the first necessary beach item is a canga, or a cloth sarong to replace the everyday beach-towel. in fact, the classic cotton or heavy beach towels are not used in rio, as it is believed that the heavy texture would trap bacteria from the sand. 

instead, in rio cangas are used on the beach, very thing colorful cloths that are used to lie on the sand, to dry when coming out of the water, and that turn into skirts or dresses when leaving the beach. cangas magically become a full beach-dress or a skirt when properly tied around the body - these clothes can be made into 5 different types of beach dresses, ranging from full-body models to bikini-and-skirt versions, as explained on this article by the magazine m de mulher.