Tallow is one of the main ingredients we use in our soap making, and is quickly becoming a popular skin care staple thanks to its many nutritional benefits and skin-loving qualities. We can attest how wonderful this fat is to work with… but do you know what tallow really is? Keep reading to learn more…
Tallow is the fat (suet) rendered from the fat tissue of an animal’s loins and around the kidneys- it can be from bear, deer, goat, sheep but most commonly used from beef. When the beef is butchered, often the fat is mixed in with meat to create grinded hamburger but there is often an excess. Our ancestors would certainly render the fat down and use it for cooking (an essential fat for their diet) but it was also a common ingredient to make soap with, as this is what was available to them. The fat was rendered down, by boiling and removing any moisture or impurities, and then combined with lye to create soap, often laundry soap. Although I am more precise in my soap making today, the basics of soap making are still the same as this and centuries ago. The chemical reaction of combining lye with oils or fats.
“The tallow helps create a hard bar of soap and a nice creamy lather. A desirable ingredient”.
I choose to use a combination of oils and fat in my soapmaking to create a more complex soap experience when used- but sustainability is always in the forefront of my business decisions. I do not use palm oil as I believe it adds to the destruction of necessary forests and habitats, especially for endangered animals like orangutans. I purchase shea butter that is certified fair-trade and directly supports women and their families in Ghana. And the tallow I use is often from a local farm (Flaghill Ranch) that has grass-fed beef and rendered fresh for our soap. When you think about how far the other oils I use have to travel (olive oil, coconut oil and castor oil), be refined and packaged... the local tallow is also desirable to me for its sustainability and low-environmental impact. Albeit, I used to render our own beef tallow while roasting soup bones after our family farm would butcher but I chose to hand that task over to someone else and support another farm. I stay busy enough with the soup bones and homemade soup… and handmade soap! And you can't beat collaboration and working with other small businesses. Please check out Flaghill Ranch, local to central Alberta, if you're looking to purchase their high quality beef products.
So we know the tallow is locally raised, sustainable and minimizes waste. But what does it actually do for our skin? You might be surprised! It is packed full of vitamins, minerals, and is bio-identical to our skin’s sebum so there’s little chance of reactions. Tallow is high in vitamins A, D, E, and K which are anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidants.
What are more tallow soap benefits? Besides producing a hard bar of soap that is highly conditioning, tallow contains omega-3 fatty acids, which benefit the skin’s surface. It also contains many essential fatty acids, such as oleic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid, which all help aid in skin hydration and overall appearance. Tallow can be helpful to soothe and treat many skin ailments and can also be made into high-quality skincare products besides soap. Tallow is GOLD for your skin’s hydration.
If you’re already a tallow-lover then you’ll have already experienced the benefits to your skin, but if this is new to you… we hope you will give it a try!
Enjoy all the tallow soap benefits with our soaps that contain tallow:
Peony (Coming in Summer Collection June '23)
Rhubarb Mojito (Coming in Summer Collection June '23)
