Tallow for Skin Care - Pros and Cons

 

 

Tallow is the new go-to for natural skin care on the internet. There are pros and cons for using it on your skin. 

 

In my search for natural things to use that don't have chemicals and poisons added, I might try tallow for skin care. I'm hoping to remove a lot of the modern things we use that are poisonous. Commercial deodorant with aluminum went last year in an effort to get my memory and clarity of mind back. I accomplished a great deal of that just switching to the carnivore diet. Shampoo with sodium laurel, -th sulphate is going soon too. I ditched shampoo a few years ago for about a year and it went well, from what I can remember. I don't remember why I went back to shampoo. I wish now that I had not done so. It's important not to get carried away and stress about these things. Peace and a less stressful life are important too. I change the things I can and I don't worry about the things I cannot change. Also, one thing at a time. 

Tallow can be very good for the skin. It has similar fatty acids, oleic, palmitic and stearic, that moisturize, protect and repair the skin. It may also help sooth psoriasis. That said, the composition of the tallow can change, depending on the age, breed and diet of the animal. 

It needs to be frozen for long term storage and kept in the fridge for short term use. It can go rancid, since it is an animal product. So these things need to be considered. It can carry bacteria, as well, if it has not been stored and handled properly or if it has not been well rendered. It has to be thoroughly rendered a few times to make sure it is cleaned of all meat which can bring bacteria with it. Rendering several times in water is the best way to do this.  

Tallow, as a skin care product, is not for everyone. If you have oily skin or are prone to acne, you should not use it. It does clog pores. 

It has been my experience that it is important to wash the face to remove bacteria and impurities before adding moisturizer, especially one with oils, like tallow. If you put it on your skin without thoroughly cleaning it first, you will probably get pimples. This can happen to anyone who uses any moisturizer without cleaning the skin first. Just water is not going to be enough to cleanse and remove impurities before using a moisturizer. 

So, with all the information above, I might give it a try. I have had success using vegetable oils on my skin in the past, but I have very, very dry skin. If you have oily, acne prone skin, I wouldn't do that. Ditto for coconut oil.