Tallow skin care is actually something that is centuries old. Today, people have been rediscovering the benefits of tallow for skin.
Tallow skin care
What’s so great about putting beef fat on your skin? Isn’t that something that ancient cave people did? People have been using tallow for skin care for centuries. It turns out they knew what they were doing (source).
If you’re new to the idea of tallow skin care, let me introduce you. Meet the ultimate skin healing and soothing moisturizer of yesterday and today.
Prepare to be amazed. The moment you put some tallow balm on your skin and smooth it in, you’ll see what you mean. It’s like our skin recognizes it and immediately puts it to use.
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What is tallow?
Basically, tallow is rendered fat, usually beef fat. Rendering is the process that melts raw fat and makes it into tallow. For my purposes here, I’ll be referring to beef tallow.
It’s also good to know that tallow from 100% grass fed, grass finished beef has the highest beneficial nutrient content (source, source). I have more information on what tallow is here, and I explain all the many other beef tallow uses here.
Is tallow good for skin?
Yes! Tallow is amazing for skin because it provides a rich abundance of beneficial nutrients that skin needs to stay healthy, soft, and youthful (source).
There are lots of reasons to use tallow for skin care. Let’s take a look.
- Tallow is a very healthy fat. It contains a wide array of all the beneficial nutrients that our skin needs to repair itself. It is the best moisturizer to use if you want healthy skin.
- Many of the nutrients in grass fed tallow help to promote youthful skin by providing substances that our skin naturally loses as we age.
- Tallow is extremely compatible with the oil that our skin naturally produces. It actually shares a similar biology. That’s one of the reasons why our skin is able to use tallow so effectively.
- Compared to plant based oils, tallow provides skin with very intense moisture. You will recognize this immediately when you put it on your skin. There is nothing better than tallow for soothing and hydrating dry skin.
- Tallow is not only great for repairing skin, but it also helps to prevent damage to skin. All of those skin friendly antioxidants and other nutrients keep skin healthy and strong.
- The natural antimicrobial properties in tallow help to prevent acne and breakouts. Tallow also contains powerful anti inflammatory properties (source).
If you’re looking for the best ever DIY face moisturizer, check out my tallow face cream recipe here. Get my tallow lotion bar recipe here.
What are the benefits of tallow?
Now that we’ve looked at what tallow can do for skin, let’s take a closer look at the nutrients found in tallow, and how they specifically help with skin health (source).
- Vitamins A, B12, D, E, and K are extremely nourishing for skin. This particular combination of beneficial vitamins is only found together in animal products.
- Alpha linoleic and linoleic acids in almost a perfect ratio of 1:1. These are also known as omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, and they maintain the structure and barrier function of skin. They are also helpful for anti inflammatory and immune responses in skin, including eczema and rosacea.
- Stearic acid and oleic acid are fatty acids that are found in the outer layer of our skin, and in our sebum. They are softening, moisturizer, regenerative, and anti inflammatory. Stearic acid helps to repair skin, improve the flexibility of skin, improves skin’s barrier function. Oleic acid helps the various beneficial nutrients penetrate deeply into skin.
- Conjugated linoleic acid or CLA has powerful anti inflammatory properties, and is also antimicrobial.
- Palmitoleic acid is a very active antimicrobial in our skin. It is also one of the basic building blocks of our skin, but it decreases as we age.
- Palmitic acid helps improve the smoothness of skin, and helps with skin’s barrier function, and decreases as we age.
Is tallow good for acne?
Yes! The antimicrobial, anti inflammatory, and skin repairing properties in grass fed tallow make it very helpful for acne prone skin.
The oil cleansing method done with tallow balm can be extremely beneficial for anyone dealing with acne. It combines the skin soothing and healing properties of tallow with the deep purifying of oil cleansing.
Of course, the condition of the skin is a reflection of what is going on in the gut. So, if acne is an issue, I recommend looking into something that will heal the gut, and eliminate acne from the inside out. Following the gaps diet is how I got rid of my cystic acne for good.
Does tallow clog pores?
No, tallow is noncomedogenic (source). Since it is so compatible with how our skin is made and our skin’s natural sebum, tallow works with our skin to moisturize, soothe, and repair it without clogging pores.
If you think tallow is giving you any issues with your pores, you’re probably using too much. A little goes a long way! Use just enough, and it will be perfect.
How do you make tallow?
In order to make tallow at home, all you have to do is take raw beef fat and render it down. There are several ways to do this, and I have some tips to share to make sure your tallow turns out great every time.
