Find simple solutions to beach troubles. Your sticky sand days are over as your worries wash away with these awesome beach life hacks.

It’s summertime, and the livin' is easy. You’ve got endless days to work on a summer glow, wander over golden dunes and venture into foamy white waters. Almost everything is perfect, except for the sand sticking to your skin like a starfish to a rock, the sunscreen squirt on your iPhone, and the insects buzzing around like a crowd of tweens at a Justin Bieber concert. It’s 2017, surely there must be a way around this?

 

We understand the struggle. We’ve all had sunburn, immense thirst and the sand thing. We want to help you out with our list of 7 brilliant beach life hacks to cool your summer (temper):

 

#1. Sunburn

If you went a little loco getting your daily vitamin D through your epidermis and forgot about the sunscreen while playing outdoors, you’re probably suffering from sunburn.

Make Aloe Vera ice cubes for pain relief. Keep them in your freezer or take them with you to the beach in a cooler bag. Your sunburn will melt away as the ice cubes and natural treatment ease the burn. Re-apply frequently, same like sun block.

Tip: Buy Aloe Vera water and freeze in an ice cube tray. It’s easy and super cool.

 

#2. Sticky sand

Sand tends to stick to your body like a fish on a hook, or sosaties on a stick. The worst part of it all is the unwanted exfoliation you receive when your sandy legs and towel bond over some rubbing. Eina! It’s not a pleasant encounter.

You can get rid of your sandman exterior by simply sprinkling baby powder on your skin where the sand is. The talc removes moisture from your skin which allows the sand to come off more easily.

Hint: If you are allergic to baby powder or simply not a fan of its newborn fragrance you can stick to something more natural like corn starch.

 

#3. Mobile condom

Your phone is a delicate digital flower and rough handling, water, and sand can affect its performance.

Put your phone in a sealed zip-lock bag to protect it against saltwater and sunscreen. You’ll still be able to WhatsApp and do whatever tickles your fancy on your phone.

Hint: Buy quality zip-lock bags and make sure there are no holes in it and no sand in your mobile condom. You don’t want a scratch or a leak and we don’t cover defective bags!

 

#4.  Buzzing insects

We go to the beach to relax. We don’t want annoying hums and itchy bites to spoil our time in nature’s largest sandpit. The only acceptable sound is the one of crashing waves.

A harmonious, insect-free beach, however, only exists in movies like Treasure Island. Here in South Africa we deal with real-life seaside dramas: mosquitoes are part of our daily struggles.

Use homemade basil mosquito repellent to get rid of the bloodsucking bugs.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of fresh basil leaves
  • 10 drops basil essential oil
  • Half a cup boiling water
  • Half a cup vodka
  1. Throw the bruised basil leaves in a bowl with boiling water.
  2. Leave it to soak for 3 hours.
  3. Squeeze as much of the liquid as you can from the leaves. Pour this liquid into a spray bottle. Add the vodka. Add the essential oil.
  4. Shake and spray.

Note: This recipe can be used for both humans and animals but rather not on cats as they’ll groom it off and get drunk.

 

 

  1. No Stolen Goods

If you don’t want to worry about your valuables under the umbrella while you are gliding through the waves or enjoying a coastal stroll, wrap them in something most people wouldn’t dare to touch.

Use a spotless nappy and wrap all your goodies inside. Put the nappy in your beach bag and forget about the dodgy beach dwellers.

Hint: If nappy changing is part of your daily routine, don’t mistake the nappy with valuables for a poofy one. Nobody likes digging around in dumpsters.

 

  1. Cold bevvies

After a long swim in the salty sea, we all need an ice-cold drink to quench our thirst. Keeping your drinks cool on a hot summer’s day can be challenging. Coolerbags can’t always resisit the sun’s blistering rays. Sometimes a little preparation goes a long way.

Don’t keep your drinks cold by freezing them until they lose their fizz or flavour,  rather freeze water bottles and put those in your coolerbag. The frozen water bottles will keep all your drinks chilled for the day.

Hint: Put your water bottles in the freezer the night before you go to the beach.

 

  1. Broken flip flops

Flip flops save millions of feet from blisters and burns every year. They do a great job at protecting our feet whilst airing them but, unfortunately, tend to break between the toes.

To prevent your slip-ons from breaking, slip a bread clip around the toe post on the undersole. This creates more backing so the toe post doesn’t pull through the hole.

Tip: You can also use a safety pin, if you don’t have a bread clip.

So! You’re good to go. We hope you use these awesome beach life hacks to dive straight into the good life this festive season.

Feet up!