Summer may be officially over but with rumours that Ireland is in for an Indian Summer it’s never too late to get your beach bag ready. Or perhaps you’re one of the lucky ducks heading off on a late vacation. Holland & Barrett sent me a cute beach bag jam-packed with all the essentials I could possibly need for a Summer’s Day out.

I should firstly point out that I’m a ginger, as you know, so the sun is not my best friend. Hence I was delighted to see the aloe vera goodness inside my beach bag. It was my first time trying out the Dr. Organic skincare range so I was looking forward to this too. 

Sun lotion is pretty much an essential for any long day outdoors for me. I’m not even kidding – I got sun burned at the Galway Races earlier this Summer and there was no sun to even be seen! So, the Aloe Pura Aloe Vera Sun Lotion would most definitely be in my beach bag. This comes in factor 25 although for a day at the beach I would probably have to wear a higher factor but for the majority of people I expect factor 25 should be sufficient. As it contains aloe vera, vitamins  and plant extracts it is working away at soothing your skin while protecting it. 

The Dr. Organic Aloe Vera Skin Lotion is a daily lotion containing cocoa butter, shea butter, olive oil, sunflower oil, Irish moss and Vitamins A & E. My skin felt amazingly good after this! It’s perfect for applying at the end of your beach day and rehydrating your skin after a day in the sun and sea-salt. 

Gradual tanning lotions are always super popular in Summer, especially if you want to achieve that natural golden glow while staying out of the harmful rays of the sun. I don’t wear any fake tan or self tan so I haven’t reviewed this product. It smells great though! The lotion contains macadamia nuts and jojobo oils with the promise of a gradual glow within six hours of application.

It’s easy to forget about looking after our hair when we’re in the sun. Sometimes we can be so focused on skin protection but our hair needs a little loving too. All that sunshine and salt water can dry it out leaving it in bad need of a little treat. I love to use a deep conditioning hair treatment every few weeks, especially in the Summer. This Moroccan Argan Oil hair treatment, again from Dr. Organic can just be applied after your normal shampoo/condition routine and left to dry in naturally for instant shine while also nourishing and protecting.

The most rereshing drink in the world and the definition of a beach day. Enough said!