Why is Tallow So Beneficial For Skin?
I will explain why tallow is the superior skincare ingredient, what it can be used for, share a my DIY tallow recipe, and introduce my own hand-crafted tallow product with discount code (bottom of page)!
WHAT IS TALLOW?
Tallow is rendered beef fat or suet. Rendering is the process of melting down fat to seperate solids/impurities from the fat itself. This process makes the fat shelf stable, white in color, and almost odorless. Tallow has been used for thousands of years. It is well known for its healing properties, as well as its vitamin A, D, E, K & B12 and CLA fatty acid content.
USES FOR TALLOW:
Tallow has been used for cooking, soap and candle making, leather conditioning, skincare products, as well as a natural skin healing product. Tallow is a wonderful product to have in your home due to its many purposes. It is a wonderful non-toxic, completely natural alternative to all of the toxic household essentials we have to buy. Tallow can be used for:
Cooking: I use tallow for most of these reasons, especially cooking. It is a great cooking essential! You can use it for frying and searing meat and vegetables and putting it in your baked goods such as pie crusts, biscuits, and even cookies. I even saw someone make chocolate by using tallow instead of using cacao butter or coconut oil.
Soaps: Tallow has been used in soap making for quit some time. It can be mixed with lye to make the fat into a lathery soap. I use it for my face and body and it is just divine. I also use a tallow dish soap to pretreat laundry stains. It works great!
Candles/Lamps: Tallow has been used to make candles and was also used to fuel lamps for miners as well as street lamps. Tallow solidifies at cooler temps so it can be combined with other waxes to make candles and keep candle wicks lit.
Leather Conditioning: Leather is made from animal skin so tallow is the best moisturizer for it. It is absorbed beautifully into the leather fibers and keeps it soft and water resistant.
Skincare/Healing: I personally use tallow balm for my entire body, including my face. You would think that applying animal fat to your face would cause you to break out, but it’s the complete opposite. Tallow is purified so the meaty smell is removed and there are no solids or impurities left. It is a clean, natural, & beautiful moisturizer for your entire body. I use it on my face in the morning and anywhere I have dry skin. It is also great for wrinkles and fine lines! Don’t forget the little ones either! Tallow is a wonderful and safe body moisturizer and healer for diaper rash, eczema, chapped lips, and cradle cap. It is the only moisturizer my oldest daughter’s skin can handle. It doesn’t sting and it has amazing healing properties. When I apply this to my little one’s diaper rash it is healed by the end of the night or the next day. It’s amazing stuff!
TALLOW IS THE SUPERIOR SKINCARE INGREDIENT (My personal Eczema story)
I found out about tallow 3 years ago when I was struggling with eczema on my hand. It randomly showed up after I had my second baby and it would never go away. I tried so many creams and lotions! Nothing helped. I worked in the medical field and continual hand washing made it worse and worse. So I continued to live with it for the next 2 years until I read an article about the healing powers about tallow. I was very interested in what it was and how beef fat could be used on skin. I continued to read many success stories so I decided to purchase my first product.
When I first applied the tallow to my hand it was like nothing I’ve felt before. It was soothing, and nourishing. My hand soaked it right up! Within just a day my eczema wasn’t red and inflamed. It was beginning to heal! With continued use my eczema continued to fade away. I carried it everywhere I went. I now rarely get eczema flare ups, and when I do I put my tallow on and it is cleared within a week or so.
I continue to use tallow everyday! I will never go back to commercially made skincare products that sting, don’t absorb into the skin, and are filled with questionable ingredients.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN TALLOW BALM
All tallow balms are NOT created equal. I’ve seen many brands and have tried a lot of different balms. You want to make sure you are getting a good quality tallow and ingredients. You also want to make sure you are getting mostly tallow in your balm instead of cheaper oils like coconut. If you have skin sensitivities make sure you purchase a tallow balm without added fragrances. I learned this the hard way from buying good quality tallow balm but it was made with essential oils and it only continued to make my eczema symptoms worse. *Essential oils are wonderful natural fragrances if your skin can handle them. I use an unscented tallow balm with just tallow and carrier oil such as olive oil, avocado, or jojoba oil. Lastly, make sure your tallow balm doesn’t smell like meat/beef. There is a slight fat scent (many people like the smell of good-quality tallow) in tallow but it should never smell off putting or sour.
WHERE TO BUY TALLOW SKINCARE
Tallow has become a very popular skincare product and for good reasons. Some tried and true brands I have tried are Pretty Farm Girl and Toups and Co. I also make my own tallow body cream and I source my grass-fed beef suet from local farms here in Pennsylvania. I render and purify it myself and I add hand-crafted organic herbal infusions like vanilla bean and lavender flowers. Check out my store!
I wish you happy & healthy skin!
References
BBC. (n.d.) Tallow Lamp. https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/j5Ciq9YBT56GBH1TtPagxA
