· By Aafke de Groot
The magic of tallow: why less is more
“HOW, that I’ve spent my whole life putting anything other than tallow on my skin?”
We hear that sooo often. And honestly, we get it. Our great-grandparents just used fat. Then we got decades of jars, serums, toners and peels. And still, more people than ever have skin that feels tight, stings or turns red.
Your skin has its own shield
The outer layer of your skin is a kind of little wall. The bricks are your skin cells, and the mortar in between is made of fats. That’s your skin barrier. It keeps moisture in and irritants out.
When that wall is in good shape, you don’t notice it. When it starts to wobble, you notice straight away. Your skin feels tight, gets red faster, flakes, or stings with everything you put on it.
What knocks that wall down
Often it’s just everyday stuff:
- a foaming cleanser twice a day
- soap that strips everything
- toners with alcohol
- peels and acids, “because you’re supposed to”
- fragrance
- trying a new product every month
All well meant. But together they take more fat and moisture from your skin than it can make itself. So you end up with skin that needs more and more, and a bathroom cabinet that keeps getting fuller.
Where tallow comes in
Tallow is a fat that closely resembles the fat your skin makes itself. That’s why it feels so familiar. It melts on your skin and sinks in, and you only need a tiny bit.
It also leaves a soft layer over your skin that helps hold in moisture. Not heavy, not sticky, just comfortable.
And maybe most importantly: there’s not much in it. No long list, no harsh acids, no fragrance. For a lot of people, that’s exactly what their skin needed: a bit of peace.
Of course every skin is different. If your skin is very sensitive, choose a balm without essential oils and try it on a small patch first.
How to give your skin a break
Want to give it a go? Try this for a few weeks:
- Wash your face with just water in the morning. In the evening, use a mild cleanser, or just water if you’re not wearing make-up.
- Put the peels and acids aside for a while.
- Press a pea-sized amount of tallow into your skin while it’s still slightly damp.
- And that’s it. Really.
Lots of people find that scary at first. And then they wonder why they ever had so many jars.
Nothing new, just forgotten
Tallow isn’t a trend. People have used it for centuries, against cold, wind and dry hands. It just slipped out of sight when the beauty industry got big. Now that more and more of us want to go back to simple, it’s simply finding its way back to where it belongs.
Curious what your skin thinks? Start with a tester.