When starting your Jiu-Jitsu journey there’s something that might not be on your radar but it should be: antifungal antibacterial workout soap.
It’s one of BJJ’s dirty secrets, it’s a literal bacterial soup on the mats no matter how often they are cleaned at their best, at their worst those mats are not cleaned at all. But what you might not realize is that sweat and bacteria can lead to fungal infections like athlete’s foot and jock itch. Gross, right?
Editor’s Pick: Best BJJ Anti Fungal Workout Soap – Use this everyday!
Now, if you’re an active person outside of Jiu-Jitsu, hitting the gym, going for runs, or doing any other kind of physical activity, your chances of getting a bacterial skin infection go up so it’s really important to keep your skin clean and healthy.
Worse yet, by having active skin infections and training, you will start to get a reputation as someone to avoid rolling with lest you spread your funk to the rest of the gym. This is probably one of the worst reputations to have when training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
That’s where antifungal workout soap comes in. By using a soap that’s specifically formulated to fight fungal infections, you can help prevent these annoying and uncomfortable issues from taking hold and keeping you off the mats. But with so many options out there, how do you know which one to choose?
We got you covered. In this article, I’m going to break down the best antifungal workout soaps on the market, so you can stay clean, healthy, and fungus-free. Let’s get started.
Importance of keeping skin clean and healthy while being active
Table of Contents
BJJ and grappling in general is a close contact sport. Your skin is exposed to all sorts of foreign microbes and germs from the mats and other people. This can cause all sorts of issues.
One of the most famous no-gi grapplers Gordon Ryan apparently suffered so many skin infections training in the blue basement at Renzo Gracie in New York, that he was constantly on antibiotics for an extended time that affected his gut health.
Antibiotics can be like throwing napalm on the problem, killing both good and bad bacteria at the same time in hopes of wiping out the infection.
This can cause havoc in your gut biome, causing a lot of issues with food digestion and your immune system.
Keeping your skin clean and healthy from the start, and as a regular routine can help stop some of these skin infections from spreading out of control (and necessitating the use of antibiotics).
Sweat and bacteria can lead to fungal infections like athlete’s foot and jock itch
According this study (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29260967/), bacterial skin infections can be unpleasant side effects of exercise; among them are impetigo, folliculitis, cellulitis, and pitted keratolysis.
There is no way around it and it always will be an issue when working out. Antifungal workout soap can help prevent these issues
My trusty Defense Soap. Use it everytime after I workout.
Antifungal workout soap can help prevent these issues
Antifungal soaps are formulated with certain oils like Gluconate, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, which are natural ingredients that have antifungal and antibacterial properties.
According to one independent studies (here https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33950544/) and (here https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16418522/) and many others, These ingredient have a beneficial effects in prevent and stopping skin related bacteria and fungus issues.
What to Look for in Antifungal Workout Soap
Which Active ingredients should we be looking for in an antifungal and antibacterial soap?
Well of course some form of tea tree oil (Melaleuca Alternifolia) and eucalyptus oils that have natural antifungal and antibacterial properties.
Also the soap should have some sort of natural fragrance and scent ingredient that are neutral and counter the tea tree and eucalyptus oils which have a specific smell.
Some popular formulations will include other natural ingredients such as Coconut, Olive, Rosemary and Jojoba oils to help to give balance and neutral scent.
The Best Antifungal & Antibacterial Workout Soaps
Defense Soap
The top pick and the product I use everyday after training hands down is Defense Soap. Defense soap has been a leader for many years in soaps specifically formulated for grappling sports.
Personally I can vouch for Defense soap which in the past I used to have a lot of issues with cellulitis and other skin infections due to training and this hands down has helped to stop those issues from recurring.
The only downside to Defense Soap is that it can be expensive compared to competitors. However the formulation is legit and having to see a medical professional can be vastly more expensive.
Also I do not use Defense Soap everytime I shower, just after anytime of workout. Also I keep the bar of soap off the wet areas of the shower when not in use to extent the life even further.
Other soaps that have a Similar formulation and which are geared for the type of training we do:
Submission Soap
Submission Soap from Gold Bjj has all the essential ingredients for a good antifungal soap with a blend of essential tea tree oil and essential eucalyptus oils.
Spar Soap
This soap contains antifungal ingredients such as Tea Tree oil and is worth trying out.
Battleskin Antifungal Soap
Battleskin is another soap that contains Tea Tree Oil and Eucalyptus Oil.
Conclusion
The regular use of using antifungal antibacterial workout soap will help keep you on the mats longer, protect yourself from serious skin infections and keep your reputation as a hygienic and clean training partner intact.
You never want to be off the mats because of a skin infection and nor do you want to be associated with being an unclean and nasty roll. Keep yourself and your training partners happy by not spreading infections on the mat through daily cleaning with a good workout soap.