Are you a homemaker who struggles with self-care? Fall self-care rituals are an important way to connect with the season. With the days getting shorter and the air crisp , it’s important for homemakers who live seasonally to take a step back.
After all, as a homemaker, your job is to provide a sanctuary and a home, and to be a source of care and comfort for all who enter your home. That includes you.
A powerful way to embrace seasonal self-care is through bath rituals. Nightly rituals with homemade soaps, DIY bath salts, and intentional bath practices are a great way to nurture yourself.
In this post, we’ll explore some mindful fall self-care rituals and seasonal living practices. We’ll get into soap and salt making ideas and inspire you to relax and include yourself as you nurture your home and family. So without further adieu, let’s get started!
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Why Fall Is the Perfect Season for Self-Care
Self-care is important all year round. And Autumn bridges the gap between the high energy of summer and the chaotic holiday season. It’s a time to slow down, rest, and restore balance. The falling leaves are a sign to release what should be left behind in the summer. A bath ritual is the perfect cozy evening ritual to incorporate. For homemakers and writers who are devoted to nature spirituality, fall self-care rituals nourish the body, mind, and soul. Check out my Autumn Home blog if you want to tap into the season.
The Spiritual and Historical Roots of Bath Rituals
Symbolically, bathing is more than just hygiene. It is a symbolic act of cleansing. In many cultures, ritual baths were used to wash away negative energy, cleanse the soul, honor the gods, and purify themselves. Water represents purification; its energy is one of nourishing and renewal. As the darker half of the year draws near, autumn bath rituals are a way to ground yourself and invite peace into your soul. Check out my Spiritual Energy Pinterest Board or my article on the Buck Moon in Cancer Season to learn more about the element of water and its purification symbolism.
Homemade Soaps for Fall Self-Care Rituals
Choosing Autumn-Inspired Scents and Herbs
Scent and aromatherapy are the first steps toward a nourishing fall self-care bath ritual. The sense of smell is powerful because it invokes memory. When considering essential oils and herbs to make soaps with, think of the smells of the season. Spices like cinnamon, clove, or nutmeg and herbs like lavender, chamomile, rosemary, and sage are all powerful scents. And woody scents like cedar and pine ground you to the season. These scents remind us of fall and symbolize protection, warmth and renewal.
Natural Soap-Making Basics
Soap making may intimidate because of the use of lye. But beginners can start with melt and pour bases to start. Later, as you advance, you could move into cold-process soap making. Choose melt and pour soap bases like goat’s milk, beef tallow, shea butter, or honey. These natural-source soap bases align with natural living. You can also use natural coloring like turmeric, cocoa, or clays to give soaps an earthy autumn hue.
Can’t decide what base to use? Here are some benefits to help you choose:
- Beef Tallow: hypoallergenic, soothes and repairs.
- Honey: Soothing and gentle, moisturizing, natural humectant, hydrating, antimicrobial properties
- Shea butter: Rich, full of vitamins and fatty acids, deep moisturizer and good for dry and sensitive skin
- Goat Milk: good for dry skin and eczema. It has vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats.
Avoid artificial ingredients in soap bases
To keep in line with natural seasonal living, if you are starting out in soap making, you should be wary of certain ingredients that are artificial and potentially harmful:
- Parabens: used as preservatives, they are linked to endocrine disruption and skin irritation.
- Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES): They can strip skin of natural oils and cause dryness and irritation.
- Artificial fragrances: Use only authentic essential oils sourced from nature. Artificial fragrances are synthetic and can trigger allergies or skin reactions.
- Phthalates: Often hidden in fragrances, are thought to be linked to hormone disruptions.
Other ingredients like triclosan, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, synthetic colorants, and propylene glycol should be avoided as well. My Natural Living Kitchen blog covers more about natural living throughout your home. It can be a challenge to find melt and pour soap bases that don’t have these ingredients in them, but when you advance in your soap making skill, you can better control what goes into your soap.
Basic Melt and Pour Fall Soap Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 LB Melt and Pour base (any kind as long as it’s natural)
- 1-2 tsp turmeric powder
- Fall essential oil
- 15 drops of cinnamon essential oil
- 10 drops of clove essential oil
- 10 drops of orange essential oil
- 5 drops of patchouli oil
- 1-2 tbsp. dried calendula and chamomile
- 1-2 tsp Carrier oil (jojoba, coconut, etc.)
Equipment:
- Silicone molds
- microwave-safe bowls or a double boiler
- mixing spoon and measuring spoons
Instructions:
- Cut the soap base into cubes
- Put the cubes in the bowl and heat in 30-second bursts until fully melted. Or melt down in a double boiler. Avoid overheating.
- Add the turmeric to the base. It will turn yellow or orange depending on how much you use it. Remove from the heat if you are using a double boiler.
- In a smaller bowl, mix the essential oils with the carrier oil, then add to the soap base.
