Our Tallow

Tallow is an essential skincare ingredient because it closely resembles the oils in our own skin.  After all, we are animals, so it makes sense for animal-based ingredients to be most biologically compatible to us! 

Many of our customers find moisturizing relief from dry, sensitive or allergy-prone skin with our Grassfed Tallow.  Because our unique Tallow is homegrown and in-house processed it is some of the highest quality available!

 

Benefits of using our Tallow include - 

 

Traditional - Tallow has been used as an effective skincare ingredient for centuries!  Our ancestors wisely used animal fats along with plant concoctions for a variety of skin and healthcare needs.  As a skin moisturizer tallow has stood the test of time because of its luxurious emollient properties.  It has been recently rediscovered for the important role it plays in nutritional bioavailability. 

 

Safe - We often say, "If you wouldn't eat it, don't put it on your skin!"  Tallow is as healthy to use on your skin as it is to eat.

 

Effective - Although most evidence for Tallow's effectiveness is anecdotal, there are countless reports and rave reviews on how well it helps skin issues! 

 

Nutritious - 

Our Grassfed Tallow contains significant levels of
  • CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) a type of fat that has been shown to reduce cancer, lower body fat and improve brain function.
  • Vitamins A, D, E and K.
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids, stearates, and other fats that promote skin health.
  • Antioxidants.

 

Additionally, ours is:

Home Grown - Most of the tallow we use is from livestock raised on our family farm in Monroe, Georgia.  Our ruminant animals eat a variety of cool season grasses, warm season grasses, legumes, and forbs growing in holistically managed soil.  Our tallow tends to be stiffer than commercial tallow thanks to its high naturally occurring stearic acid content.

Water buffalo have a broad palate, increasing the concentration and range of nutrients they consume into their fat.  Buffalo are heavy salivators and have a very slow rumen.  This combination of factors yields much higher nutrition than beef tallow.  Due to high demand we no longer have enough water buffalo tallow for all of our products so we include tallow from other species such as our own lamb and alpaca, as well as high quality grassfed beef tallow sourced from local fellow farmers.  
 
Another interesting tidbit about water buffalo tallow is that it is never yellow.  The yellow color in the fat of beef and dairy is generally considered a good thing.  This is an indication that the animal has grazed fresh forages abundant in beta carotene.  But note, this can be contingent on the season.  When this fat is consumed, the human body breaks down much of the beta carotene by absorbing it from the intestines and converting it into vitamin A with bile acids.  Water buffalo fat and milk, even when 100% grass fed, lack the yellow color because the highly efficient gut of this animal fully processes beta carotene into its most bioavailable form: retinol.    

Home Rendered - Our Tallow is rendered in our workshop using stainless steel equipment and stored in glass containers or non-BPA food grade plastic.

Hypoallergenic and Non-comedogenic - Our Tallow is rendered only from Suet (cavity fat surrounding the kidneys).  Rendered subcutaneous fats are often confused with or mixed with suet and called "tallow".  But fat drained off of meat contains impurities such as blood and other proteins.  It's not harmful, but not what we consider the purest or highest quality for skincare.  Additionally, pure tallow will not clog pores!

 

Expect These Additional Benefits When Using Our Tallow Skincare Products

Long Lasting Moisture - The emollient properties of our balms and body butters last all day, without the need to reapply.

Easy and Fun to Use - Our Balms fit the definition of a Balm, although we find it unnecessary and undesirable to include a wax in most products.  We do not call them "creams" because they contain no water.  Lovely essential oil scents in some products are intended to positively affect our mood and promote well-being.  We offer plenty of unscented versions for our customers with sensitivities, too!  Skincare is one of the best forms of self-care, so relax and enjoy the benefits of real nourishment for your skin!

Overall Improvement in Skin Health - Give your skin time to reap the benefits of the continued use of our products.  Many people report relief from dryness, itching, redness, eczema, acne, and uneven tone right away!