Holiday season is officially upon us, and if you are one of the many millions of holidaymakers heading off somewhere warm and exotic this weekend, we are sure you are busy washing, packing, and trying to squeeze those extra summer essentials into your shrinking suitcase!

A great time of year to get away from everyday life, relax on the beach or by the pool, and indulge in more cocktails, ice creams, and desserts that one would normally dare, summer is all about fun and frivolity, but it can be easy to forget to protect ourselves from those UV rays.

Every year over 80,000 people in the UK, (2 million in the US) are diagnosed with skin cancer, and while it is considered one of the most treatable cancers if caught early, it can be very serious indeed, and even though we are not Doctor’s, we are pretty sure that “prevention is better than cure!”

Lying in the sun is soothing, revitalising, and relaxing, but without the right protection it can lead to all types of skin problems, so to help you stay sunburn free, and bronzed to perfection, we have compiled our list of Summer Beach Bag Essentials:

Suntan Lotion or Sunscreen

Contrary to popular belief, applying suntan lotion does not prevent you from getting a suntan; in fact, we feel we get a better tan when using a high-factor sunscreen and never use less than SPF 30.  Apply 20-30 minutes before you head off to the beach for the day, and then re-apply regularly (especially after swimming), and you will soon be a bronzed goddess (or god!)

A Hat

Thankfully, the wide-brimmed straw hats trimmed with artificial flowers have now been replaced with modern, cool, cowboy hats and trilby’s!  A great way to prevent your head, ears, nose and face from those scorching summer rays, a good sun hat should be squeezed into every beach bag.

Sunglasses

Having lived in the sun for many years, we can hardly go outside without a good pair of sunglasses! Protecting the eyes from UV rays, sunglasses are ‘a must’, and every cool beach babe needs to own a pair with high UV protection lenses (that prevent squinting – i.e. wrinkles!)

Water

A bottle of water will help prevent you from dehydrating, and while we are not saying it should replace tropical cocktails, it’s definitely worth keeping a bottle in your beach bag!

Doctors will tell you to avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm when the sun’s rays are most harmful, and, as that just happens to coincide with lunchtime – that is good enough for us!