Holiday in the Sun Essentials*

Aren’t you all bored of me harping on about my holiday yet? Yes? Well tough. I’m going at it all from a different angle today in talking about my holiday in the sun essentials. I haven’t taken a holiday where it has been “hot” since I was 20, that’s 7 years. Usually I have city breaks where although the weather has been cool, I haven’t had to worry about being out in the sun a lot due to a lot of sight seeing being indoors. Although a lot of a Disney Holiday can be indoors, I knew I needed to be prepared for some time out enjoying the sun, and dare I say it.. sunbathing! I’ll be honest and say I didn’t do as much sunbathing as I had anticipated due to having a very excitable three year old, but we did spend a few evenings down by the pool and I did.. shockingly… wear a bikini (and I was also SERIOUSLY mistaken for Ariel.. awkward much?) So today, as it’s rather miserable outside, I thought I’d share with you all, some of my essentials to take when I know I’m going to be spending time out in the sun.

Sunglasses. When I’m off on a sun holiday, or any holiday in the summer for that matter I always make sure I pack my sunglasses. Not just any old sunglasses, but I do try to remember to take my ones with prescription lenses. These ones were from Firmoo* and cost £38.64 with the lens and postage. I actually have two pairs from Firmoo and I can’t fault them. They come with a hard case too, the case alone is pretty adorable. You can read the whole review here.

Tangle Teezer. On holiday in the sun always dries my hair out due to the fact it’s coloured so I swear by a Tangle Teezer from Just My Look to cut through the hay like texture. Using a Tangle Teezer it helps reduce the breakages especially when using it on wet hair which is what I always try to do. Not only that, but if I take my Tangle Teezer it means I have a hairbrush that LM can also use.

Suncream & After Sun. I always burn. Always, even if I use total block I still go red. I also suffer from prickly heat if I’m in the direct sun for too long so after sun is a must for me! I love Hawaiian Tropic for both suncream and aftersun. The smell is amazing and I can pick them both for less than £5 each from Home Bargains. I also like the fact neither of them are greasy and absorb well even when my skin is really red and sore.

Hair Conditioning Spray. As I mentioned above I have dyed hair and these days it takes two boxes of colour to cover it. This often leaves my hair in bad condition, and being in somewhere where it’s incredibly sunny makes it worse. Thankfully I have discovered Paul Mitchell’s Sun Shield Conditioning Spray* that helps protect my hair from UV rays and leaves it soft and shiny. It was also amazing when it came to stopping my colour fading which was a huge fear while I was out in Florida. It comes in full size and travel size.

Intensive Hair Masque. Another way I ensured my hair was protected was to decant some hair mask into a tub so twice weekly I can give it an intensive condition. I swear by Schwartzkopf Essence Ultime Diamond Colour Masque as it’s a masque that needs to only be left on for a minute and it gives my colour that boost it needs while on holiday. It’s only £2.99 a tub from Savers and I have been using it once a week for the last few months. Something else it offers is again protection against harmful UV rays which a lot of hair masques don’t.

Lipbalm. I get chapped lips at the best of times but on holiday in the dry heat the usually end up 10 times worth. Not this year because I ensured I had packed my life saving lip balm, Nuxe Reve de Miel Lipbalm which was available at Marks and Spencers however I picked it up for 7e in Paris. It’s thick creamy formula was amazing for keeping all cracking at bay. I put a layer on before bed and applied it throughout the day whenever I felt my lips drying out. Best lipbalm ever.

SPF Moisturiser. Although I do always apply suncream to my face, I always like to have a little extra protection in the form of a SPF Moisturiser. Last month I took away with me my Balance Me Natural Protection Moisturiser* which has SPF 25 in it. The formula is really light and absorbed quickly which is what I needed when in a rush in the morning. It is also specifically recommended as an anti aging moisturiser, which is important to me for a holiday moisturiser as the sun is one of the highest contributors to aging skin. The best part of all is that moisturiser is best for people with sun sensitive skin, I cannot recommend it enough if you’re like me and often suffer from sun related afflictions.