot spots better than dry, hardened skin - especially in wet conditions, where hard callus can crack and let moisture do its worst underneath.)

• Starting 3–6 weeks out, work Revival into your feet nightly - not just after training runs. This is about conditioning skin generally, not repairing effort-specific wear.
• Focus on the areas prone to blisters and cracking: heels, edges of the soles, and toes.
• Keep it up through race week itself. Unlike training, this isn't something to taper.

2. Anti-Chafe Salve

Chafing ends more long runs than people admit. Anti-Chafe is your friction barrier - a thin lipid layer that lets skin and fabric glide instead of grind. Applied before you move.

• Apply to any area of repeated skin-on-skin or skin-on-fabric contact before you start: inner thighs, underarms, sports bra lines, waistband, toes, nipples - anywhere you know, or suspect, you might chafe. Prevention is better than cure.
• A thin, even layer is enough. You're building a barrier, not a paste. Let it warm slightly on your skin for smoother application. If cold, you can warm between your fingers before applying. 
• Reapply on long efforts. On multi-hour or multi-stage events, carry our Race Tin or Race Tube for quick top-ups at aid stations - especially once you've been sweating or wading through water crossings. 
• Apply before you feel discomfort. Once chafing has started, Anti-Chafe won't undo the damage - it can still reduce further friction on irritated (unbroken) skin, but repair happens off the trail, with rest and recovery care.

Pro tip: Test any new gear (packs, shorts, shoes) in training with Anti-Chafe applied in your usual spots, so race day isn't the first time you discover a new hot spot.

3. TrailSkin Trench Foot Cream

This is the product built for the exact conditions the brand was founded on: prolonged wet-foot exposure. River crossings, bog, relentless rain, or a course you know will keep your feet soaked for hours — Trailskin trench foot cream forms a water-resistant barrier that slows moisture penetration and helps skin hold up when it stays wet for hours on end.

And don't just think rain. Your feet carry hundreds of thousands of sweat glands, and on hot, dry days, the ones where your cap goes into every stream you cross, that water has to go somewhere. A lot of it ends up in your socks.

• Apply to clean, dry feet before you start - a thorough coating across soles, heels, and between and on every toe, where trapped moisture does the most damage.
• On multi-hour wet-condition events, plan a reapplication at a crew point or drop bag: clean and dry your feet (an alcohol wipe works well), reapply, and change into fresh socks if possible. We recommend reapplying every 8–14 hours - closer to 8 in constant immersion, longer if conditions are drier.
• Pair it with sock strategy: even the best cream works harder with a moisture-wicking sock than a cotton one. I use liner socks on anything over 50km.
• Don't save it for "just in case." If the forecast or course profile says wet feet are coming, apply proactively rather than waiting for discomfort to show up.

A note on taping: apply any tape first, to clean dry skin, then work the cream around it and over the tape. You can apply anti-chafe around the edges of the tape (with rounded corners).

Pro tip: This is the product to pack for anything resembling our own founding race - expect water, expect hours, and prepare your feet before you're already suffering.

Building the Habit

The three products work best as a system, not a one-off fix:

• Weeks out: Revival nightly, to condition skin before it's ever put under load.
• Before: Anti-Chafe on friction zones; Trailskin Trench foot cream if wet conditions are likely.
• During: Reapply both at aid stations or drop bags as the effort stretches on.
• After: Revival, every time, to help skin recover for the next session. If you've picked up chafing or blisters, let broken skin close first - then Revival takes over the repair work.

None of this replaces good judgement on the trail - but it means when things get hard, your skin isn't what gives out first.

Not got the kit yet? Grab the full three-product kit here →

Prepare properly. Suffer Well.™