Now that it is summer, whether you live 10 minutes from the beach or a few hours, other than the obvious beach chairs, umbrellas, and a towel, here are a few things you might want to remember throwing into your beach bag before you hit the sand.
1. Sunscreen.
Sunscreen seems like another obvious beach necessity, but if you apply it at home, and end up staying at the beach all day, you're going to wish you tossed it in your bag to reapply. As much as we all want to get perfectly tan from those long beach days -- without putting on a little bit of sunscreen, you're going to get red, peel and be uncomfortable.
2. Chapstick with SPF.
A lot of people forget to protect their lips when hanging by the pool or down at the beach. To avoid blisters and to keep your lips looking soft and shiny for all those beach selfies, make sure you have one of these in your bag.
3. Towel.
Whether you want to lounge in a chair or lay out on a towel all day, make sure you have at least one towel with you to help dry off after splashing in the ocean. If you watched shark week and are going to avoid even putting a toe in the water, check out these new rug-like beach towels to help your Instagram pictures stay artsy and fun.
(To check out more like these check out Cottonon.com)
4. Cooler.
Simply bringing waters to the beach is definitely a must, but if you have a cooler with you, you can ensure you have enough drinks for the day that will stay cool instead of letting your drink bake in the sun. No matter what you're drinking or snacking on at the beach, keep it cool.
5. Beach vault or plastic bag.
The beach is full of sand and water, and it's easy to get super messy by just sitting at the beach. In this day, most people usually always have a smart phone, wallet, keys, or even an iPad or E-Reader, and if you simply toss this items in your beach bag it is easy for one rogue wave or mounds of sand to end up ruining these important items. The Beach Vault is made of plastic and is able to be dug into the sand to put under your towel to hide your important items and keeps them out of the sun and sand. If you don't want to buy a Beach Vault, a plastic bag will help keep all your important things dry and clean.
6. Baby powder.
Baby powder is an underrated product. The sand is not soft, and after being in the water and drying in the sun all day, to help rid the caked sand off of you, baby powder works wonders.
7. Sunglasses.
Sunglasses will save you from getting those little wrinkles around your eyes after squinting all day from the hot sun. Other than practical reasons, sunglasses are a great way to express yourself at the beach.
8. Hats.
Baseball caps, floppy sun hats, visors, and bandannas will all help to protect your scalp and face from the strong sun. The latest trend is the bucket hat that is super practical because it provides ample shade and looks good on just about everyone.
9. Speaker.
If you have that fire country playlist lined up and you and your friends are driving to the beach singing all the words, then continue to the party down on the sand with a portable speaker.
10. Portable charger.
After a long day of taking beach selfies and picture of the waves, the sun and your favorite new bikini, your phone might be a little low on battery. To avoid your phone dying, make sure you have your extra battery with you. Look out for the solar batteries that can charge in the sun all day!
