These are the products I’m reaching for in my beach bag again and again!
Spring break and summer vacation are right around the corner! Today I’m sharing all my favorite products that I bring to the pool and the beach. These are the must-have beach bag items to survive the summer heat.
What Should I Put In My Beach Bag?
- Towel
- Water Bottle
- Hair Scrunchie
- Kindle or Book
- Sunscreen
- Lip Balm
- Battery Pack + Cord
- Instax Camera (optional)
- Sunglasses
- Baby Powder
My Beach Bag
I want to share a little about my beach bag before I dive into its contents. It’s from Logan and Lenora and I’m obsessed with this bag. It has the thick straps and magnetic closure but the best part is definitely that it is waterproof AND machine washable. I flip it inside out and throw it in the washing machine whenever anything spills in it. It comes out looking brand new! Also, I have a couple other Logan and Lenora products. I own the Portfolio which is about the size of a laptop screen. I pack it in my beach bag to throw wet clothes and swimsuits into or anything else I want to keep separate from the rest of my bag. Also, I own makeup bags from them. I use their products every single day and love looking forward to their warehouse sales when I can stock up on all my favorite prints. If you’re interested, use code KAYLA15 for 15% off your order.
Turkish Towel
Now we are on to the contents! Whenever you go to the beach or the pool, you have to have a good towel, right? Have you ever heard of a turkish towel? They’re usually really cute and hanging up in people’s houses and draped across their couches. But, you may didn’t know that they’re really nice to bring to the beach. It seems like they don’t get as sandy because the fibers are smaller than a normal beach towel and it soaks up more water. Usually, I trade in between using this turkish towel and my giant beach towel. It also looks really cute in pictures so that’s always a plus!
Water Bottle
I always get really dehydrated when I go to the pool or the beach so I always pack a water bottle in my beach bag. I wanted to share my favorite water bottle with you. This water bottle is a Hydroflask dupe I found on Amazon. It keeps my water cold all day long and all night. I put cold water in it before I went to bed and it was still freezing when I woke up in the morning. I use this every single day and it comes in so many beautiful colors and patterns. However, pay attention to how many ounces the water bottle has before ordering. I ordered one and didn’t look before and it came in the tiniest child’s size. Then, I ordered this one which is 22 oz for reference.
Hair Scrunchies
Anytime I’m near the water or I want to lay out, I make sure to put a couple hair scrunchies in my beach bag. I use this scrunchie when I want to lay out and this hair tie when I get in the water. This plastic hair tie reminds me of one of those old phone cords and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, I feel ANCIENT! They’re really cool because they can stretch pretty far and then if you want them to shrink back down, you can blow dry them for a few minutes and they’ll go back to their original shape. Just a fun hair hack for you!
I wear these scrunchies when laying out to give a little personality to my hair. When I wear my hair up, I don’t feel the cutest so I try to convince myself that these help a bit haha.
Kindle Paperwhite
If you’re an avid reader like me, you’ll want to put a Kindle or book in your beach bag. I prefer the Kindle Paperwhite over the popular Kindle Fire for a variety of reasons. No matter how sunny it is outside, it never has glare and I can read it in any light. It’s very lightweight and portable. One thing about the new version is that it’s waterproof. I’m super jealous because I wish I had the newer version but I’ll just have to let Taz know that’s at the top of my Christmas list. I use mine almost every single day and it’s one of my favorite products because I love to read but I don’t like to lug a book with me around in case it gets wet. One day, I did get water on the screen and it was totally fine. I wouldn’t recommend submerging it under the water but a couple drops on the screen won’t hurt anything.
Sunscreen
You can’t go to the pool or the beach without some good sunscreen. I have three sunscreens to share with you. That may sound excessive but I promise it’s not. I have a cream, an aerosol and a tinted moisturizer.
Cream Sunscreen
First, I use the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunscreen. Taz actually uses this one the most and uses both the SPF 70 and SPF 55. I think that’s a high number but Taz loves to NOT be in the sun. I don’t know how else to say it. He gets burnt easier than I do. This works really well for sensitive skin, it isn’t sticky and it lasts for 80 minutes in the water.
Aerosol Sunscreen
Next, I have this aerosol. Taz doesn’t like this one because he says it’s “too fancy” but it’s the one I use the most. It’s the Pacifica Sun + Skincare Coconut Probiotic Mineral Sunscreen. It’s water resistant up to 80 minutes as well. It’s also 100% vegan and cruelty free if you care about either of those things. This one is only SPF 30 and I only use it if I’m in the sun for a shorter period of time. Plus, it doesn’t smell like typical sunscreen which I LOVE! It smells incredible!
Tinted Moisturizer
The tinted moisturizer I use is the Riversol Lightweight Broad Spectrum Sunscreen. It is 100% fragrance free and it has a sheer tint. I wear this without foundation sometimes or as an added layer under my foundation to protect my skin against the harsh sunlight whenever I’m outside.
Lip Balm
I don’t know about you but when I go outside in the sun, my lips get really chapped. I wanted to share my favorite lip balm. This is a little bit pricier than normal lip balm but it’s the one I find myself reaching for again and again. This is the NARS Lip Balm in Orgasm. It goes on really pretty and has a pink sheen on the lips. Also, it keeps my lips hydrated all day long.
Battery Pack
This is the Anker Power Bank. This is the battery pack of all battery packs. It will change your life! I know I talk about it all the time on Instagram but it’s for good reason. Taz and I went to Disney and it charged our phone 2X each and my phone one more time after that. (5 full charges!) It has two slots to charge two phone at one time and helps a lot because it seems like every time my phone is in the sun, it dies twice as fast.
Polaroid Camera
This Instax camera is fun to have when I go on vacation or just to make memories. I always stockpile my Polaroids at home because I look through them a lot. This is just a fun thing to have. You don’t always have to include it in your beach bag but I do.
Sunglasses
When I forget to put sunglasses in my beach bag, I always have a bad headache at the end of the day from squinting. My favorite pairs are here and here. They both look expensive but are actually very budget friendly.
Baby Powder
This may sound crazy, but if you go to the beach often or are planning a vacation, don’t forget to include a bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. The baby powder will absorb all the moisture from the sand so it’s easy to brush off. Gone are the days of sandy clothes and shoes. When I forget baby powder, there’s always a layer of sand in the bottom of my car and my shower so this is really a lifesaver.
That’s all I have for my beach bag. Let me know what you bring in yours or if there’s anything I should include in the future once Taz and I have kids. As always, if you have any other requests for blog posts, leave those suggestions in the comments. Thanks!
XOXO Kayla
