We’ve gotten some mixed feedback on our choice to remove essential oils from our
products in favor of using the whole herb. There are many reasons for this decision
but today I want to tackle one of the biggest concerns: scent.
As a culture we have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with fragrances and scents.
While part of this is probably instinctual, our noses do after all protect us in many
ways particularly when it comes to food, in this current age much of it has become a stumbling block. I get it, I can appreciate a good bath with some quality soap or a
shampoo that leaves my hair subtly scented when I get out of the shower. I’m not at
all immune to the desire to smell good.
Because our noses become desensitized to smell via olfactory fatigue this means
that we need more and more of a scent to be able to smell it anymore. (Try this
experiment: stop wearing perfume everyday for a week and then put it on again and
notice how strong it smells to you or even how strong someone else’s perfume
smells!) This helps us to avoid sensory overload!- as you can imagine!)
We realize we are stepping on many peoples’ toes when we made the decision to
remove essential oils from our tallow whips and salves: It seems like people have
readily bought into this idea that essential oils can cure anything and they smell
really good to boot! But after extensive research and trial-and-error we couldn’t
continue using them in our tallow products in good conscience. This meant that our
products would definitely not have as strong of a scent and thereby some may even
get a hint of “tallowy” scent in their whips and salves. So what was so compelling that we made the decision to switch?
Tallow is something many people turn their noses up at. Not necessarily because of
scent, but mostly because the idea of using an animal fat on your skin is just such a
foreign concept. This is just one example of how far away our culture has come
from ancestral wisdom. The original skincare of our ancestors was primarily animal
fats! This was readily available and was very stable on top of being extremely
effective, especially for the myriad of harsh conditions their skin would have had to
endure (extreme heat, extreme cold, harsh sun and wind, etc..
In reality, the oils of the ancient and Biblical times would most likely have been infused oils. These contain small amounts of volatile oils (which is what essential oils are mostly made up of) but also the broader spectrum of the plants constituents.
Why? Essential oils take hundreds of pounds of plant material to make one tiny
bottle of essential oil. Not only was this type of large-scale farming fairly improbable
in those times- it would have also been rare for the common person to have had the
machinery to make these types of oils. Enter: infused oils.
Overall we believe that using the infused oil is the best option for something you use on a daily or multiple times a day basis. Its super safe, contains the volatile oils that essential oils do only in a far, far less concentrated amount and is held in balance by the rest of the plants constituents. Take this concept to food: We can concentrate out constituents of food (vitamins/minerals etc. i.e. supplements) and while they can be beneficial– (I have nothing against them and take some myself from time to time) they are still not WHOLE FOOD. Whole foods, directly from the earth are an incredible array of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and a myriad of other constituents that are all held in a balance that the body can readily “read.” Any medical professional will agree that supplementing one’s diet can be a positive aspect, but that’s the thing: you are SUPPLEMENTING a whole foods diet. Infused oils can be thought of as the whole foods of the plant. They contain a much broader spectrum in the balance of all the other wonderful properties of the whole herb than do the essential oils. We see them more as a potent short-term supplement not so much a day- to-day-use whole-food substance.
Safety: Proper dilution and use of essential oils is a must. We are NOT trained
aromatherapists and don’t confidently stand behind our small amount of knowledge
on essential oils to bring you the correct dilution rate, proper usage, and best blends of essential oils for effectiveness. There are documented cases of burns, rashes and sensitivity with both proper and improper use of oils.
Some go so far as to say essential oils are simply far too strong and thereby are
causing more harm than good. Again, we leave this decision up to you, but know that it is absolutely essential to DILUTE them properly (you can get these dilution rates from a TRAINED and certified aromatherapist).
Here’s the bottom line: we wanted to bring you the safest, most traditional form of
skin-care possible. Something you would have found in the kitchens and homes of
your ancestors. This switch hasn’t made things easier in terms of time spent making the product. Now, we grow (wildcraft, or carefully-source) the herbs, dry the herbs, and infuse the herbs. If we don’t grow the particular herb we still have to infuse it and then strain it. It is significantly much more work to use herbs over essential oils, so rest assured we did not do this out of convenience, only out of a conviction to bring you the best that we know how.
So, even if making the switch has been an adjustment to some we decided to
take the risk and be some of the first to make the leap into true, ancestral skin care.
This, my friends is the real meaning of our slogan “uncompromised beauty.” And
that’s what you can always expect from Texas Tallow. A pleasant scent is definitely a plus and we believe that once you’ve cleared your nose from artificial scents and
improperly diluted essential oils you will come to appreciate the subtle herbal
fragrances of our tallow whips and salves knowing it is both extremely safe for all
ages and super effective because it contains such a broad spectrum of the plants
constituents.
