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1. A foot file so your heels are in summer sandal–ready condition. Rub gently and watch the dead skin and calluses fall like shredded cheese to reveal baby soft heels.
Promising review: "I'm not one to talk about my feet. I've had circulation problems for years that are just now resolving and that has lead to deep callouses on the heel of both feet. I bought this on a whim as I have tried other products in the past with no luck. Twenty minutes later I'm touching baby-smooth skin where there used to be deep cracks and rough broken skin. This thing is a miracle-worker and if I could rate it 10 stars I would." —Gully176
Get it from Amazon for $7.99.
2. A moisturizing hair treatment if you find the summer sun is leaving your hair parched. In just eight seconds — eight! — it starts working to leave your mane feeling silkier, softer, and smoother after washing.
Promising review: "It really works! My hair is brittle and dry, breaking frequently. I also live in an extremely humid area (South Florida). I never could get that shiny healthy polished hair look in the summer. Until now. I didn’t even need conditioner and it’s so sleek and silky looking and feeling. No longer dry and easily tangled. So smooth, moisturized without being weighed down. It did feel a bit warm when applying. I took care to avoid getting it on my scalp and just on the hair about an inch away from the root to the bottom. I have a shoulder-length bob." —Bonnie
Get it from Amazon for $8.97.
3. A Cee Cee's Closet silk-lined headwrap for protecting your hair from environmental stressors, like heat, humidity, and the sun in summer and dry air in the winter, and pulling your look together when you 1,000% cannot be bothered to wash your hair. The prints are so beautiful that you'll look fabulous no matter which way you tie it.
Cee Cee's Closet is a Black-owned hair accessories brand founded by sisters Chioma and Uchenna Ngwudo. Their designs are handmade by artisans in Nigeria.
My colleague Kayla Boyd swears by hers. In her own words:
"I have a head wrap and it is so sturdy, yet super comfortable. It does an amazing job of staying in place and keeping my curly hair out of my face. They are 100% cotton and lightweight so you can wrap with ease. I love playing with the different ways to wear it. You can knot it, fold it up, tie it in a bow, etc. — there are so many fun ways to rock these!"
Get it from Cee Cee's Closet $37.
4. A cold brew maker that'll come in handy if iced coffees are your lifeblood in the summer and you need at least two cups to get anything done.
It brews a quart (4 cups), so you should have enough java to get you through the day (and maybe some left over to share with your favorite coworker).
Promising review: "If you LOVE iced coffee (I drink it year round regardless of the weather) then you NEED this cold brewer. I work for Starbucks and I love our cold brew. I was skeptical to make it at home but I love it more than theirs. It’s especially nice since Starbucks only brews one kind of beans for cold brew, but at home you can brew your favorite kind. Absolutely love this and it’s worth more than it costs. A must-buy for yourself or a wonderful gift for the coffee lover in your life!" —j.blaine
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in two sizes and three colors).
5. A creamy paw butter because the summer heat affects your fur baby too. This balm protects against scorching hot sidewalks and concrete, moisturizes dry, cracked paws and snoots, and is safe if licked or swallowed.
Promising review: "One of my puppers is a super athlete who loves to go for walks and runs. She is about 9 now and the vet gave her a stellar bill of health save one thing: her pads were getting really rough and worn from paved trails and city walks and this may be uncomfortable, especially as summer comes and pavement heats up. I was skeptical about any kind of balm as I figured that it would leave a mess on my floors or one/both dogs would just lick it off their feet. No problems whatsoever, and after a single application, both dogs' pads are really soft and supple. Hopefully the dogs can feel the difference. I can surely see it and feel it. Also, the balm smells like oatmeal cookies, so bonus for that." —LRL
Get it from Amazon for $5.88.
6. A pack of washing machine wipes to clean all the nooks and crannies that get moldy, sticky, and dusty. Your washer is probably putting in a ton of work this summer cleaning bathing suits, sweaty clothes, salty and sandy sneakers, etc. — but it can still look clean and new!
