Always, Bekah

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2022 Summer Essentials

This post may contain affiliate links. I only recommend products that I’ve tried and love!

This is the part of summer that is so hard to get through. I mean, after the Fourth of July, I’m over the heat and humidity until summer vacation.

Beach week is the highlight of my summer, and it is hard to get there and hard to trudge through the high temps afterward.

That being said, over the last few years, I’ve collected a few products that make life so much easier during these hot months. I would be willing to call them game-changers, perhaps even life-savers.

Last year, I shared my Amazon Finds: Summer 2021 Edition, and it was super popular, but this years is even better! Here is my new and improved list of 2022 Summer Essentials.


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Reef-Friendly Sunscreen

Does anyone else remember a few years ago when there was this huge discovery of oxybenzone being a harmful chemical in many sunscreens? Okay, well I do. What I learned is that oxybenzone is not only harmful to humans, but also the coral reef. I’m personally not a fan of either of those things being harmed, so ever since then, I’ve only bought sunscreen from reef-friendly brands, like Sun Bum and All Good. Personally, I love the way Sun Bum smells and it hasn’t let me down since.

Beach Spray

Whenever I go in the water at the beach, my hair get so salty and sticky and awful. It’s disgusting. Last summer, I took a half bottle of leave-in conditioner spray (this is the one I used), mixed it with water and took it on the beach with me. Whenever I got out of the water, I spritzed a little in my hair and combed through. It was so much softer, not sticky at all, and even dried nicely. Even if I was just putting it up, it was so much easier to work with. Now I never go to the beach without it. So if you’ve got a partial bottle of whatever leave-in conditioner laying around, try it. I swear by it.

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Turkish Beach Towel

This thing was one of my best purchases from all of 2021 and easily the most popular item on the blog. It’s so soft and light, dries super fast and folds up so tiny that you can pack it in almost anything. I love it. It’s so pretty, super absorbent, and comes in a million colors. What more could you want?

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Tinted Sunscreen Butter

This is another All Good product that I bought for Peru earlier this year. My nose is always the first thing to burn, and I pull a Rudolph at least twice a summer. I knew the UV rays were stronger there and I’m so glad I had this little guy packed. It’s a small dish, like a lip balm, and it’s tinted, so it’s not like smearing white zinc oxide all over your nose. It’s hydrating and nourishing, stays put and protected my face while hiking all day.

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BruMate

This is the last “beachy” item, I promise. For anyone who has never used a BruMate, you’re missing out. My sister gifted me one last year and I LOVE it. I use it for hot and cold beverages, and it’s perfect to keep drinks super cold on a hot day. 10/10 would recommend, because nobody wants to drink a warm beverage on the beach.

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Natural Bug Spray

Elliot snagged this pack of bug spray earlier this summer when we found out I was pregnant, and that it was frowned upon to use the good old Deet that I’ve used forever. Apparently, it’s toxic. Who knew? Anyway, I’ve been using this at his softball games and it’s surprisingly more effective than I thought it would be. If you’re in the market for a clean, natural, non-toxic bug spray, try this one. It even smells nice.

Kindle

I will never not recommend a Kindle. As an avid reader, I’ve been using a Kindle for (almost) all of my reading since 2014. Yes, I love turning pages and the smell of a new book, but there are some real perks to Kindles. Like, having as many books as you want in your purse, and reading at night without a light, and not worrying about ruining the cover if you take it outside of your house. If you’ve considered it but haven’t pulled the trigger yet, here’s your sign.

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Self Tanner

Sometimes you just don’t have the time (or the willingness to sacrifice your skin) to lay out and earn that golden tan. I get it, I’m not crazy about skin cancer, either, hence the sunscreen above. This spring, I invested in the Coco & Eve self tanner to bring a little glow to my skin after a cold and yucky week, or to just feel a little better in my skin. It’s quick and easy, smells pretty good, and looks super natural. I’ve done it three or four times since April and it’s such a confidence booster to have that sun-kissed glow from an at-home solution.

Linen Blend Summer Quilt

I know I mentioned this earlier this year, but here’s the update. We LOVE it. If you find that you sleep next to a very warm, but otherwise lovely individual and it makes for a toasty sleeping environment, this is for you. My husband’s body temperature is approximately 1,000 degrees at any given time, and it’s taken years to nail down the optimal sleeping arrangement for both of us. In the summer, he was always too warm and I was chilly. This quilt from Target is perfect. It’s got a heavy weight to it, yet it’s very breathable. I looked at several others from more upscale retailers and this one is less than half the price, for a great quality blanket.

BONUS: It’s on sale right now for less than $100 for a king. Wild.

For the record, yes I know that Prime Day and every other sale basically ended yesterday. Oh well. Sorry friends. My timing isn’t always impeccable. However, many of these items were not Prime deals, so it’s not like you were going to save tons if you picked them up anyway. I hope you all snagged some great deals this week!