My Journey to Tallow Skincare - Why I Started Tallow Nation

My Journey to Tallow Skincare - Why I Started Tallow Nation - Tallow Nation

MY JOURNEY TO TALLOW SKINCARE

I'm a chef, qualified nutritionist, and mother of four, and through both my professional and personal life, I've learned that healthy skin isn't just about what we apply, its also influenced by what we nourish our bodies with. That belief has shaped my approach to both diet and skincare. While a nourishing balm / moisturiser can help support the skin's natural barrier and relieve dryness, more persistent skin concerns may benefit from taking a broader look at overall lifestyle, including diet.

Happy family with mum, dad and child preparing a healthy lunch

A balanced diet that supports a healthy gut microbiome plays an important role in overall well-being, including skin health.

For many people - Reducing:

  • Ultra-processed foods, i.e. packaged snacks, instant noodles, sugary cereals, processed meats
  • Refined sugars, i.e. soft drinks, confectionery, cakes, ice-cream, sweetened yoghurt
  • Refined wheat, i.e. bread, pasta, pizza bases - products made with refined white flour
  • Heavily processed industrial seed oils, i.e. soybean, canola, sunflower and corn oils, which are often grown using pesticides
    Ultra-processed factory made cereal rolling on conveyer belt with five employees wearing protective gear

While choosing more whole, nutrient-dense foods may help support healthier-looking skin.

It's important to take a holistic approach to health, because looking after your overall well-being can also influence the health and appearance of your skin.

This Includes:

  • Diet - nourishing your body with whole, nutrient-dense foods
  • Exercise - supporting circulation and overall well-being
  • Sleep - giving your body time to rest, repair and regenerate
  • Stress - finding healthy ways to manage ongoing stress
  • Outlook on life - having a purpose, connection and things that bring you joy
    five colum healthy lifestyle picture, includes, healthy food, man running, woman sleeping, man stressed and woman happy with children

Your skin doesn't exist in isolation. It's part of you, and caring for your whole body is an important part of caring for your skin.

Some ingredients applied to the skin can be absorbed to varying degrees. This reinforced my desire to create skincare using simple, nutrient-rich ingredients and without unnecessary additives.

As our body's largest organ, the skin deserves the same thoughtful approach as the food we eat.

I like to think of Tallow Nation skincare as food for your skin!

For years, I've struggled with combination skin prone to blemishes. My face could feel oily around my forehead and nose, yet at the same time dry and irritated on my cheeks. Most skincare products either stripped away too much oil, leaving my skin feeling tight, dry and dehydrated, or overloaded it with moisture that felt heavy and greasy. Like many people with problem skin, I found myself stuck in a perpetual cycle of over-cleansing, layering many unnecessary products, and constantly searching for something that would actually balance my skin. 

Lady looking in mirror with irritated skin looking unhappy with her skin

Through this journey I also became increasingly aware of the countless chemicals we are exposed to every day through our environment, whether from:

  • Pesticides in food
  • Air pollution and industrial emissions
  • Contaminants in water
  • Environmental pollutants

Many of which are beyond our control.

This led me to reflect on the things that were within my control, particularly the products I apply to my skin every day. I wanted to reduce my exposure to ingredients I personally prefer to avoid, such as:

  • Synthetic fragrances - Often made from complex blends of fragrance chemicals
  • Phthalates - commonly used as fragrance solvents and fixatives in some personal-care products
  • Paraffins - petroleum-derived ingredients commonly used as occlusive agents
  • Other unnecessary additives - ingredients I don't feel are essential to effective skincare

Through this process, I discovered the unique qualities of combining grass-fed beef tallow and jojoba oil, particularly their rich lipid composition and suitability for simple, nourishing skincare formulations.

Beef tallow in a glass bowl and jojoba oil in a bottle sitting on kitchen bench near window

By formulating skincare with minimal, clean ingredients, I chose to embrace a simpler, more mindful approach to tallow skincare, focusing on:

  • Quality - careful selected ingredients and thoughtful formulations
  • Transparency - knowing exactly what goes into every product
  • Ingredients I know and trust - chosen with purpose, not just to increase profit margins

What surprised me most was how these traditional, nutrient-rich ingredients seemed to work with my skin rather than against it. Instead of feeling stripped or overloaded, my skin appeared clearer, felt calmer, softer and more balanced. 

Lady looking in mirrow and feeling happy with the condition of her skin

What began as a personal search for better skincare soon grew into a fascination with traditional, thoughtfully made products. As I learned more about the versatility of tallow, I began creating and sourcing other everyday essentials made with the same philosophy of simplicity and quality.

Today, our collection includes tallow-based face balms, lip balms, soaps, and handcrafted candles, with more thoughtfully crafted products on the horizon, including the humble potato chip cooked in beef tallow - a traditional alternative to modern vegetable and seed oils.

Angelina

Founder of Tallow Nation