If you’re like me, going to the beach takes up 90% of your summer (the other 10% is sleep). And whenever I do hit up the beach, I basically take every item I’ve ever owned with me. But besides the obvious bathing suit and towel, does anyone know whats essential to bring to your beach day?
I’ll hook you up with the basics.
- Sunblock. There is nothing more important to take to the beach than protection. The sun can extremely damage your skin by causing wrinkles and sun spots and it even puts you at a higher risk for skin cancer. With statistics recommending a SPF higher than 30, my favorite sunscreen to use is Neutrogena’s Beach Defense with a SPF higher than 50. Not only does it have high protection but it’s also water resistant and doesn’t have the typical sunscreen odor.
- Sunglasses. Sunglasses protect you from the harmful rays of the sun while making you look hella cute. Lately, I’ve been really into retro ones or glasses with reflective lenses — you know, like the highway motorcycle cop glasses. I also take inexpensive ones because everyone knows how sucky is feels to lose things at the beach, especially expensive stuff.
- Wallet. Next to your beach bag, you should really carry a wallet. Everybody knows how a wallet works, you keep your money and cards safe; blah, blah, blah. But on top of that, I recommend a large one where you can keep your phone safe also. The last thing you want is to get your phone all full of sand or water or potentially get it stolen.
- A drink. It’s super important to keep yourself hydrated through the whole day, unless you know, you wanna pass out. During the summer, I love sitting by the pool and drinking mimosas or mango margaritas! No, but actually I love drinking lemonade or ice tea besides your basic water. My favorite lemonade ever is Hubert’s Lemonade because it’s completely organic and refreshing. And the labels are so cute!
- Facial spray or wipes. Speaking of hydration, it’s also important to keep your skin hydrated. If you’re not about going into the water or you can’t because of hygienic issues, facial spray or wipes work almost as well at keeping your skin hydrated. I use the Evian Facial Spray because it comes little and easy to travel with, plus it’s sooooo refreshing. It feels like those big mist machines they put up at Sea World or the zoo.
- A good music playlist. This is one of the top things you absolutely need when you go to the beach. Like, who doesn’t listen to music while at the beach? I know I couldn’t stay still if I didn’t have anything to do or listen to. Lately, I’ve been loving a lot of Frank Ocean (ha, get it?) and The Weeknd, especially at the beach.
- Headphones. Please don’t forget these! I can’t tell you how many times I have and regretted it. Headphones are so important, especially with that killer playlist you prepared to listen to while getting your tan.
- A beauty bag. Aside from beach bag essentials, your beauty bag and beauty bag essentials are very important to take with you also. Inside, you should have facial sunscreen and water proof makeup. When it comes to make up and the beach, they don’t mix. You shouldn’t wear makeup to get into water. But if you want to apply anything after, pack light. A BB cream is one of my favorite things in my beauty bag because it’s not so heavy on your skin. Not to mention, most BB creams carry SPF in them. Other than that, you shouldn’t pack anything else other then water proof mascara and chapstick to protect your lips from becoming dry or burnt.
- A portable hair brush and hair ties. Everybody knows how ratchet your hair gets after it’s been physically abused by waves in the ocean. Even though sometimes it’s cute, other times you need a hair brush or hair ties to tame that monster before it gets out of control and swallows your face. Bring a couple hair ties with you too, just in case your friends need them. You’re not the only one with this problem, chica.
- SNACKS. After all those waves beating you up in the water you can get pretty hungry. And by pretty hungry I mean famished. Best case scenario: You bring a small cooler with ham and avocado sandwiches and grapes. Middle ground: At least bring a bag of almonds or chips to feed your whole gang. Or you know what? Just bring the whole damn box of Oreo cookies too, because us girls get crazy with food and you know it. Don’t judge.
- GoPro. This isn’t necessarily an essential but something you could bring to make your beach day fun. You can take pics by the water without worrying about getting it wet. Or even better, take pictures in the water without worrying about damage. A water proof cellphone case works too.
But, with those things aside, you just have to go with your favorite group of friends and just forget about everything and have fun. There’s nothing better than acting young and careless for a day or two. (But don’t listen to me because I’m young and careless everyday.)
