09/02/2026
BEEF TALLOW-what is it and how can you use it?
Our great grandparents were probably experts on all sorts of traditional ingredients, including things like beef tallow. Not only did they know where their food and other daily necessities came from, they probably helped grow or make them! We’ve lost touch with traditional foods and practices that were second nature to our ancestors.
What is tallow?
Tallow is simply rendered beef fat. The rendering process cooks the raw fat, and turns it into a hot liquid (or solid at room temperature) fat.
Why is tallow so great?
Beef tallow from healthy, grass fed cattle is truly an amazing thing. It contains a huge array of nutrients. These are beneficial both internally and externally. Here are some of the nutrients found in grass fed beef tallow:
•Vitamins A, D, K, & E, & B12
•Rich in minerals
•Conjugated Linoleic Acid with natural anti- inflammatory properties
•Palmitoleic acid (omega 7) which is one of our skin’s basic building blocks
•Palmitic acid helps improve the protective barrier function of skin
•Stearic acid helps to repair damaged skin, and improves skin’s flexibility and suppleness
As you can see, it’s a pretty impressive list of nutrients that benefit us both inside and out. It’s important to note that these nutrients are far more abundant in grass fed cattle than grain fed cattle.
McDonald’s French fries and tallow
Here’s an interesting bit of trivia: Back in the day, McDonald’s used to cook their French fries in beef tallow. At the time, it was widely considered to be a healthy choice for a cooking oil. McDonalds only stopped using tallow and switched to partially hydrogenated vegetable oils flavored with MSG when animal rights activists prompted them.
Hopefully you’re familiar now with what tallow is, why it is so beneficial, and why it is worth bringing back into our kitchens.
This post is meant to introduce the benefits of tallow for our skincare. Whipped or solid, tallow balm is a skin healing miracle you won’t want to be without. It might seem kind of strange at first to use something like beef fat on your skin. The truth is, using tallow for a skin moisturizer is a practice that is thousands of years old.
What makes tallow so amazing? Grass fed tallow contains a unique myriad of nutrients that heal, soothe, and moisturize skin. Let’s take a look.
Grass fed tallow Is deeply nourishing and moisturizing
Contains Vitamins A, D, K, & E, & B12, all of which are extremely beneficial for skin
Also helps to prevent skin’s loss of moisture
Contains conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) with natural anti-inflammatory properties
Has all of these nutrients that are found together only in animal products
Contains oleic acid (omega 9) aids other components in penetrating deeply into skin
Is antibacterial & antimicrobial
Contains palmitic acid which helps improve the protective barrier function of skin
Is rich in minerals
Contains stearic acid which helps to repair damaged skin, and improves skin’s flexibility and suppleness
Aids in skin regeneration for skin that appears healthier and more youthful
Contains palmitoleic acid (omega 7) which is one of our skin’s basic building blocks.
Have dry skin? Nothing works better to moisturize! Eczema bothering you? Tallow balm calms and soothes and can even clear eczema up completely.
Struggling with acne? The unique nutrient blend and antimicrobial properties of tallow soothe and heal even deep, cystic acne.
Diaper rash? Tallow balm heals rashes in record time. Tallow balm to the rescue. It works great for newborn skin creases and general moisturizing. Diaper rash heals very quickly with tallow balm. It’s a perfect all around skin treatment for a variety of baby needs. Tallow balm is even amazing as an anti-aging face cream. Too much sun? Tallow balm!
Tallow Balm can even be used as a makeup remover cleansing balm! (My favorite)
I could go on and on!
Tallow balm on its own is already amazing but combine it with essential oils and a Castor oil and you have a powerhouse!
My tallow balm is made from ORGANIC GRASS FED/FINISHED tallow, Organic Castor oil and a high quality essential oil frankincense.
