If your summer fun includes plenty of time at the beach, you might already be thinking about the things you need to pack in your roomy beach bag. Items like all-natural sunscreens, wide-brim hats, cute sunglasses and big, colorful towels always have a place in our summertime tote, but so do a few other items that may not be part of your current “take-to-the-beach” checklist.
Here are 5 things you need to add to your beach bag this summer:
Organic Lip Balm
Wearing a natural and organic lip balm with SPF (like this one from Eco Lips) is a great way to protect your lips from the sun, but that isn’t the only reason you need to toss it in your beach bag. Lip balm can also be used to relieve dry skin on elbows and knees, groom unruly eyebrows, stop bleeding from a minor shaving cut and can help smooth a stuck zipper.
Reusable Zipper Bags
Reusable zipper bags like those found from reuseit.com are a great addition to your beach bag. Be sure to choose those with waterproof (or leak-proof) linings and use them to store things you need to keep separated from the rest of your bag such as snacks, sunscreen, and items that become wet or filled with sand after your day at the beach. These bags are also great for keeping things such as cell phones protected from the elements and make a wonderful place to store found shells.
Biodegradable Toys
Never again worry about accidentally leaving your beach toys buried deep in the sand. Thanks to Zoe B, the beach toys you put in your bag are as friendly to the earth as the ocean itself. Made with a biobased material that comes from American-grown corn, these durable and adorable toys break down to organic materials in as little as two years when washed out into the sea.
Essential Oils
You use them around your home, but essential oils at the beach can turn ordinary wet sand into a skin-softening treatment. Try this recipe from MarthaStewart.com: Add six drops of sweet orange essential oil and four drops of jasmine essential oil to a jar of sea salts. Shake to combine. Then, in a biodegradable plastic pail (like one from Zoe B), combine the scented salt mixture, a few tablespoons of natural oil (like jojoba) and two handfuls of very wet sand. Sitting at the water’s edge, work the scrub onto your arms and legs and rinse clean in the waves.
Spray Bottles
It’s always a good idea to bring reusable water bottles to keep you hydrated during your day in the sun, but also pack some reusable spray bottles. Filled with water, a spray bottle will keep your face and body cool in the sun and make a great toy for kids (what kid doesn’t love a good water fight?). You can also mix warm water, coconut oil and sea salt in a spray bottle to spritz on damp hair to give yourself “beach” waves—a trick that works on or off of the beach.
Talk to us: What is the one essential item you never forget to take with you to the beach?
image courtesy of Steve and Sara Emry/CC BY 2.0