A body wash has to earn its place in the shower with scent and lather first. In fall I turn the water down from hot to warm, because a scalding shower is the fastest way to dry skin out. I lather with my hands or a soft cloth rather than a rough loofah, and keep the shower short. The wash is where I pick a scent for the day, something woody or herbal once the weather cools. I pat dry instead of rubbing and leave the skin a little damp for what comes next.

Once a week, skin needs clearing before anything else can sink in. I do it in the shower on warm, wet skin, working in slow circles from the ankles up. Knees, elbows and the backs of the arms get the most attention, since that is where fall dryness shows first. On other days, a quick dry brush before the shower wakes the skin up without any scrubbing. I never exfoliate on the same day as a shave, and I always follow with oil.

Oil is the step that makes fall skin look alive under all the layers. It goes on the moment I step out of the shower, while skin is still damp, so it spreads easily and I need less of it. I warm a few drops between my palms and press it in rather than rubbing, starting with the legs. I give it a couple of minutes to sink in before getting dressed, so it never marks my clothes. On the driest nights, a second layer over the shins and elbows before bed does the rest.

Scent is the final layer, and in fall I want it warmer and closer to the skin. I apply it after the oil, because I like how fragrance blends with moisturized skin. Pulse points get a small amount, the wrists and the base of the neck, and I never rub my wrists together. A scented cream or oil underneath lets me layer a softer version of the same mood. What I want in fall is a scent that only someone standing close to me will notice.

Body care is the easiest place to make a routine feel like a ritual, because nobody is grading it but you. The products that matter most in fall are the oil and the weekly exfoliation, while the wash and the scent are where you get to indulge. If you take one thing away, make it this: apply body oil to damp skin straight out of the shower, when it spreads easily and you need less of it. Exfoliate once a week, not every day, so the oil has somewhere to go. Pick the scent you want to smell on your sweaters all season. Everything else is pleasure, and that counts for something.