Promising review: "These wipes are worth the money spent! I have tried other disinfecting wipes, rag, cleaners, etc. in the past. These wipes made the job much easier and faster! It only took one wipe to wipe my front load down. The biggest impact was cleaning the rubber surround! I could not believe how much easier this made the task...just took minutes! Life changing product!" —AmazSD
Get 24 wipes from Amazon for $4.98.
7. Or some washing machine cleaning tablets so you don't even have to wipe. They clean and freshen the inside while dissolving residue = great if you keep your washing machine open when it's not in use yet it still smells moldy.
They're safe to use with pretty much any type of washer: HE or regular, top-loading and front-loading.
Promising review: "I have been using bleach to clean my machine for some time, but decided to give this a try a few months ago. My very first clean with Affresh left me surprised and delighted for not only did it clean my machine, it eliminated the nasty smell that always transferred to my clothes thanks to a build up of mold I didn't even know about. Every month now, I toss a tablet into the drum and let it work its magic. Now, my machine is cleaner than ever, and my clothes always smell wonderfully fresh." —Kelli Crawford
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $11.98.
8. A benzoyl peroxide body wash if your nether regions are sweaty and swampy, causing buttne to develop. Benzoyl peroxide is an antimicrobial agent that targets the bacteria on your skin that causes acne and also helps clear out your pores.
Promising review: "OK, I’m in my mid-thirties and have tried everything under the sun since I started getting mild acne on my butt as a teen. I mean everything! I gave this a try half hoping that it would at least calm it down. Well, let me tell you what it did! The first three weeks it drastically calmed it down and cut the acne in half. A month later and I have A CLEAR BOTTOM!!!!! I am writing this comment because I’m in the process of ordering my second bottle! My husband laughs when he sees me now checking out my smooth and clear butt in the mirror! Oh the freedom that comes with it! It comes out like a lotion with no scent that I notice. I can use it on my shoulders, face, and butt. It’s not moisturizing but it also doesn’t leave you dry. I use a very light and sensitive moisturizer after use. Can be used daily!" —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $21.97.
9. A stainless-steel insert for adding ~pizzazz~ to the family's pizza night. This kit converts your charcoal grill into a fancy schmancy pizza oven so you can enjoy custom pies at home.
KettlePizza is a small business started by friends Al Contarino and George Peters.
Promising review: "I really researched and shopped around before I purchased this from Amazon. I cooked my first pizza on it and it came out like a pro!! We will be using this especially during the summer as it pretty much stay in the triple digits here (the Mojave Desert). I cannot believe it took less than 10 minutes to bake an entire pizza. I recommend that you go to the KettlePizza website to get pointers from some of the celebrity chefs that they have videos of. These pointers really did help me to cook a perfect pizza!" —Kim Suzanne
Get it from Amazon for $139.99.
10. A pack of underarm shields that'll soak up sweat before it can stain your shirt. They're also designed to stop odors so you don't look *or* smell like you just sweat through your shirt.
Promising review: "I love these. I have a few cute summer dresses with sleeves — eeek! The first time I tried the shields it was 104 degrees at an outdoor event, and I was sweating bullets! The shields worked BEAUTIFULLY. Not a sweat stain in sight." —Cosmic Girl
Get a pack of 24 from Amazon for $13.99.
11. A mold and mildew remover because you don't have a fan or window in your bathroom to let out the steam and as a result the grout and tile in your shower gets gross a lot faster in the summer (IT ME!!!!). With this cleaning gel you can set it, forget it, and come back in a few hours to see grout that looks like new.
Promising review: "You guys. I’m embarrassed to even show you this. The grout around our tub was DISGUSTING. It was never caulked right and it got gross very quickly. I would scrub. The cleaning lady would scrub. It would get worse. Well, I came across this in a BuzzFeed list, and this stuff made me curious. I don’t know why it doesn’t have 10,000 good reviews. Seriously. All I did was squeeze it on and walk away. I let it sit overnight. Check this out. Buy it. Like today." —KarynB
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
12. A talc-free sweat-absorbing powder to calm and cool any areas where sweat pools. It's long lasting and made with calamine, an ingredient that can help reduce irritation and dry sweat.
