What’s in my bag: beach vacation

I’ve been itching to get out of the house after a year and a half of pandemic isolation and, by early July, had already taken two beach trips this summer.  The first trip was a long weekend on North Padre Island, a sliver of land in South Texas between the Gulf of Mexico and the Corpus Christi Bay.  Padre Island offers hot sun, authentic Mexican food, cheap condo rentals, marine life and a laid-back vibe. 

My dog loving his first trip to the ocean on North Padre Island

My second getaway this summer was clear across the country to Cedar Point, the beachfront amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio that has been my family’s annual vacation spot for nearly 70 years. At Cedar Point you can experience some of the tallest rollercoasters in the world, a stay at a historic resort hotel, a view of expansive Lake Erie, and beautiful midsummer storms.

Read on to see the mostly natural beauty supplies and fitness gear that I packed to stay beach-ready and active on my summer vacations.   

The Lake Erie shoreline in front of Hotel Breakers at Cedar Point

beach vacation beauty & fitness gear

Origins Face Wash

I finally found a travel-sized face wash that isn’t loaded with chemicals and works for my oily-but-aging skin. Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash has a soothing lather that removes oil, makeup and sunscreen, and moisturizes without leaving a film. It’s also free of parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances and dyes, and petrochemicals.

Andalou Face Wipes

On lazy vacation nights when I’m too tired to wash my face, 99% nature-derived Andalou Naturals Micellar One Step Facial Cleansing Swipes are perfect for removing sunscreen and beach gunk. The age defying ingredients don’t dry out and irritate my skin after multiple uses, unlike other wipes.

Sulfate-free conditioner

Since saltwater, wind and sun can stress out my already dry waves, I opted for the “no-poo” method of washing my hair on vacation. I skipped the shampoo and lathered my hair with travel size OGX Nourishing Coconut Milk Conditioner. While it is one of the less natural items in my beauty bag, it’s a perfect size for vacation, has a pleasant tropical scent, and the sulfate-free formula keeps frizz at bay.

This travel-sized coconut milk conditioner smells delightfully beachy and keeps frizz at bay

face and body sunscreen

I’ve posted before that I love EltaMD sunscreens, as their ingredients are mineral-based but they don’t leave a persistent white film on my skin like most other mineral sunscreens. For my face, I get consistently long-lasting protection from EltaMD UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46, and it doesn’t cause me to break out. I also recently started using EltaMD’s body sunscreen with good results.

Headbands and hair wraps

As a person with a disproportionately large melon, I appreciate when headbands, hats or sunglasses don’t squeeze my head and give me headaches.  I’ve fallen for Soulvation Headbands because they stay put without being too tight, and they look just as cute holding back beachy waves on vacation as they do with work apparel or pajamas. Just don’t wear one on the Magnum XL-200, the world’s first rollercoaster to top 200 feet when it debuted in 1989. Rest in peace, gray Soulvation headband.

Another favorite option for controlling beach hair is the classic bandana. I’m digging Madewell’s pretty bandana prints, and since their bandanas are soft, they can be easily tied into headbands.

Rocking a Soulvation headband on North Padre Island with my dog

Mattefying powder

My skin is already oily, so when you add face sunscreen and sweat to the equation, I’m shinier than the South Texas sun. I like Pacifica Cherry Pressed Powder Neutralizing Mattifier, a lightweight powder that’s suitable for the beach but keeps shine at bay. It’s also cheap, I can buy it at Target, and it doesn’t contain parabens, phthalates, mineral oil or petroleum.

Pacifica Cherry Pressed Powder Neutralizing Mattifier +

Bandana from Madewell

Detangler

The strong ocean breezes on North Padre Island tangled my hair everyday, but thankfully, Flora & Curl Organic Rose & Honey Leave-In Detangler was already part of my post-shower routine. After applying mousse to my roots, I gently comb this detangler through my wet hair with a wide-toothed comb, and it coats my waves with a layer of moisture that keeps them soft without weighing them down. The mostly natural ingredients include organic rose damask water, honey, sunflower, oat, marigold, and vitamin B.

sea spray

After detangling my hair, I use Herbivore’s magical Sea Mist to give my waves the confidence they need to be their full selves. I spray it on my wet hair, scrunch, and when my hair air dries I’m left with perfect beach waves. I also use it to refresh my waves after a swim. It comes in a convenient travel size, has a lovely coconut scent and only 7 ingredients. If you’re not familiar with Herbivore’s increasingly popular products, they contain no synthetic ingredients (including dyes, fragrances, or synthetic preservatives).

Herbivore Sea Mist gives my waves the confidence they need to be their full selves

SPF Lip Balm

My favorite lip balm for the beach isn’t mostly natural, but it is effective at preventing sunburned lips, a pet peeve that steals my vacation joy. Sun Bum SPF 30 Lip Balms come in fruity tropical flavors like Key Lime, Watermelon, Banana, Mango and Coconut.

Hand Sanitizer Spray

By this point you may have noticed I enjoy smelling like a giant coconut on my summer vacations. And as much as we’d like to move past it, we’re still in the middle of a global pandemic, so Baby Bum Green Coconut Hand Sanitizer was my trusty guardian against germs on the lap bars, harnesses, guard rails, and gates at Cedar Point’s packed amusement park. The spray is free of parabens, phthalates and other harsh chemicals.

Bluetooth earbuds

Running along the beautiful beachfront at Cedar Point is a longstanding tradition for me, and this year one of the highlights of my trip was running with my cousin who is training for the 2021 World Ironman Championship in St. George, Utah. My wraparound Vislla 5.0 Bluetooth Sport Headphones stayed in place while we enjoyed a scenic run past lakeside cabins, swaying beach grass, and towering coasters.

I passed these Lighthouse Point cabins on my morning runs along Lake Erie at Cedar Point.

Running belt

Too cool for a giant fanny pack (although they appear to be back in style..?), I found my slim running belt to be the perfect size for carrying stuff on long walks through the amusement park. It expanded to fit my phone, cash, cards and sunglasses, but was small enough to not interfere with any of the seat belts or lap bars on rides. Probably almost any brand of running belt would do, but I used the Spibelt I bought at a local race expo a few years back.

Shades

I’ve already posted here about how much I love my RainbowOPTX Sunglasses, but I’m obsessed with these funky and colorful shades that really do lift my spirits, as promised on the website. I’ve collected a few colors, including Indigo, Yellow and Rose, to match different outfits.

I’m building a collection of RainbowOPTX Sunglassess

Hope you enjoyed my beach packing tips! Leave a comment if you have other suggestions for natural beach-appropriate beauty supplies, or healthy travel snacks, or tips on how you stay fit during your vacation. Oh, and if you love amusement parks like I do, you might like the notecards I designed, which were inspired by my lifelong tradition of vacationing at Cedar Point. Check ‘em out on Etsy.

Here’s to traveling (mostly) well.