Our Ingredients
Most of our products begin with a base of Grass-fed Tallow. To read more about tallow visit our About Tallow page. We hand-render our locally-sourced tallow slowly so as not to alter the nutrients in the oils and to oversee every part of the process so we can be sure of the quality of the finished product.
Once the oils are separated from the beef suet, they are white and quite hard at room temperature. To enable them to be more easily applied, we add plant-based waxes and oils. After much research and experimentation, we selected the following high-quality oils to enrich our products.
OILS
Jojoba Oil- Jojoba “oil” is actually a liquid wax, making it similar to our skin's sebum (which is also a wax) and matching its molecular structure more closely than any other plant product. Jojoba is an excellent moisturizer for the skin, acting as a natural emollient (skin-softening). It’s nonallergenic (even for those with nut allergies, since it’s a seed), noncomedogenic (it won't clog pores), gentle and safe.
It has a less reactive molecular structure than plant oils, which makes it a superior conditioner for human skin. When you use plant oils on your skins (versus jojoba’s liquid wax) they are prone to breaking down and oxidizing which can actually promote the aging process. Because jojoba doesn’t oxidize easily, it’s incredibly shelf-stable and long-lasting even when exposed to heat.
We avoid using coconut oil because it has an incredibly poor comedogenic rating and is highly likely to clog pores, leading to breakouts, blackheads, cystic acne and more. Jojoba has a low comedogenic rating (of 2) meaning it is very unlikely to clog pores. Read more about our personal experience with coconut oil in skincare here.
The Native Americans used jojoba on their skin and hair to heal and condition. They were also eaten by pregnant women to help with birth and by hunters to curb their appetite. This is an important fact to note since we generally believe you shouldn’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t eat.
We source our jojoba from the only company on the market that only uses first-press jojoba with strict specifications for quality rather than for maximizing yield, meaning their jojoba is scentless, lighter on the skin and uses only the best jojoba seeds. It's grown on a farm without pesticides or fertilizers in fields that are in transition from pesticide-free to organic but are not certified by the USDA or other third-parties.
Sweet Almond Oil is full of vitamins and works to keep your skin soft, smooth and youthful. Use it on fine lines, baggy eyes and acne.
Tamanu Oil works to increase the skin’s elasticity and helps to reduce marking, dryness, swelling and more. It contains antioxidants and is used in many anti-aging creams for its regenerative properties.
HERBS
We infuse our Texas Tallow products with some of our favorite skin-loving herbs grown organically in our gardens or wildcrafted from our Texas ranch land. The herbs are picked fresh and dried and then added directly into the carrier oils while still vibrant where they macerate for over a month to impart their beneficial properties into the oils. The herbs are then strained out and the oils are used to create nourishing Texas Tallow whips, salves, soaps and more. This process captures a broader spectrum of the herb's benefits than the herb's essential oil alone (read more about that here) and makes for a much gentler and safer application.
Are Our Ingredients Organic?
We think it’s important to note that we carefully source and grow only organically grown ingredients, meaning they are grown without toxic pesticides and fertilizers, however that doesn’t mean that they are all certified organic by a third party. Getting an organic certification is an expensive process that we have not been able to do for what we personally grow and some of the smaller businesses and farmers that we support likewise have not been able to undertake the official certification process. However, since we do maintain close relationships with our suppliers, we can completely confidently say that we trust all of our ingredients are as close to organic and pesticide-free as possible, though we may refrain from labeling it as such on some of our labels and descriptions.