Promising review: "I can never review this highly enough. I've gotten at least five people hooked on it this year. This makes a HUGE difference with chub rub. It doesn't get rid of sweat between your thighs but it completely reduces friction. Great under your totties in the summer and basically anywhere that skin rubs. Get it." —Elizabeth
Get it from Amazon for $5.99.
13. An immunity-boosting allergy supplement so your poor pup can find relief from itchy skin and summer allergies. These soft chews deliver a dose of probiotics and other nutrients to help improve immune function, aid digestion, promote healthy skin, and add shine to a dog's coat.
Promising review: "I have a German Shepherd, Roscoe, that has had skin allergies every summer and spring his whole life. He'll chew himself bald unless we get him steroids from the vet. We've tried shampoos, sprays, creams, nothing really did the trick. I bought this stuff and his hair is growing back in and he can roll in the grass and not come back in and not chew himself raw. It definitely works for my dog where some of the other one I've picked up from big box stores and pet stores haven't." —M. Pfaff
Get them from Amazon for $25.96.
14. A clinical-strength antiperspirant if nothing else has helped tackle your excessive sweating. This roll-on contains 12% aluminum chloride, a compound that blocks sweat, so you can enjoy up to 72 hours of protection from endless sweat.
Promising review: "Just got inside from 80-degree weather. I CANNOT believe I have no sweat marks. To be dramatic, this is life-changing. To be modest, this is life changing. Haha. I was always so embarrassed going anywhere! No matter the weather I was always dripping sweat from under my arms. I was always so self-conscious, leaving parties early, known as the sweater! No more! I’m seriously so excited about this." —Liz
Get it from Amazon for $5.67.
15. An acne patch for slurping out the yucky from frustrating maskne. The summer heat = things get swampy under your mask. Hydrocolloid, tea tree oil, and calendula oil are gentle on the skin while still drawing out fluids and pus from your pimple.
Promising review: "This really works. Even though it doesn't completely prevent my cystic acne, it definitely does help reduce the swelling and make the cysts go away much faster. So easy to use and they stay on all night or all day; they don't slip off like other brands. I've purchased so many times and I will continue to do so. Nothing else I've tried works as well at treating acne, especially cysts deep under the skin, as this does!" —Kelly Dixon
Get 40 round patches from Amazon for $8.50 (also available in XL square patches).
Our Avarelle acne patch deep dive gets into the nitty-gritty — why they work, how to use them, and why 31,000+ people can't stop raving about them.
16. A Nivea sunscreen that'll protect your skin without feeling like it's clogging your pores. A good sunscreen is a skincare must and is an easy last step (or only step!) before you head outside.
As someone who grew up in the Sunshine State, I have a love-hate relationship with sunscreen. I have distinct memories of slathering goopy white sunscreen on my face before rowing practice in high school and hating how thick and greasy it felt on my face. TBH that's been my experience with most sunscreens; they're heavy, extremely oily (even the ones that claim to sink in quickly), and they always leave behind a white cast. Or they absorb quickly but dry out my skin, making any dry patches extremely noticeable.
This sunscreen has raised the bar, which honestly was like an inch off the ground because of how much I've been burned by sunscreens in the past, for what a sunscreen should feel like. It's lightweight but not runny, and it sinks into my skin so quickly without leaving a white cast. (Reviewers with darker skin also echo me here!) I am prone to those annoying little forehead bumps but this hasn't triggered any in the four-ish months that I've been using it. Plus, it hasn't set off any cheek maskne, which I experienced with other thicker sunscreens. At ~$14 it is a steal and I will buy all of it on Amazon if you don't snag a bottle for yourself.
Get it from Amazon for $15.36.
17. A mosquito repellent that creates a 15-foot skeeter-free zone because these pesky bloodsuckers have ruined far too many camping trips.
Promising review: "Excellent product that does precisely what it says it does. We have a large patio area and use one of these on each side of the patio. We live in South Florida and even in the height of mosquito season, we can spend an evening on the patio with these and not get a single bite. These are excellent!" —Luke W.
Get it from Amazon for $19.97+ (available in 11 colors and two styles).