9 Secret to Avoiding Camel Toe in Swimsuits and Bikinis

It’s summertime and you are ready to hit the beach looking your absolute best. A camel toe in a swimsuit or bikini could ruin any great outfit or look. If you’ve experienced cameltoing before, or you are keen to not experience it in the future, this is the article for you. Realizing you’re having a camel toe when wearing a swimsuit or bikini could lead to some embarrassment, but it doesn’t have to.

In this article, we’ll go through what a camel to is, what causes a camel toe as well as several tips to avoid, prevent and hide a camel toe while wearing a swimsuit or bikini bottom.

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The short answer

The main reason for a camel toe in swimsuits is that the swimsuit doesn’t fit properly or doesn’t work well with your body type. Getting a swimsuit that fits well is the key to avoiding any future camel toes.
Apart from the right fit and size, here are our best tips on how to avoid having a camel toe in swimsuits and bikinis:
-Use a camel toe concealer
-Make sure your swimsuit has proper lining
-Our DIY camel toe hider
-Opt for dark colors

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What is a camel toe?

A camel toe is when your swimsuit is too tight and the fabric snuggs super tight, creating a wedge around the crotch area. This is not uncommon when wearing tight-fitting clothes, such as swimwear.

According to Wikipedia, a camel toe is defined as:

Camel toe, or cameltoe, is slang for the outline of the labia majora (the outer lips of the vulva) in tightly fitting clothes. Owing to a combination of anatomical factors and the fabric tension in the crotch area, the outer labia and mons pubis may, together, display a shape resembling the forefoot of a camel. Camel toe commonly occurs as a result of wearing clothing with crotch-area vertical tension, such as Spandex activewear or athleisure bottom wear, hotpants or swimwear.

What causes a camel toe in swimsuits and bikini bottoms?

There are many different reasons why one might end up with a camel toe while wearing swimwear.

However, the most common cause is by far that you are wearing a swimsuit or bikini bottom that just doesn’t fit properly. Getting a swimsuit that fits your body type and is the right size is key when trying to avoid a camel toe. By simply making sure that your swimsuit fits well and is the right size you can be sure to avoid most camel toe movements.

But even with a swimsuit that fits well, you might end up with the unfortunate camel toe. By knowing the most common causes of a camel toe in swimwear you can make sure to avoid them.

Camel toe in swimsuits and bikinis is often caused by:

• Ill-fitting swimwear
• Front seam
• Shaving
• Thin fabric and no/bad lining

Ill-fitting swimwear

Ill-fitting swimwear is the most common reason for a camel toe.

If you are wearing a one-piece swimsuit this is caused by the swimsuit not being long enough for your body. Apart from the obvious camel toe, you can identify this by the shoulder straps digging into your shoulders. This means that your one-piece swimsuit is too short making it pull upwards in the crotch area (creating the camel toe) and digging into your shoulders.

If you are able to adjust your shoulder straps this might be a good start. Try to loosen them up to see if it helps with the camel toe. If not, I’d recommend starting to look for a new swimsuit.

It can be good to know that some swimwear brand creates extra-long swimsuits for longer women. If this is you, try to find some of these brands and see if their swimsuits fit you better. Or maybe just try a different brand, all swimsuits fit differently!

If you instead are wearing a bikini bottom and get a camel toe it probably means that your bikini has a too low rise. You’ll notice that you have to pull your bikini bottom up to sit properly on your hips but this results in the lower part digging into your crotch, creating a camel toe.

This might simply be because you have a size that is too small. However, if the rest of the bikini seems to fit well, then a low-rise bikini bottom simply isn’t for you.

Front seam

I cannot believe that this is still a thing. But for some reason, there are still brands that create bikini bottoms and swimsuits with a front seam in the middle of the crotch area.

For fairly obvious reasons (right?) this is not ideal when trying to avoid cameltoe in your bikini.

My recommendation is simple, avoid front seams at all costs when getting a swimsuit.

