If you had told me a year ago that I would be moisturizing my entire body with beef fat I would've told you you were crazy! But, here I am, rubbing beef fat all over myself and my kids on a daily basis. If you're looking a little disgusted, or thinking I'm totally cooked then you're in for a surprise today!
What is tallow?
Tallow is the rendered fat from beef that is produced when beef fat is melted down. It is full of beneficial fatty acids and vitamins that our body needs to stay well nourished. Tallow was used by our ancestors in the homesteading days before they introduced toxic seed oils and chemical products into the system, and they used it for just about everything: cooking, moisturizing and healing skin, soap, candles, conditioning leather, lubricating machinery, and even styling hair!
Today beef tallow is used mainly for cooking, artisan soap, and candle making, and for those really in the know, for skincare.
- 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.
Health benefits of tallow
- 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.
Tallow Balm
Tallow balm is the most popular way to use tallow for the skin. Usually, tallow balm is made using mostly tallow with a little bit of liquid oil (like olive oil) to keep it soft and easily spreadable. Adding essential oils boosts the benefits of tallow balm.
There is nothing better than tallow balm for soothing, healing, and deeply moisturizing skin. Tallow can heal and soothe eczema, nappy rash, sun and windburn, and dry or itchy skin. The myriad of nutrients and antioxidants in tallow even makes it a wonderful anti-aging face cream.
Tallow balm can also be the most wonderful boost of moisture for the ends of long hair when used as a deep conditioning hair treatment.
If you are interested in trying out tallow balm for your skin you can purchase some here.
Here's to happy, healthy skin!