My personal biking essentials

No outfit post today, as I pretty much wore the same thing as yesterday (except for a different top), as my husband and I ended up going on another biking lunch date, our last one, as we both have to be at work tomorrow. Alas.

So, since I didn't want to thrill you all with my breathlessly exciting choices in tank tops, I thought I'd share with you some essential stuff that I've learned about spending much of this summer on my trusty bike.

The first is hair. I always wear a helmet because, hey - better safe than sorry - but it doesn't do wonders for my hair. My default is just to put the whole shebang up in a messy low bun (again, like you saw yesterday), but sometimes I want to cute it up a bit. And this is what I do:

I side-part it up, braid a bit, and tie the rest of the whole thing in a bun. When the helmet is on, the bun is low. When I'm at rest, I put the bun at a more comfortable place for me. What I like about this hairstyle is that it's made to be messy. It actually looks a bit better after having been messed with a bit than when freshly combed. My other secret? I usually just keep the braid in until I next wash my hair. I'm gross, I know.

The other big essential has been a bit of a revelation for me: sunglasses. I haven't owned prescription sunglasses in decades and I didn't think I needed them again, as I just got used to squinting when not wearing contacts. However, after multiple trips to Greece and lots of squinting on bike paths, in March, I decided to splurge on prescription Ray-Bans. Check it:

Smirk optional.

These guys have been lifesavers. I love them. I might even go so far as to say that I wuv them. They keep my eyes nice and protected on sunny days when I'm whizzing around on my bike (or just, y'know, walking around) and I look forward to wearing them when I next go to Greece and my eyes need all the protection they can get.

So that's two things of the utmost importance for me when out and about. What have YOU been finding essential?