The Centuries-Old Miracle Balm that is proven consistent even after decades of forgotten purpose.
Tallow as skin care has been trending hard for the last few years. It is seeing a major revival ever since big agra has been aggressively swallowing up family farms globally for “sustainability”. The Climate Change scam has been the golden ticket to bankrupting family farms with sustainablity conssessions against fuel use, to cull cattle stock from cow farts and massive clear-cutting of healthy established forests because carbon-sequestering trees, gasoline and cow farts are apparently the enemy, while private jets are very much the norm for self-important billionaires. So naturally, nose to tail use of the animal is no longer an out of date idea, especially where it comes to skin care.
As part of my own deep-dive into fats, I’ve been reading The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz (Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2015). This is a very long-winded, but thoughroughly and extremely well researched book that delves into the importance of fat in our diet, the origins and establishment of snakey diet research that has put our health at risk from seed/vegetable fats, and that reiterate how important animal fats are for our physiological and mental health with meat, poultry and dairy fats. I would go further to say that organic, pasture raised, grass finished is the absolute ideal, and now more accessible than ever. The first grass fed/finished I ever enjoyed was from TK Ranch in Alberta. It melted in my mouth. Since coming back, I have been hungry for local organic producers in Ontario and have been very successful. Any farmer’s market vender that sell certified organic meat and meat products can make custom orders, so if you are looking to access better meat, start there. Back to tallow…
Tallow is generally made from beef suet (beef kidney fat). It can also be sourced from sheep, or deer. Rendered fat from a pig is lard. It has a totally different smell and taste than that of cow or sheep. Fat derived from all mamals, has a connection to every culture’s identity with a breadth of use for skin, food, and fuel for centuries as survival would necessitate nose-to-tail use with scant waste. Even the bowels are used to this day. Documented global studies both old and new now illustrate precisely how fats are optimal for balancing our skin, our brain, our metabolic health, making meat fat the most sustainable, dense and diverse means of energy available.
With the onset of the tallow trend, getting good resources can be tricky. I searched Anthropology and tallow, or fats and skin care middle ages, soap in the middle ages. With a little patience and persistence, I got a host of good references, ranging from NCIB study, to Mayo Clinic, and some more entertaining sites that make reference to it like Midieval Britain, and more factual historical rundown at the Wiley Online Library by The Cochrane Library.
Tallow contains both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats loaded with fat-soluble vitamins that are vital for immune support, bone health, cellular function and skin health, quoting directly from Mayo Clinic (linked above). These vitamins consist of vitamin D, E, A, K, B12, oliec acid, omega-3 and 6, zinc and, most importantly, CLA (Conjugated linoleic acid). CLA prevents arterial plaque buildup.
These days, it has most commonly been known as a cooking oil; it has a melting point of 100℉ and an impressive smoke point of 400-420℉, which means it has an incredible heat stablitiy and high oxidtion point. These fats are not prone to breaking down from high heat. As Dorothy Hartley refernced in her book, Food in England, A Complete Guide to the Food that Makes Us Who We Are (Macdonald, 1954, Little Brown Book Group, 2006) The suet was so stable, it was used to seal the bread ovens for baking and cooking meals that required time over the heat.
The flexibilty of tallow is unbeatable. The fat profiles closest to human fat and sebum. It contains necessary cholesterols and above mentioned vitamins that help to rejuvinate cell structure, tissue repair, neutralize free radicals, and support our skin’s elasticity. (Mayo Clinic) I will caution you to understand that this does NOT change or remedy autoimune conditions that affect the skin. That is strictly an internal issue that requires assistance and dietary maintenance with your naturopathic doctor and family doctor. This also will not stop acne production from hormonal flares experienced during periods, PMS or menopause. However, as it moisturizes the skin, it repairs scarring, dryness, evens out combination and sensitivities. Since making and using it my self, I have completely replaced all of my skin creams. For the first time, I have something for my body and face and flare-ups. Others who have tested my formula with various skin ailments and skin types all have seen positive results.
I am not a scientist, dermatologist or cosmetician by profession. I am a mother who has had t live with a child with painful eczema, that was subjected to endless use of hydrocortizone steroids. With relentless use, it had irreparable damage to the pigments in my daughter’s skin. Had I known about tallow and just how amazing it was during single-motherhood, my daughter would have had a different childhood, I would have saved a bundle on all those allopathic steroid creams or “intensive” moisturizers.
Want some of your own? Look for tallow that has been made from grass fed, pasture raised grass finished, and organic suet. You can get by with conventional, but the most nutrient dense is what I have described above. Transparency on additional ingredients is also important. Wet rendered is fine, but dry rendered is best, as the shelf life will endure longer. It will also have a golden hue; this is the normal colour of fat. If you want it a different colour, be warned that you may be asking for unecessary ingredients to be added, and you want an it to be as unadulturated as possible. Typically, its good for 6months from the day it’s made, depending on scents, additives, purity of source, etc.
As it turns out, I have made a restock of tallow skin lotion. This is dry rendered, sourced locally from an organic, regenerative farm that is grass fed and finished, Jojoba oil, Hexane-free castor oil, and scented with Frankencense and Lavender. At just 4ounces, this cream gives up to 4 weeks coverage from head to toe, depending on your size, and helps to quickly release and heal skin from symptoms of eczema and psoriasis, scarring, rashes and severely dry skin.
Join thousands who have decided to take tallow to task after years (decades for some!) of the worst skin care they’ve ever endured and wondered why this was never available before.