No Itch Boxer Briefs?

April 18, 2021 4:04 PM

I'm looking for boxer briefs, ideally gender neutral, that won't bother somebody with very sensitive skin. They would need to be tagless, have a soft (covered?) waistband, and not dig in at the legs. Do you know where to find these?
posted by moira to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (16 answers total)

I can't say anything as regards how they feel for folks with dangly business, but I'm a huge fan of TomboyX. Tagless, generously cut legs that don't ride up or pinch, and nicely soft (especially the modal fabric). Come in a wide range of leg lengths, from bikini cut to 9-inch inseam.
posted by The demon that lives in the air at 4:12 PM on April 18, 2021 [2 favorites]

Definitely gendered, but Hanes Comfortsoft are what you're describing. I found that, contrary to the packaging's claims, the legs definitely do ride up, but that kind of means by definition that they don't dig in at the legs.

FYI, Tomboy X have a somewhat mixed reputation in transmasculine circles as they're happy to market to us and say they serve us but don't respect us.
posted by hoyland at 4:28 PM on April 18, 2021 [3 favorites]

I (AFAB person) have a couple of pairs of comfy boxer briefs from American Eagle that I like quite a lot. Soft fabric, soft waistband, no tags.

They’re a bit more masculine-oriented in that they have a little extra space around the genital area, but not so much that they look or feel weird on me. No fly, though some of their boxer briefs do have a fly.
posted by mekily at 6:32 PM on April 18, 2021

TomboyX are the most comfortable I've found, with requirements much like yours. I'd like to switch to another brand for the reason hoyland cites but have thus far not found anyone else making the combination of size/length/taglessness I need. MeUndies has a promising looking option that I have my eye on to try next time I stock up, but I can't vouch for them personally.
posted by Stacey at 6:43 PM on April 18, 2021

Jockey Skimmies are not cute, and they are marketed at women, but they meet your entire, ah, brief.

They are seamless, tagless, and are the only--only--short style underpants I've ever worn that neither dig nor ride up, and I have tried many kinds, including men's boxer briefs. I have big squishy thighs that repel legbands and the Jockey Skimmies have never rolled up on me. They are made of magic.

If your body shapes suit something in a stereotypical women's cut, there is nothing gendered on the actual shorts themselves. No lace no bows no fly no detailing, they are just seamless stretchy undershorts. Protip they are cheaper at Costco.
posted by phunniemee at 7:24 PM on April 18, 2021

I'm a guy, and I go by Hanes or Ex Officio.

I personally find Hanes to last only 1-day, after which they stretch to weird sizes, only the shrink back after wash. And that's across the board, tag or tagless, waist-band or not.
posted by kschang at 8:39 PM on April 18, 2021

I might suggest Tommy John. The briefs are fairly unobtrusive to wear and have no tag. The fabric is soft and stretchy.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:47 PM on April 18, 2021

I often pick tags off with a combination of a needle, sharp sewing scissors, and sometimes a seam ripper, fwiw. If a label is stitched in with stitching that can't be removed while maintaining the integrity of the garment, I cut the label very close to where it's stitched in and then pick at and unravel/unweave the threads of the label itself using a needle and then pull out the remaining threads.
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:45 AM on April 19, 2021

Once I tried ExOfficios, I never went back. They're a bit pricey but 1000% worth it as far as I'm concerned. Plus, if you do any traveling, you can wash them in a sink and dry them very quickly. In fact, I think I originally heard about them via William Gibson's twitter account way a long time ago.
posted by jquinby at 6:18 AM on April 19, 2021

Seconding Tommy John. Expensive, but long lasting and very comfortable.
posted by rtimmel at 8:05 AM on April 19, 2021

PlayOut has gender-equal boxer briefs in both flat front and pouch front versions. The materials are super soft and don't bother my sensitive skin.

(Full disclosure: the company is owned by friends of mine. I do not get compensated for recommending them. I just love their products.)
posted by bedhead at 8:20 AM on April 19, 2021

Consider Duluth Trading Buck Naked Boxer briefs. I had issues with itching, chafing, all manner of not-fun-to-my-thighs-and-man-business problems with your typical Hanes cotton boxer briefs, but these changed my life. I'm never going to buy anything else (though not sure I'll need to, these things are durable as hell).

Meet all of your criteria though 'gender neutral' is kind of subjective and you'll have to decide for yourself how they work for you in that area.
posted by SquidLips at 8:23 AM on April 19, 2021

Ah, I missed the gender-neutral-ideal bit. The ExOfficios aren't flat-fronted. In fact, if memory serves, the room in front was one of the selling points. The fabric is thin and not at all bulky, but as SquidLips says, some subjectivity at work here. As far as the rest of the criteria, I think they'd fit the bill (comfort, tags, etc).
posted by jquinby at 9:19 AM on April 19, 2021

I just discovered these by Jockey, and they are so smooth and soft. No tags, no waistbands digging. They're the boy-shorts cut, so not quite the length of boxer-briefs.
posted by hydra77 at 10:07 AM on April 19, 2021

Nthing TomboyX. I didn't know how much I wanted gender neutral underwear until I started wearing theirs. Now, I'll basically never wear "women's" style underwear again. (I am a cis woman, so I cannot speak for the fit of TomboyX for those with different configurations downstairs.)
posted by desuetude at 12:29 PM on April 19, 2021

MeUndies meet all your requirements except for the gender-neutral part (though their women's "boyshort" comes pretty close to it.)
posted by ook at 12:53 PM on April 19, 2021