It feels like just yesterday I was staring at piles of snow from our living room window. And now, we’re full speed ahead into the hot summer months! I love this time of year! I love getting outside more with my kids, playing in the pool, and curling up on the couch after a long day of fun in the sun. I thought I’d share my favorite summer must-haves in case anyone needs any inspiration!
Beauty and Body
Hair
My summer hair routine consists of keeping it hydrated, and stressing it as little as possible. I have naturally curly hair, but I usually blow dry my hair. During the summer, it feels pointless to do as often because I’m always in the pool and it’s so hot outside I want to prevent excessive damage.
Shampoo and Conditioner
Look for a Shampoo and Conditioner that will restore moisture to your hair. More than likely, you’ll be getting it wet in the pool or at the beach often. Both of these strip your hair of its natural oils. I go straight for products designed for dry and damaged hair. They’ve always kept my hair in its best condition throughout the summer. My favorite line to find shampoo and conditioners are Dove and Pantene.
For a deep hair conditioner I recommend 10 en 1 (ideal for thicker hair or if you have a lot of hair). I grew up on an island, so I’ve used this my whole life and still do during the summer months since I’ve lived in the states. Some others that are wonderful are Neutrogena Triple Moisture and Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Mask.
Leave in conditioner
I like mix some of my favorite conditioner with water inside of a spray bottle. You can find spray bottles at the dollar store, or even at Target for less than a dollar (the Target ones are super cute!). Whenever I know I’m going to be outside in the sun a lot, I spray some of this on my hair. During the summer months, this works better for me than any leave in conditioner in a bottle ever has.
Body
Daily Lotion
You want to find something that deeply hydrates and restores the skin. I like to use anything from the Lubriderm line, but the one on my shelf right now is Lubriderm Advanced Therapy Lotion.
I also use a body butter at night. I keep it on my night-stand so I can apply it to my legs, feet, hands, and forearms before going to bed.
Sunblock
This is a total personal preference. You may want to make your own natural sunscreen or you may not have any issues purchasing one at the store. Personally, I just pick one up at the store. The important part is to know what you need your sunblock to do. You might want to check out this article which explains the differences between UVA and UVB rays. This should help you pick the best sunblock that works for you and your family.
For the face, I like to use Neutrogena Sport Face Oil-Free (I somehow still tend to break out in my 30’s…seriously though, wasn’t this supposed to stop by now?). It’s the only face sunscreen I’ve used that doesn’t cause my face to break out. I use this year round.
Sunburn
It happens. You put sunblock on every few hours while you’re out in the sun, and yet you still get home sunburned. When this happens, I like to use Aloe Vera Gel. Growing up and for most of my adult life we had a plant growing in our yard so we just used it straight from the plant. But we no longer live on an island so we have to find ours at a health-food store. I highly suggest you get Organic Aloe Vera Gel vs the ones you find on the shelf in all the stores. If you see that it contains alcohol, put it back on the shelf and run. Just imagine putting alcohol on sun-burnt skin… Ouch.
Fashion
I’m a bit of a minimalist when it comes to summer staples, I find we rotate the same thing often because we’re doing a lot of the same. Here are my favorite summer must-haves fashion items
Maxi Dress – easy to put on and you can dress it up with a belt and some cute jewelry.
Skirt – I usually have two summer skirts. A white one and a dark colored one. This way I have something to go with most of my tops.
Flip Flops – self-explanatory, eh? Target brings some really cute ones in a variety of colors.
Sandals – after I’ve been out in the sun or at the pool all day, I really don’t feel like putting shoes on. I always keep two pairs of sandals (if not more…ahem). Much like with the skirts, I like to have a white pair and a dark pare (usually black). Target is my favorite place to go for these too.
Can you tell I’m a Target girl? 🙂
When summer is full force, what are some of your beauty and fashion must haves? Let me know in the comments below!
