Summer is the best — and the sweatiest, itchiest and hottest. Whether you love it or hate it, the season brings a host of issues to account for before you can get out and truly enjoy the great outdoors.
Luckily, Shop TODAY editorial director Adrianna Brach stopped by Studio 1A with a few favorites that are lifesavers during the summer. Hoping to combat dehydration? Brach's sharing her own hack for that. Is chafing under dresses rubbing you the wrong way (literally)? We’ve got an affordable fix. Plus, we found even more summer MVPs to help you make the most of the season.
Keep scrolling to shop the best Amazon summer finds, with picks starting at just $6.
Amazon summer favorites seen on TODAY
Summer is sundress season, but it's also chafe season. Avoid irritation, rash and friction with these thick, stretchy biker shorts. You can wear them for cycling and yoga or as slip shorts that smooth everything out under dresses, without rolling down at all. The pack of three is perfect for always having a fresh pair on hand.
Wrinkles cramping your style? Spritz this spray directly onto the fabric, give the item a quick tug and it smooths away any crinkles and creases in seconds.
"I refuse to iron if I can avoid it at all costs... especially in summer when I'm wearing linen nonstop," Brach admits. "That's why this wrinkle release spray from Downy is a must-have for travel or every day — I use daily for last-minute touch-ups and busy mornings."
With the temperatures skyrocketing, easy summer jumpsuits, rompers and dresses are all we want to wear these days. This one-and-done outfit is slightly oversized for a breezy fit and very lightweight. It comes in more than two dozen colors and sizes up to XXL. Plus, it has pockets!
With this gadget from Dash, you can make your own personal serving (half a pint) of ice cream, gelato, sorbet or frozen yogurt. You just freeze the mug for 24 hours, add in your ingredients and press the button for a delicious frozen treat in 20 minutes.
“My daughter Ella loves this thing and it’s so fun to make ‘healthy’ ice cream with her,” Brach says. “The process is part of the fun because we add mix-ins like fruit or candy... Then you eat it straight out of the mug or use the lid to store if you have any leftovers.”
Are you hitting your hydration goals? Experts previously revealed that women should drink nine cups per day, while men should drink 13 cups per day. These Liquid I.V. “hydration multipliers” contain nutrients and electrolytes to help rehydrate you faster than water alone (or those sugary sports drinks!). Simply pour one of the travel-friendly packets into 16 ounces of water, give it a stir or shake and your extra-hydrating beverage is ready to drink.
“There are 18 flavors to choose from, but lemon lime is my favorite,” Brach shares. “It is so good for a Stanley cup full of ice cold water. I also add squeezed lemons in it to make it feel like an extra refreshing citrus drink for summer!”
With over 80,000 sold on Amazon in the past month, this K-Beauty find is a mega-viral skin care product right now. The Shop TODAY team was ahead of the trend — the daily face moisturizer won in our Beauty Awards earlier this year, earning a perfect score! It's great for all skin types, with dermatologist-approved ingredients like niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, and has a calming effect that those with rosacea and acne-prone skin loved.
Amazon summer products previously seen on TODAY
Staying cool in summer is a tough task, but this “Chill Pal” is the ultimate hack to cooling down. Health and wellness expert Liz Plosser says to simply soak the cooling towel in cold water, wring it out and rest it around your neck, repeating as necessary throughout the day. Trust us, you’ll want to add this to cart ahead of your next beach, pool or amusement park day.
The Shop TODAY team has sworn by these biker shorts for nearly five years, and Plosser is the proud owner of a pair, too. She notes that the high compression waist is flattering, they’re not see-through and they don’t roll down during any activities, making them perfect to wear alone or layer under dresses in the summer to avoid any chafing.
Whether you're going on long walks or jogs, Plosser recommends this neat belt as a replacement for a bulky fanny pack or crossbody purse.
"It's like a secret belt bag to tuck in your phone, keys, earphones, credit cards and more during runs, hikes or any activity," Plosser explains. "It's so simple — flip it to keep everything tight, secure and hands-free."
This summer MVP is a chemical-free, smartphone-powered device that eliminates the itchiness of bug bites in seconds, all by using heat.
"My family owns one of these, and we don't go anywhere without it during summertime when it's peak bug season!" Plosser swears. "Download the 'Heat It' app, then plug the device into your phone's charging port. Select what settings you want then hit start... place the device on top of the bite and it will tell you when it's done!"
Speaking of, when’s the last time you upgraded your roasting sticks? This set of five telescoping skewers are compact enough to fit in any bag, but extend up to 34 inches to help you get the perfect roasting angle. The forked ends are sturdy enough for hot dogs and sausages as well as lighter treats like marshmallows.
Perfect for backyards, poolside, camping, beach nights and more, this portable campfire can provide up to two hours worth of smoke-free, odorless fire anywhere you go. Just open the lid, light the soy wax and paper, and enjoy the warmth or roast a few marshmallows. When you're done, just extinguish it with the lid.
More summer favorites to shop
Perfect for layering under hats or wearing alone, this discreet bandana promises up to four hours of cooling relief at a time. It works via evaporative cooling, so you just have to run it under water, wring it out and tie it on to chill out.
Your search for the best beach towels is over. These pool towels are made from a fine cotton and polyester blend that's surprisingly absorbent and dries quickly, all while taking up minimal space in your bag.
Pest problems? Lucky for you, our editors have dealt with it all and spoken with experts to help you cut straight to the solution. These fruit fly traps will help prevent and deal with those intruders, granting a dramatic decrease in flying insects in just a few days.
What do you get when you cross Tic Tac Toe with bean bag toss? This summer boredom buster and outdoor game that's fun for the whole family, evidently!
Humid weather doesn't have to mean frizzy hair. You can lock in your style with this hairspray that protects against heat and weather-proofs for up to 72 hours.
Ditch the parasol! This neat gadget makes finding the shade possible wherever you go, thanks to its ability to attach onto anything from camp chairs to coolers and even bleachers.
This Shop TODAY-loved tennis dress is stretchy and comfortable to move around in all day. Plus, it has built-in support, with a removable bra and built-in shorts
This tabletop zapper is the find you didn't know your patio, backyard or garage was missing. It's got over 20,000 ratings on Amazon from customers, who say it works great on mosquitos and other flying pests.
This popular outdoor chair has over 50,000 ratings on Amazon. It can go from backyard barbecues to game days and beyond, plus it rocks and has a beverage holder.
This could be the summer you finally get that outdoor pizza oven! The Ninja Woodfire oven has a ton of different functions so you can cook a plethora of treats in the great outdoors.
Meet the experts
- Adrianna Brach is the editorial director at Shop TODAY, with over a decade of experience as an editor covering beauty, fashion and shopping.
- Liz Plosser is a health and wellness expert who formerly served as the Editor-in-Chief of Women’s Health magazine. She currently works as a brand strategist and keynote speaker.
- Shop TODAY is a team of shopping editors and writers who spend hours every day finding the best new products, tried-and-true favorites and more finds available on Amazon that are worth shopping, according to our high standards.
How we chose
The Shop TODAY editors and writers searched Amazon to find the best products. We comb through customer reviews and even use our own personal experiences to make shopping easier for our readers. The products featured in this article were chosen by Liz Plosser, Adrianna Brach and members of the Shop TODAY editorial team.
As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think TODAY.com readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by retailer, not TODAY. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.
