23 things you should have in your woman cave
Try these "me time" supplies ranging from snacks to joggers to wine glass holders
Homegrown Tales subscribers,
I made my vote very clear on One Black Woman’s Vote, and the amount of stunts that have happened since the results were called are about as disturbing and stupid as I suspected. It is extremely important to me to support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) products, black-owned products, woman-owned products, veteran-owned products and other marginalized groups that are being dismissed for simply existing. Although I have had an ongoing battle and now boycott against Target since 2019 (and did not shop in Walmart for about a decade until 2022), I do agree that boycotting a store may also mean boycotting black-owned products and other small businesses.
With that said, as an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I choose to continue promoting intriguing products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. All five of my Substack publications now include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site, not just the Amazon Black-owned logo, to verify this.) If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.
This post will be continuously updated.
LAST UPDATED: June 8, 2025
WHAT’S NEW? Addition to “Breakfast Nook Chair”
If you’re interested in reading more top 10-, 15- and 20 lists for your home upgrades, home offices, tech shopping and everyday living, click here. If you’re a pet lover, you may enjoy this collection as well.
First published on September 14, 2024
It’s not that you don’t love your kids, your significant other or your dog. But sometimes you just need a moment to breathe and do the kind of things you did when it was just you. You need a room where you can have absolute “me time” without everybody bugging you. Men have man caves, but sometimes women need a woman cave too.
You’ve already seen what a joint office is like, and you don’t want the same problems that Bernie and Wanda had on “The Bernie Mac Show.” Pen clickers are the worst anyway.
You’d rather actually visit a gym or jog around the neighborhood with your dog than to clutter up a room with weights, a treadmill and a row machine. You’re looking for more personalized items, stuff your girlfriends can help you enjoy during a Girls Night and feel like you’re back in college again — not the dorms though, the off-campus apartment. Let’s figure out how to get you back to that place with these 23 suggestions.
Recommended Read: “5 items women should buy to feel safer ~ The main reason I turned down buying one condo”
1. Cuticle Oil
Whether you’re a regular mani-pedi customer or not, cuticle oil is one of those items that can easily be forgotten until those little ashy spots on your nails, pieces of dry skin (hangnail) or weakened nail beds start to appear. Keeping a container of cuticle oil in your woman cave is a reminder to make sure to use this at least three to four times a day. If you’re regularly washing dishes or gardening, you may want to increase your use to one to two times per day after washing your hands. For really dry cuticles, try every three hours until your fingernails improve.
Recommended Read: “The battle with dry cuticles ~ Stop covering your hands, just fix your nails”
2. All-Purpose Wipes
While furniture wipes are necessary to keep dust and debris away, especially for spring allergies, skin-friendly wipes that don’t require you to need gloves are even more important.
3. Breakfast Nook Chair
Even if you don’t have an official breakfast nook with the large window to stare aimlessly out of, you need a comfortable chair to sit in. Use it to read. Use it to nap. Use it to journal. Use it to daydream. Just make sure you can snuggle in it.
4. and 5. Books and Bookshelf
Recommended Read: “Skip the book wallpaper, create your own home library ~ From book nook to full library, here are 10 supplies you'll need”
6. Hairstyling Accessories
Are you in the mood to try something new with your hair? Play around, and test some styles. Don’t forget to bring a mirror so you can check yourself out when you’re done.
7. Mirror
Recommended Read: “Can mirrors become wall decor? ~ Absolutely Top 10 mirrors that will wow houseguests and add style to your home”
8. Lamp or LED Lights
Use it as a night light, reading light or enjoy the lofty ambiance.
9. Plant Stands
If you want to flex your green thumb in the prettiest way possible, these shelves do just that. You can use them indoors and outdoors.
10. Fragrances (Three-Wick Candles, Essential Oils and Incense)
When you walk into the room, it should smell inviting. Even the best cleaning spray goes away. Try three-wick candles or plug-in air fresheners. While there are plenty of brands, Bath & Body Works is by far one of the longest lasting and slow burning. Diffusers are also a therapeutic option to make the room smell amazing.
