Most people hear "tallow balm" and make a face.
Beef fat. On your skin. On purpose.
I understand the reaction. Most of us have been trained to believe that skincare should come in a tall bottle with an ingredient list you need a chemistry degree to read, and that anything simple must not be working very hard. So when someone hands you a small jar with six ingredients and tells you the first one comes from a cow, it feels like a step backward.
It isn't. It's a step toward something your skin already recognizes.
Our Frankincense Tallow Balm has been the only moisturizer I've used on my face for more than seven years. It's the first thing we grab for a sunburn. It's what we reached for when my son was dealing with eczema. It was the only thing my grandma reached for as her skin got more and more delicate with aging.
That's not a marketing claim. That's our bathroom counter.
What tallow actually is
Tallow is rendered fat, most often from cattle. Ours is grass-fed. People used it on their skin, in their soap and in their candles for generations before petroleum-based lotions filled the store shelves.
The reason it works comes down to structure. Tallow is rich in fatty acids, particularly palmitic and stearic acid, and its makeup closely resembles the oils your own skin produces. It also contains vitamins A, D, E and K, which support skin health and repair.
In plain terms, tallow helps your skin do the job it's already trying to do. Hold on to moisture. Keep its barrier intact. Repair itself.
Plant oils are wonderful, and we use several of them. But there is something to be said for a fat that is this close to what your body already makes on its own.
What's in our balm, and why
You can read the entire ingredient list in one breath:
Grass-fed tallow, olive oil, calendula oil, frankincense essential oil, lavender essential oil, lemongrass essential oil.
That's it. Go compare that to the bottle of lotion under your sink. I'll wait.
Each ingredient is there for a reason.
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Grass-fed tallow is the foundation. Deep moisture and barrier support.
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Olive oil and calendula oil round it out. Olive oil brings healthy fats and antioxidants, and calendula has been used on irritated skin for a very long time.
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Frankincense, lavender and lemongrass finish the blend. Frankincense is the name on the jar because of how it calms skin and helps it hold on to water. The three together are most of what you'll smell.
Face or body?
After enough people told us they were using the Frankincense Tallow Balm on their face, neck and every irritated patch of skin they had, they started asking for something made for the whole body. After a lot of research and multiple test batches, we made the Tallow Body Balm.
It keeps tallow at the center and builds around it with local beeswax, shea butter, jojoba oil, and lemon and lemongrass essential oils. The beeswax adds a protective layer against wind and cold. The shea butter brings deep moisture. The jojoba, which is actually a liquid wax and not a true oil, is very similar to the natural oil your skin produces and helps keep things balanced.
The simple rule in our house:
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Face, neck and small trouble spots get the Frankincense Tallow Balm.
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Arms, legs, elbows, heels and hands get the Tallow Body Balm.
How to use it
A small amount goes a long way. Apply a thin layer to clean skin and massage it in gently. If you're used to watery lotions, it will feel rich at first. That richness is the point.
Use it every day, not just when your skin is in crisis. Skincare works the same way most good things do. Small, consistent inputs add up to results you can see.
If your skin is sensitive, patch test first on a small area before you use it everywhere.
Who it isn't for
Tallow isn't for everyone, and I'd rather tell you that than sell you something you won't use.
If you'd rather skip tallow, our Lotion Bar and unscented Beeswax Lip Balm are both made without it. If essential oils tend to bother your skin, know that the Frankincense Tallow Balm has three of them, and a patch test matters even more.
The takeaway
Skincare doesn't have to be complicated to work. In my experience, the fewer things you put on your skin, the easier it is to see which ones are actually doing the job.
That rule isn't just for skincare. It's the same one behind everything we make, from the bread bag in your kitchen to the wood butter on your cutting board. Simple ingredients, chosen for what they do, in products I use myself.
Six ingredients. Three years. One jar on my counter.
Shop the Frankincense Tallow Balm
Frequently Asked Questions
Does tallow balm smell like beef? What you'll notice in our Frankincense Tallow Balm is frankincense, lavender and lemongrass.
Can I use tallow balm on my face? Yes. The Frankincense Tallow Balm has been my only face moisturizer for more than seven years. If your skin is sensitive, patch test first.
What's the difference between the Frankincense Tallow Balm and the Tallow Body Balm? The Frankincense Tallow Balm is made for the face, neck and small irritated spots. The Tallow Body Balm adds local beeswax, shea butter and jojoba oil and is made for use on the whole body.
We're a farm, not a doctor's office. If you're dealing with a skin condition, talk with your healthcare provider. <3
