Tallow: why I use it.

A few days ago I posted about all the oils I like to use in making my soaps and other items. One on my list was Tallow.  If you are not aware of what tallow is, it is fat rendered from suet of a ruminating animal such as sheep or cow.  Now, there are two large camps in sapmaking : the animal fat camp and the non animal fat camp. There are reasons behind each one.  I love using tallow in my products. And here is why:

Tallow is solid at room temperature and is white and odorless.

Tallow is rendered from beef fat. Now I don't know about you, but usually when I go and buy meet at the supermarket or grocery, I am looking for a piece that has some good marbling, but not a big hunk of fat on it. Why? Becasue i'm not about to just chomp down on that huge thick slice of fat. I want the meat. I don't want to  pay money for something I'm not gonna eat.  So, the thought of taking something that would normally go into the landfill, that gets thrown out, rejected, and making something useful out of it, makes me very happy. There is a growing number of people that are going back to the our roots of using not just choice pieces of meet, but are working hard to use the whole animal and that makes me happy. I think this is a wise use of our resources.  The less waste we have, the better stuarts we ar of what is given us.

Second reason I love Tallow: It is what our ancestors used to make soap. Soapmaking was part of the yearly chore list back in the day. My guess is it  fell along the timeline of fall, getting ready for winter. After the hog, cow or whatever was butchered, the fat was saved for soapmaking. It was not fancy, didn't smell perfumy and served its purspose. It was used for laundry, dishes and personal hygene. I love getting back to the basics and I love that part of what I use harks back to what my ancestors did. Keeping traditions alive over here.

Third: Oils and butter each bring something unique and special to soapmaking. Some bring a creamy lather or big bubbles. They can be more cleansing or moisturizing. They can be easily absorbed or sit on the top of the skin.  They also bring different properties to your finished bar. Some will give a soft bar of soap that needs very little rubbing to lather, some will give you a harder bar that lasts longer, but doesn't lather up quite as easily. Each is special, special, special. Here is what tallow brings to the table:
Tallow gives a creamy, conditioning lather that is mildly cleansing. It also contributes to a hard, long lasting bar of finished soap. From a scientific view, tallow is also very similar in chemical composition to sebum. Sebum is the naturally occuring oil that  our skin produces to moisturize and protect our skin. So having a fat that similarly mimics our natural skin oils is a huge plus. It's also non-comidogenic  (doesn't clog pores) and has vitamins such as Vitamin A, D, K and E.  Sound like a win win to me!

Now, there are those that have chosen to not use animal products at all. I respect that. There are some amazing soapers out there that have made it their mission to make sure and provide a wide variety of handcrafted products specifically following those parameters. For me, being in Texas and wanting to stay true to the ancestry of soapmaking in our family, I find this to not be a huge issue in my area. I do offer one soap bar that is 100% Olive oil and contains no animal products at all. But for the most part, I am more focused on the many benefits that Tallow brings to the table. I can't ignore the amazing results and want to provide that for my customers as well.

Summer Fever: made with Tallow, Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Coconut Oil

and Shea Butter.

Here is a link to a post from Andrew J. Gardner that goes more into the science and history of Tallow: www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/traditional-nourishing-and-healing-skin-care/