- Add chamomile and calendula
- Pour into molds and let set for at least 5 hours.
Always remember that pure essential oils are extremely potent and shouldn’t be applied directly to your skin. They will be heavily diluted in the soap base, so carrier oils are optional, but you can use them for extra caution, especially if you have sensitive skin.
Other Colorants:
Replace the turmeric with the following additives for different color hues. Remember to be careful not to overuse the colorant because it can stain your bathtub.
- 1-2 tsp annatto seed powder for a warm yellow to deep orange color.
- ½ to 1 tsp paprika: for a soft orange to rusty red color
- ½ to 1 tsp cocoa powder: warm brown to chocolate bronze
- 1-2 tsp madder root powder for a deep red to earthy coral color
- ¼ to ½ tsp Spirulina powder for olive green to earthy green hues.
- 1-2 tsp Alkanet Root powder for deep burgundy to reddish brown.
DIY Bath Salts for Fall Self-Care Rituals
The Benefits of Bath Salts in Self-Care
Bath salts may seem luxurious, but they are easy to make on your own. And they have tons of health benefits. They help relax muscles, detoxify the skin and restore mineral balance. They help add electrolytes and magnesium to your body. As a recent kidney transplant recipient who struggles with magnesium levels, Epsom salts have become an essential part of my bath ritual.
Easy Recipe for DIY Bath Salts:
- Dr. Teals (or any) bath salts
- Fine sea salt
- baking soda
- essential oils, herbs and carrier oils (like jojoba or coconut oil)
- natural colorants
For fall blends, think rosemary, cinnamon, orange peel, etc., for herbs and additives and cedar, pine or amber for essential oils.
How to Store and Gift Bath Salts
Store blends in airtight glass jars to preserve scent and freshness. Bath salts make an easy and meaningful gift as well. Label jars with Autumn symbols. Add ribbons and tie in sprigs of rosemary for a rustic seasonal touch. This is not only a DIY homemaking skill to practice, but a homemade gift for your loved ones. Think of your fellow homemakers who need to get into the habit of fall self-care rituals. Check out my Holistic Wellness and Self-care Pinterest Board for more self-care inspiration.
Cozy Bath Rituals for Fall Evenings
Setting the Mood
A scent-focused soap and salt routine is just the first step. As with any nature-based spiritual practice, fall self-care rituals are about engaging all the senses. You must create an atmosphere. Dim the lights, light some candles and create a sacred space. Add cozy touches to your bathroom decor and give your bathroom a taste of Autumn. Autumn florals & decor are on par. Check out my Autumn home floral and my spiritual fall tool articles for inspiration. Music can be optional, because silence can be potent as well. But if your bathroom has a window, you could sit and listen to the sounds of nature. If you listen to music, what makes you feel more grounded and spiritual? I like meditation, nature sounds, Celtic, Asian Zen, or Native American instrumental music, or I listen to my favorite oldies or hard rock. Soft jazz would work, too.
Make a cup of herbal tea like chamomile or lavender, or maybe some hot cocoa to add to the ambiance.
Fall Self-care Rituals Practices for the Bath
As you sink into warm water, set an intention. Meditate and visualize the water carrying away stress, worries, and negativity. Incorporate breathwork and let the vapors carry you away to lands within your mind. Don’t get so relaxed that you fall asleep!
After Your Fall Self-care Bath Rituals
After the ritual, I like to read right before bed. But this would be a great time to journal as well. Write the emotions and sensations that came to use during the ritual. You could also draw and sketch to express yourself further.
Bringing It All Together: Creating a Seasonal Self-Care Routine
I make my fall self-care bath ritual part of my daily evening routine. Most of the time, it’s a quick bath to wash up. I try to do a full bath ritual during the full moons. This is a good way to cleanse yourself once a month and incorporate the rhythm of the moon into your spiritual practice.
Besides during the full moon, consider setting aside time for a full evening bath ritual before each sabbath, to cleanse yourself to prepare for the festival. For fall seasonal living, that means before Mabon and the Fall Equinox and before Samhain. Check out my blog for ideas about how to celebrate Mabon with your spouse, or check out my Seasonal Family Traditions Pinterest Board for more Mabon and Samhain activities. My dumb supper blog can help you prepare for a memorable Samhain festival.
Embracing Fall Self-Care Rituals for Seasonal Energy
Fall reminds us to rest, release, and prepare for renewal. Through homemade soaps, bath salts, and cozy bath rituals, you can create a seasonal self-care practice that supports your body, nurtures your spirit, and brings intentional balance to your home.
Don’t forget that homemaking and nurturing your home includes nurturing yourself!
🍂 Which fall bath ritual will you try first? Share your ideas in the comments, and don’t forget to sign up for my seasonal newsletter for more homemaking and spiritual inspiration. You can also join our Facebook group to connect with a community of like-minded homemakers and writers!