11. Coffee Table
You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on an end table. Just try not to get so much furniture in this woman cave to the point where you can’t move around freely. Your woman cave doesn’t need to look like a replica of your living room but have enough for it to at least compete with a den.
12. and 13. Blender and Drinking Container
You can still go downstairs to your basement bar on occasion, but this is your time to try all those strange drinks you’ve been seeing in YouTube videos. If you want to take up Michael B. Jordan’s suggestion to make a mosstail, get a blender and try that too. Sip in peace.
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14. Wall Art
Recommended Read: “Creating stress-free, dopamine-causing, DIY wall art ~ Try these eight ideas to upgrade your wall decor space”
Your wall decor should be something that is very personal to you. This is your dopamenu, your time to find something that makes you happy to look at as soon as you walk in the room. Maybe it’s your old architecture drawings from when you were in vocational school or that one canvas painting you started working on after ceramics painting wasn’t your bag. If you want to go as far as creating your own wallpaper accent wall, go for it.
Whatever it is, just be proud of it — and don’t choose a portrait, photo collage or painting that someone guilted you into putting up. It’s got to be something you would’ve grabbed the hammer and nails for on your own.
15. Lounge Wear
16. Smartphone Mount
You don’t want to be fumbling around, trying to find your phone. Use a good smartphone mount for charging on a flat surface.
17. Healthy Snacks (Dried Fruit)
You can’t eat candy and salty snacks the whole time you’re in your woman cave. Add some oranges, apples and maybe even an avocado for guacamole. If you want to be healthy and go for snacks like hazelnuts, almonds and honey roasted peanuts, go nuts (pun intended) in the candy dish above. Fresh fruit in a basket is always a winner. Or, add this dried fruit to your water, let it soften and eat the slice when you’re done. It’ll have an amazing citrus-water taste.
18. Sweet Treats
Let’s be honest. Every single day isn’t going to be a fruit smoothie and tea day in the woman cave. Here are a couple guilty pleasures.
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19. Lip and Skin Moisturizer
Make sure to take care of your skin no matter where you are. That doesn’t mean just ashy ankles and elbows. That means hands, under-the-eye skin, feet and lips too, along with cuticle oil (mentioned above).
20. Pillow and Pillowcase
You’re walking a fine line with having a couch and bed supplies in your woman cave. If you’re single and just want a quiet place away from your screaming kids, go for it. (Make sure the babysitter or older siblings watch them so they don’t tear up your house.) But if you have a significant other, try not to get into the habit of sleeping in your woman cave. The goal is to have a temporary place to hang out and have peace. You still want to make yourself available for quality time with your significant other. But while you’re in your woman cave reading, napping and snacking, have a comfy blast!
21. Meditation Audio Devices
And while you’re taking that much-needed nap or meditating for mindfulness, you may need a little help focusing. Crank up your phone to a meditation YouTube channel and enjoy.
Recommended Read: “9 of the best travel alarm clocks ~ Window Shopping listicles: The shopping trip you didn't know you needed to take”
22. and 23. Shoe Rack and Combo Coat/Shoe Rack
While you may have a shoe rack in your bedroom and your mudroom, you may also find yourself with a shoe collection in here too. If your dog is a shoe chewer, a woman cave is the perfect hideaway for everything from pumps to gym shoes.
And the rest of what goes in your woman cave is up to you. If you want to bring your laptop, fine. If you want to bring in a large radio instead of smartphone speakers, go for it. Dance the day away. Or, if you just want to have a moment of peace where you can meditate with your favorite yoga mat and do absolutely nothing, that’s OK too.
Make sure to lock the door when you leave your woman cave though. The last thing you need is for your “me time” hangout to become a family room.
Did you enjoy this post? You’re also welcome to check out my Substack columns “Black Girl In a Doggone World,” “BlackTechLogy,” “Homegrown Tales,” “I Do See Color,” “One Black Woman’s Vote” and “Window Shopping” too. Subscribe to this newsletter for the now-weekly paid posts each Friday (as of March 16, 2025). Thanks for reading!