The Beach Essentials Lauren Conrad Always Packs—Cute Bikini Included

As a true Laguna Beach girl (who still hangs out there on the reg), Lauren Conrad has her healthy beach routine down—and no, it doesn't require lugging around a heavy tote. (Save those guns for your beach workout.)

"I'm a pretty low-maintenance beachgoer, mostly because there are a ton of stairs at the one I like to go to, but I always have an oversized hat, water bottle, sunglasses, and lightweight towel," she says. (Her fave is from her nonprofit, fair trade e-shop The Little Market, because it folds up to be tiny.)

"I always have an oversized hat, water bottle, sunglasses, and lightweight towel."

And the thing she definitely thinks about before any Cali outing: Like most sun-chasing celebs, she preaches protection. "I always wear a cover-up, even if I'm just in my house in a swimsuit," Conrdad says. (That swimsuit is likely via her new, limited-edition beachwear line for Kohl's, LC Lauren Conrad Beach Shop Collection.)

Of course, it's not as simple as pulling on just any two-piece. (Clearly, her days in the Teen Vogue fashion closet paid off.) "If you want to be super-active at the beach, I recommend a halter top and high-waisted bikini bottoms," Conrad says, though she adds that her personal fave style is the bandeau because it won't give you weird tan lines. And she's all about that endless-summer, boho vibe. "There's just something glamorous about a lightweight caftan," the celeb says. "It turns your swimsuit into an entire outfit."

Regardless of what she pulls on, Conrad always pairs it with her SPF. She admits to going pretty heavy on the Alba Botanica sunscreen every day, all day. "There's a huge pump of it in my bathroom," she says.

Want to plan your own LC-style healthy beach day? Scroll down for her sun-and-fun essentials.

Conrad isn't the only Hills alum who's into wellness: Kristin Cavallari swears by these essential oils and Lo Bosworth launched her own feminine products line.