Shaving

Let’s start off by saying that whether you shave or not is none of my business. If you shave good for you, and if you don’t good for you. All I do is lay out the facts so that you might understand the potential causes for a camel toe.

With that out of the way, if you shave “down there” it’s more likely that you’ll experience a camel toe in your swimsuit. The lack of hair makes a camel toe more likely.

On the other hand, if you are not shaving there might be a slight bush to prevent the camel toe from being so obvious.

Thin fabric and no/bad lining

Today, swimsuits and bikinis often have a lining inside. This lining helps to avoid a camel toe for the wearer.

If there is no lining or the fabric is very thin around the crotch, there is a much greater risk of a camel toe.

Make sure that your swimwear has a sufficient lining to prevent any potential camel toe accidents.

Types of bikini styles that are more prone to causing camel toe

We all have different bodies and there is almost endless swimwear to choose from. So how do you know what swimwear to avoid to not get a camel toe? Some types of bikinis and swimsuits are more prone to give a camel toe than others. Keep these in mind the next time you buy a swimsuit if you know that you want to avoid getting a camel toe.

The bikini styles that are most prone to cause a camel toe are:

• One-piece swimsuit
• Low-rise bikini bottoms
• High waist swimwear

How to know if you have a camel toe

This might sound like a strange question at first. You just look right? But that’s the problem right there. How often do you really stare at your own crotch? At least I don’t.

The second problem with “just look” is that as soon as you look you angle your body in a different way that might hide the camel toe temporarily.

So how can you know if you have a camel toe then? I have two recommendations. Try to look at yourself in a mirror (or window if no mirror is available). This way you’ll keep your normal posture and you’ll better see if you have a camel toe in your swimsuit. I good idea could be to have a peak just as you are getting out of the water since this is when most camel toes appear.

But an even better way is to simply ask a friend you trust. Having a camel toe is like having a bugger in your nose, everyone notice but few tell you. Get a friend that you trust to tell you straight and asken them how you look in your swimwear and if they’ve noticed that you have a camel toe.

How to avoid a camel toe in a swimsuit or bikini?

Preparation is key, right? If you want to avoid a camel toe it’s often too late while you are out and about. Rather you can make sure from the beginning that you don’t end up with a camel toe in your swimsuit.

These are our recommendations on how to avoid a camel toe in the first place:

• Get a swimsuit that fits properly
• Buy bikini bottoms and swimsuits with good-quality fabric and a proper lining
• Opt for styles that are less prone to give a camel toe

Get a swimsuit that fits properly

A camel toe is often the result of wearing a swimsuit that doesn’t fit properly. Make sure to get one that fits you just right. This means neither too tight nor too loose, but rather one that is perfect for your body.

Buy bikini bottoms and swimsuits with good-quality fabric and a proper lining

If you want to make sure that you don’t get a camel toe, buy a swimsuit or bikini bottom with good-quality fabric and a proper lining. This will help ensure that the swimwear fits your body properly and does not “pull up” in the crotch area.

Opt for styles that are less prone to give camel toe

If camel toe is something you want to avoid, opt for swimwear styles that are less prone to camel toe. This includes high-waisted swimsuits and bikinis, tankinis with boy shorts, and very full-coverage one-piece swimsuits. Avoid low-rise bikinis or string bikinis if camel toe is a concern.

How to prevent a camel toe in swimsuits

Sometimes you know that there’s a risk that you’ll end up with a camel toe. Maybe it’s your favorite swimsuit that you just don’t want to give up or it’s a particular water activity that you know will probably result in a camel toe once you get out of the water.

Whatever it may be, you might wonder how you can prevent the camel toe to appear before it even happens. Luckily, we have 3 great tips, plus 1 bonus tip, on how you can prevent a cameltoe in a bikini or swimsuit.

Camel toe concealer

The best prevention by far to avoid getting a camel toe in swimsuits is a camel toe concealer. This is a small piece of silicone that works wonders to prevent any camel toe when wearing swimwear. All you do is insert the concealer into your swimsuit or bikini bottom and you can be sure that no camel toe will be shown.

