Many think that beef tallow is just for cooking (although a controversial topic), but did you also know it can be used on your skin?
I was first introduced to tallow for skin about a year ago when I went for a tallow based facial. I had been doing some research on a natural way of healing certain skin conditions. I happen to struggle with the skin condition - Rosacea, and thought that the natural healing properties of tallow would help (along with certain diet changes).
Rosacea (roe-ZAY-she-uh) is a common skin condition that causes flushing or long-term redness on your face. It also may cause enlarged blood vessels and small, pus-filled bumps.
The facial was amazing! My skin felt smooth, hydrated and the redness had subsided. Since then I have been using tallow based skin care daily and it has been making a big difference in the appearance of my skin (results may vary per person).
Now I am far from an expert in this field, so I called on an tallow expert to help answer some common questions and concerns about tallow for our skin.
Meet Bronwyn:
My name is Bronwyn and I was born and raised in Southern Ontario in farm country. Growing up on 5 acres meant learning how to garden and grow plants. My mothers mission was to find spots to plant all kinds of beneficial herbs and plants and that’s where my knowledge really began. I grew up and married a self proclaimed BC boy. After a few years stint in Alberta we moved to the Lower Mainland of BC to be closer to family. I have been a teacher in three provinces for over a decade now. My first passion, before teaching was learning about people, specifically from the past. I wanted to understand them, their cultures, their practices and how they lived. I always thought it was beautiful to learn and of great value. Oddly enough it’s now become very valuable because I use that knowledge gained in my products. Products and information can be found on my website
I guess to go philosophical, why not? Tallow is the rendered fat of ruminant animals, or animals that have four stomachs and it’s use dates back to the Bronze Age.
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Tallow of various animals has been used world wide in skin care, cooking, candle making, soap making, preservation, etc for millennia. The slow and low heat rendering process made a harder fat that was nutrient dense and shelf stable. It can last about 12 months or longer in the fridge or freezer. Old world practices would cut it with other plant based oils to get the best of both worlds and make the fat more easy to apply. These practices would also infuse tallow with herbs, flowers and roots of native plants, adding to tallows potency.
On it’s own it contains vitamins A,D,E,and K, high in saturated fats similar to our own skin. Tallow also includes natural sources of retinol and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) along with omega 3 alpha linoleic acid. All this to say that it helps support creating a a balanced state for our body tissue when used internally through consumption and externally through skin care. Healthy fats as you know are a necessity for healthy hormone production and function. So to be simple tallow can work amazingly when you use it in cooking practices and in your skin care routine.
Tallow translates to “sebum” and it is most akin to our own sebum, which is why it shows so much benefit specifically to humans. While new beauty trends strip the skin of that necessary layer of oil, tallow helps rebuild and maintain it. In winter months it adds an extra layer of protection to shield your skin from the elements.
Consideration: What changed may be a more informative question? These fats started to disappear from our skin care around the same time as our diets. Why? For supposedly healthier alternatives.
Will I smell like meat if I use tallow?
No, you won’t smell like meat! Many makers cut their tallow with a proprietary blend of other oils to increase workability and absorption along with the addition of essential oils. Even our own unscented tallow doesn’t smell like meat, and is a very popular seller among people who avoid scents or work in “scent-aware” settings and workplaces. Tallow has a mild earthy-sweet smell in my opinion.
Is Tallow a good option for everyone?
Like all products, everyone reacts differently. If you are using straight tallow on your face it may be too much for you skin to handle all at once. For others their skin begins to crave it. I would recommend if someone was apprehensive about starting a skincare routine with tallow to start slowly apply only once a day, at night is best and look for ones that are not 100% tallow and cut with an oil they already know their skin tolerates well. There are so many variations in recipes now it would be easy to find a nice blend. If you find you are “breaking out” up your exfoliation before stopping. Tallow is low on the comedogenic level meaning it doesn’t clog your pores. In my own experience, I found with good exfoliation and tallow use my pores have shrunk significantly. Also, that CLA I mentioned earlier is anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory which helps with conditions like acne. Giving it a bit of time and tweaking sometimes does wonders.
Why did you start making your own tallow based products?
For myself, it was a necessity. I sadly have had some health conditions to overcome and my diet, lifestyle and skincare played a huge part in it. I wish I knew better back then so part of my intention is to hopefully educated other women, so they can avoid my own mistakes. After studying Anthropology and Archaeology in university and getting my Bachelors in education I had inadvertently become a professional researcher. So I used this skill to deep dive into everything related to my conditions.
The real test came when I quit all things specific to my skin care, shampoo, etc and switched to clean products. As soon as an ingredient that I had been avoiding was added, I would know! The scariest now being an anaphylactic allergy.
But I got tired of the reactions, so I went back to the research stage for some things, and others I actually went to my Mom. Our “Chapped, Cracked, Work and Weathered” hand and heel salve is my modification of her families recipe, and she seems very pleased with my tweaks! Thankfully between my “formal” education and lived life experiences gave me the skill set to start making my products.
The sharing it with others came after a life changing experience that left me wondering “well what the %#}*! Do I do now?” And it was my husband who suggested I start sharing my products with other’s.
Common questions from customers:
Does grass fed matter?
Yes, it matters greatly! You are what you eat applies to cows too folks! We source from 100% Halal cows, so not only are they grass fed AND finished, they have a good life, are killed ethically and butchered properly.
I’ve been asked why Halal, you are not Muslim?
No, I am not, but the practice at it’s core is a valuable one especially when you are trying to dodge all the shady food and cosmetic practices going on today.
Will my skin look greasy?
Well that depends how much you put on. If your face is not absorbing the tallow and you look like you just ran the Boston Marathon, scale it back and bit, and then a bit more! A little goes SO far with tallow!
I could get a big bottle of moisturizer for that price at the store, why is it so expensive?
Again, a little goes a long way and you get what you pay for! But the beautiful thing about tallow is as your skin improves, you need it less, unlike conventional skincare systems that are meant to have you buying more.
I want to thank Bronwyn for all her valuable information and for saying yes, when I asked her to be my ‘tallow expert’. So much great information on the natural healing of tallow. Be sure to check out her website for some amazing products. She just recently added some tallow based cosmetics to her line. And follow her on Instagram for more non toxic skin care tips.
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If you are interested in trying tallow products but don’t know if it is right for you, try a small amount on dry skin, problem areas on other body parts like your hands, cracked and dry heels, etc and see how it feels. Tallow might just be your skin’s new best friend!
Did not know this! Thanks for sharing!
Very interesting article! I had no idea tallow could be used in skincare products and that it had so many benefits. I'm glad it worked for you!