In this post on how to render tallow, I go through the entire process, step by step. My method involves a crockpot, which makes it very easy.
My favorite way to render tallow for skin care is the wet rendering method. This method is gentle and prevents the tallow from getting too hot, which produces a nice, white tallow that has almost no beefy smell. The wet rendering method also helps keep all the beneficial nutrients intact.
My rendering process also involves some purifying steps to further make sure the tallow is nice and odorless, which is perfect for skin care. Nobody wants to smell like pot roast, right? Check my complete guide on how to render tallow here.
What is tallow balm?
Tallow balm is the most amazing skincare product ever. It is simple, pure, and the most natural thing you’ll ever put on your skin.
Tallow balm is mostly tallow, with a very small bit of liquid oil (such as olive oil) in it to soften it and make it easier to use. You can add essential oil if you like, or have it plain.
You can have tallow balm in a solid version, or you can whip it up so it is light and fluffy. Whipped is my favorite! I have a luxurious and super hydrating DIY shaving cream with tallow in it here. I also have a tallow lotion recipe here.
Tallow balm for skin
You can use tallow balm for so many things. I love it for a full body moisturizer, anti aging and anti acne face cream, baby lotion, deep conditioning treatment for the ends of my hair, sunburn and diaper rash remedy, lip moisturizer, minor skin wound or rash soother, and for fading scars and stretch marks.
I like to use tallow balm to make even more body care products, like sugar and salt scrubs, lips balms with honey, diaper cream, sunscreen, and a heat protectant for hair.
How do you make tallow face cream?
I have a recipe and tutorial on how to make tallow balm here. It’s very easy!
To make an anti aging face cream, I like to make whipped tallow balm and add the Soft Skin Synergy from Plant Therapy. That essential oil blend is full of anti aging essential oils with amazing skin benefits. Combine it with the nutrients in grass fed tallow, and you have something truly wonderful!
If you want a tallow face cream for acne prone skin, I would make whipped tallow balm and add the Zit Fighter Synergy from Plant Therapy. It is full of skin clearing essential oils, and works so well with all the nutrients in grass fed tallow.
Is tallow balm greasy?
It depends how you look at it, and how much you use. The highest quality leaf fat from around the inside of the internal organs will give you the hardest, highest quality, most nutrient dense beef fat, with the smoothest texture.
Anytime you have beef fat mix with a little oil, you’re not going to have the same experience as if you were to pop open a bottle of commercial body lotion. But why would you want to use that toxic stuff?
Tallow is so much purer, so much more compatible with our skin, and works so much better than any commercial lotion. You have to try it to believe it.
If you use the right amount, tallow balm is not greasy on skin. I recommend using just enough. It can take practice to figure out the right amount for your skin.
When you use just enough, your skin will drink it right in, and it won’t leave a greasy residue on your skin. If you do feel like tallow is too oily or greasy, you’re using way too much.
Can you use tallow for oily skin?
Absolutely yes! When skin is stripped of its natural oils from over cleansing, it will overcompensate by producing too much oil.
By using a gentle cleansing method, like a honey face wash or the oil cleansing method, you won’t strip your skin.
A pure and perfect moisturizer like tallow balm will help to keep skin happy and moisturized, and it won’t need to overproduce oil.
Tallow verses lard for skin
Sometimes people want to know if they can use lard for skin like you can use tallow for skin care. You can, but tallow is a much better choice.
Lard from free range, naturally raised pork does contain a nice amount of vitamin D, but that’s about it. On the other hand, as we saw above, tallow contains a wide array of fat soluble vitamins and and an abidance of other nutrients. Tallow is the clear winner when it comes to skincare.
Tallow skin care products
As I mentioned before, I have lots of recipes on my blog for tallow skin care products. I think it is so much fun to figure out all sorts of lovely ways to use my all time favorite skin care ingredient. Check out my recipes section to find lots of ways to use tallow for skin care.
Tallow balm is alway the crowning glory of tallow for skin care. But another way I love tallow for skin is in soap. In this post I talk about all the reasons why you should add tallow to your soap recipe, and all the benefits of tallow in soap.
Another way I love to use tallow is as a deep conditioning treatment for my hair. Read all about how I use tallow for hair here.
Tallow Skin Care Recipes
Have you tried tallow?
What have you used it for? Share in the comments!
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The information in this blog post is my personal experience and opinion. It is for general information purposes only, that may not apply to you as an individual, and is not a substitute for your own physician’s medical care or advice. Always seek advice from your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding nutrition, medical conditions, and advice. Never disregard medical advice or delay seeking medical care because of something you have read on this blog.
