Summer may not officially begin until June 21, but my two start of summer markers have occurred:
School’s out.
I’ve watched Jaws.
A lot of summer fun happens around bodies of water like the pool, the lake or the beach. Even though these are three different locations, you only need one bag of goodies to prepare you for all three. Here’s my “What’s In My Bag: Beach and Pool edition” to give you ideas to organize your summer bag for fun.
Sunscreen – This is a priority. Keeping our skin healthy is essential year-round, especially during the summer when we’re outdoors much more. Being tan is pretty, but I prefer to get mine from a bottle. When it comes to picking sunscreen, a mineral sunscreen is best as they create a physical separation between our skin and the sun. They’re also really good for anyone with sensitive skin. If your sunscreen’s ingredients include zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, it’s a mineral sunscreen. Some of my favorite mineral sunscreens are Sheerscreen from SuperGoop and Sun Bum’s Mineral Sunscreen. I always use a mineral sunscreen on my face, and this one is my favorite. If I use chemical sunscreen, my favorite is the Coola line.
Lip Balm Sunscreen – When protecting our skin, we can’t forget our lips. There are plenty of choices when it comes to lip balm sunscreens. Both SuperGoop and Coola make great ones, including several tinted options to give your lips some color. You can also grab some equally great ones from the drugstore, like Banana Boat, Sun Bum and Aquaphor.
Brush and a hair tie – If you’re spending the day by the water, you need to be prepared to pop in somewhere for lunch or a snack (if you haven’t packed your own). It’s always nice to have a brush to comb through tangles. A ponytail holder is necessary if it’s windy, you want to wear a baseball hat or it’s hot and you’d like to pull your hair.
Beverage wear – Having a cool drink is a must in the warmer months, so I always have a stainless steel tumbler on hand to keep my cold beverages the coldest. I also always have Koozie or two in my bag for when I might have a canned drink. Target almost always has fun, summer-themed Koozies in their dollar aisle every year. Stock up! I also like to keep a packet of Liquid IV (I love the Pina Colada flavor) or Crystal Light in my bag to spice up my water.
Towel clips – These little guys were a game-changer for me! They easily clip your towel to your chair so you’re not constantly having to pull it up or keep the towel from falling down on you. I grabbed mine at Target, but you can find similar ones on Amazon.
A book – I always have reading material with me when I’m at the beach or pool. A sweet, predictable rom-com-type book is my favorite type of summer read. Elin Hilderbrand, Nancy Thayer and Emily Henry are always on my Kindle.
Along with all of the above, I also keep standard things like hand sanitizer, a towel and some snacks in my bag. I love to toss in a protein bar, and for that, I like to use an insulated bag to keep it from melting. I even keep my lip balm sunscreen in there, too.
Now that you’ve seen inside my bag share what you keep in your beach/pool bag so you’re ready for all the summer fun.