Our favorites are the Camel-Not or Nosho Quickie.

Wear panties

Wearing panties underneath your swimsuit or bikini can help prevent camel toe as well. Since panties are often made from soft fabrics and often have a higher rise, they can act like camel toe prevention devices.

Add proper lining

Adding extra lining to your swimwear can also help prevent camel toe. You can either buy swimsuits that have a lining, or you can add an extra lining to the swimsuit yourself. Make sure the lining is comfortable and not too tight.

My bonus tip for preventing is one that I’m actually kind of proud of. It’s an easy DIY way of avoiding ever ending up with a camel toe in a swimsuit. And it’s super easy!

DIY camel toe hider for swimsuit or bikini bottom

Yes, you read that right. This is a super easy way that combines many of the previous tips into an easy solution anyone can do with their current swimsuit or bikini to avoid any future camel toes.

Basically, you’ll use a piece of padding that you will find in any old bra or a bikini top that you have laying around and use this as a permanent camel toe concealer for your bikini bottom. Follow along step-by-step, it’s super easy!

1. Find a padding

Fins an old padding as seen here. These are common in bikini tops and bras. I’m sure you have one laying around somewhere at home!

2. Cut the padding

Cut the padding into a triangle. Make sure this triangle fits into your bikini bottom or swimsuit without sticking out on the sides.

3. Locate the “lining pocket” that exists on most swimwear

The pocket doesn’t have any particular purpose. The reason for it being there is simply because the lining can be sewn in the sides but you don’t want a seam right at the front of your swimsuit. This results in the lining creating somewhat of a pocket that we can use!

4. Insert the padding

Now, insert the padding you just made into the lining slot. And just like that, you’ve transformed any swimwear into a camel-toe-proof piece of swimwear. Thank me later!

How to hide camel toe in a swimsuit

If nothing else works, it’s time to go for the hiding techniques. These are often your last resort if you are struggling with cameltoing. These tips might not prevent camel toe from appearing, but they will help you hide it.

Hide your camel toe

You might not have thought about it. But there are several ways you can “cover up” your camel toe. One of my personal favorites is to wear a swim skirt over my bikini bottom. This way I can still fully enjoy the beach and not worry about camel toe.

Another great way to hide camel toe is by wearing a sarong or even a long shirt over your swimsuit.

And finally, for those times when you really don’t want to be seen camel-toeing, a pair of board shorts can do wonders.

More inspiration on what you can wear as a cover-up in the water and what you can wear over a swimsuit.

Going dark

Darker colors are much less prone to show a camel toe. Not that it’s not there, but the hard colors make it much less apparent and visible.

So if you are worried about camel toe, opt for solid dark colors like black. This will definitely make camel toe much less noticeable than if you were to wear a light color.

Does swimsuit panty liner help conceal camel toe?

This is a question that we get a lot. And yes, wearing a swimsuit panty line could help conceal a camel toe, however, it’s often not the best option. First off, you need to make sure you are using a swimsuit panty liner and not a regular one. Once you get into the water you’ll understand why…

Secondly, most other options are, at least to me, better than having to wear a swimsuit panty liner. I’d rather go with a silicone camel toe concealer as we talked about before.

Conclusion

There you have it, friends! With these tips in tow, you’re ready to conquer the world (or at least the beach or pool) without fear of a dreaded camel toe.

Even if you have the right swimsuit size and fit, there are still some other factors that can contribute to a camel toe. Wearing a proper lining in your swimsuit will help create a smooth look and avoid any embarrassing bunching.

If you want to go for a lighter color swimsuit, make sure to choose one with thicker fabric. And our last tip is to use a camel toe concealer or DIY hider when all else fails. By following these tips, you should be able to enjoy your time at the beach without worrying about a wardrobe malfunction.

Do you have any other great tips on how to avoid having a camel toe in swimsuits? Let us know in the comments below!

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