Why Are People Rubbing Animal Fat on Their Faces? More importantly, why are you suddenly so intrigued and curious about it? Folks are lining up to use beef tallow for skin, and the day we’ve personally been waiting for has arrived because we are so ready to join in on this conversation!
We’re talking about beef tallow for skin, a time-honored skincare secret that’s making a serious comeback. It sounds a little ‘running through the woods barefoot’, but that’s ok, because beef tallow for skin embraces ancestral wellness through a natural approach to skincare. Making it so much more than just the latest trend.
As licensed health practitioners, we are actually big fans of ancestral wellness because it emphasizes connecting our bodies to nature.
But where we really get hyped is with skincare! It’s about giving our bodies biologically aligned skincare, finding the delicate balance in our skin’s microbiome, and ditching the chemical ingredients that do more harm than good. So what does it all mean, and how did beef tallow for skin join the mix?
Is Beef Tallow Good for Skin? We say, absolutely! But we’re also set on explaining the ‘why’. We’ll be diving into the benefits of beef tallow for skin, and what beef tallow skincare actually does, so let’s open up the conversation a bit more…
Embracing Ancestral Skincare with Beef Tallow For Skin
At Grass Fed Skin, ancestral wellness is all about minimalist ingredients and getting back to our roots. The beauty of ancestral skincare is that less is more. It doesn’t involve overly complicated routines with too many steps to count and expensive products that contain a host of chemical ingredients.
It’s about embracing a simpler time when we took what we needed from nature. Long before brands went viral and tweens were rubbing skincare products on their faces in big-name stores, we sourced the ingredients we needed for our skin from nature.
Including tallow, the fat rendered from grass-fed cows. Recently, tallow skincare has started making a big splash. And, yes, everyone is rubbing it on their face. But why?
First and foremost, we’re here to tell you that tallow skincare does not, in fact, make you smell like a French fry (we’d also like to know who started that rumor!) and that it is incredibly beneficial to your skin.
Skincare made with beef tallow is nutrient-dense, filled with vitamins A, D, E, and K. It’s also remarkably similar to our skin. Actually, it’s so similar to our own skin that it’s 98% identical to our bodies’ sebum (the natural oil our body’s sebaceous glands create in order to moisturize and protect our skin). Pretty amazing, right?
Not all Beef Tallow Skincare is Created Equal
Ok, let’s get into the specifics now that you know how great beef tallow is for your skin. But, before we go ahead and de-influence you from the products sitting by the sink in your current daily line-up, what you need to know above everything else is that not all beef tallow skincare is created equal.
The Grass Fed Skin Difference. We’re ultra passionate about the kind of tallow that goes into our beef tallow skincare. At Grass Fed Skin, we use organic, grass-fed suet tallow. It’s the most nutrient-rich fat from around the kidneys of cows.
Those same cows are raised without hormones or vaccines. It’s the purest form of tallow, and we offer a powerful dose of it in each product of our beef tallow skincare line.
Curious to know more about the specific benefits of suet beef tallow skincare? We’ll break it down for you!
Benefits of Beef Tallow For Skin:
- 100% absorbable – no thick, heavy, or ‘greasy’ feeling
- Non-comedogenic – ideal for all skin types, even sensitive or acne-prone
- Loaded with vitamins A, D, E, and K – promotes skin regeneration and elasticity
- Naturally anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-microbial
What Does Beef Tallow Skincare Actually Do?
Now that you’re caught up on the benefits of beef tallow for skin, you might be curious to know how those benefits translate to actual results on your skin.:
- Nourishing for all skin types: Beef tallow skincare can easily penetrate your skin barrier and deliver nutrients to your skin microbiome directly, where they’re needed.
- Balances oil production: Beef tallow is 98% identical to your body’s sebum, mimicking your own body’s sebum, in a sense, which helps restore balance while nourishing.
- Rich in fat-soluble vitamins: Those vitamins we mentioned above? They are fat-soluble and create a smooth yet moisturizing barrier for your skin, leaving you with a smooth and moisturized surface.
Your Skin Microbiome is Hard at Work, and You Want to Keep it that Way!
Let’s talk about the surface of your skin real quick! More specifically, your skin microbiome. Just like your gut, your skin is made up of a host of microorganisms. Including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and yes, even mites (everyone has them, we swear!). Weirdly fascinating, isn’t it?
But before you run off and start scrubbing your skin furiously, you’ll be interested to know that all of those elements are hard at work, creating a barrier to protect your skin. See, your skin microbiome knows how to keep away pathogens (bad bacteria) and works together as one united force to control your body’s immune response.
Pretty awesome, right?! You don’t exactly want to disrupt this cool little ecosystem your skin has going on. In fact, you want to encourage it and nourish it.
Conventional Skincare
The problem is that a lot of what conventional skincare offers does the exact opposite of nourishing and supporting your skin’s natural microbiome. In fact, oftentimes, conventional skincare can disrupt your skin’s microbiome and strip it of all the natural goodies your body worked so hard to create for you.
One thing you should know about us is that we are label-reading aficionados at Grass Fed Skin. If you need a new ancestral wellness-loving best friend in your corner; one who is not afraid to go barefoot, talk about clean living, and gets hyped over a good ferment, we’re here to encourage you to get just as friendly with labels and the ingredients on your skincare. Especially when it comes to skincare products and encouraging your skin microbiome to stay balanced.
Skincare Ingredients to Avoid
When finding the right balance with your skincare, it’s all about knowing which ingredients are a hard no when you start browsing the label.
If you don’t yet have a ‘hard no’ list, don’t worry, we’ve got you! Here are a couple of repeat offenders when it comes to conventional skincare. These scoundrels are possibly the worst culprits and are commonly used ingredients in many skincare products.
- Parabens – can mimic estrogen, potentially disrupting your hormones and endocrine system.
- Phthalates – plasticizers added to skincare for texture and flexibility. Phthalates are endocrine disruptors and have been linked to reproductive toxicity.
- Sulfates – salts formed when sulfuric acid reacts with another chemical. They strip your skin’s microbiome, causing dryness and irritation.
- Fragrance – a vague, unregulated blanket term that allows companies to add as many “proprietary” ingredients as they want without having to disclose what’s actually included.
Feel Good About Beef Tallow for Skin
Isn’t beef tallow for skin starting to sound better and better by the minute? Needless to say, toxic chemicals and even ‘forever chemicals’ (chemicals found in skincare products that don’t break down easily and build up in our bodies over time) don’t exactly get us as hyped as that ferment we mentioned.
GFS is all about skincare products that align with nature and support nourishing your skin in a way that feels right to you. Whether you’re new to ancestral wellness or you’re ingredient savvy, we’re actively working to bring back what worked for the generations that came before us, with a modern twist and a commitment to quality.
Embracing Real Ingredients
Next time the topic of “why are people rubbing animal fat on their face?” comes up, you’ll have your answer primed and ready. We know it’s not just another wellness trend. It’s about embracing a low-tox lifestyle that pulls real, nutrient-dense ingredients into your hands and on your skin!
If you want to go from “beef tallow for skin curious” to lifelong devotee of rubbing animal fat on your face, you can pop into our shop and take a look at our Pure Tallow Soap Bar, or our Tallow Face & Body Whip. Both of these products are a great way to get started with beef tallow skincare!
