Tallow for skincare?

[OccamzRazer]

Hi all,

I'm pretty new here but have been reading - and enjoying - this forum for months.

Question to all the bright minds out there: does anyone else use beef tallow on their skin?

I've been making tallow from beef suet and putting it on my skin (hands and face mostly) for a few weeks now. So far so good - it feels very rich and nourishing.

But I'm wondering if things could be improved, perhaps by using grass-fed suet instead, adding vitamin E/progesterone/etc to the mixture, or anything else.

Thanks!

 

[bogbody]

i use tallow on my skin and also as a lip balm. i love it. i havent tried making my own but sometimes when i am using it on my skin i will mix a little progest-e in with it. i use the fancy farm brand and also the one from vintage traditions.

 

[OccamzRazer]

i use tallow on my skin and also as a lip balm. i love it. i havent tried making my own but sometimes when i am using it on my skin i will mix a little progest-e in with it. i use the fancy farm brand and also the one from vintage traditions.

Isn't it great? Glad to hear I'm not alone in this. Does the progest-E mix in evenly? I've been debating getting either it or Haidut's vitamin E product.

 

[Jam]

Tallow on the skin is awesome, heats me up a good bit (feels like uncoupling) similarly to Mitolipin.

 

[bogbody]

Isn't it great? Glad to hear I'm not alone in this. Does the progest-E mix in evenly? I've been debating getting either it or Haidut's vitamin E product.

i just put like a drop or two of progest-e in my palm and mix it with a little tallow right before i put it on. it mixes well and helps the progest-e spread since it’s pretty thick and tacky almost like honey.

 

[OccamzRazer]

Tallow on the skin is awesome, heats me up a good bit (feels like uncoupling) similarly to Mitolipin.

Interesting...I've noticed this from eating large amounts of tallow or cacao butter, but not yet from topical application. Do you have to use a lot or something?

 

[OccamzRazer]

i just put like a drop or two of progest-e in my palm and mix it with a little tallow right before i put it on. it mixes well and helps the progest-e spread since it’s pretty thick and tacky almost like honey.

Right on. Have you noticed any benefits from tallow + e vs. tallow alone?

 

[Morgan]

It's definitely a bit heavy or occlusive on the skin from my experience, but a wonderful balm/lip treatment. Its acid profile would probably be a bit concerning for anyone prone to comedogenic substances, which is also why coconut oil doesn't work topically for some people(lauric acid in particular). I'd imagine if tallow was whipped up and blended with some caprylic/capric triglycerides + progest E that you would end up with a much lighter cream texture that would be far more aesthetically pleasing as a body treatment.

 

[mostlylurking]

It's definitely a bit heavy or occlusive on the skin from my experience, but a wonderful balm/lip treatment. Its acid profile would probably be a bit concerning for anyone prone to comedogenic substances, which is also why coconut oil doesn't work topically for some people(lauric acid in particular). I'd imagine if tallow was whipped up and blended with some caprylic/capric triglycerides + progest E that you would end up with a much lighter cream texture that would be far more aesthetically pleasing as a body treatment.

I switched from regular coconut oil to hydrogenated coconut oil for my skin. The hydrogenated has ZERO pufa and my neck doesn't itch in the winter from being irritated anymore. Mixing half hydrogenated coconut oil with half pure lanolin makes the best ever hand cream for dry cracked skin.

 

[OccamzRazer]

It's definitely a bit heavy or occlusive on the skin from my experience, but a wonderful balm/lip treatment. Its acid profile would probably be a bit concerning for anyone prone to comedogenic substances, which is also why coconut oil doesn't work topically for some people(lauric acid in particular). I'd imagine if tallow was whipped up and blended with some caprylic/capric triglycerides + progest E that you would end up with a much lighter cream texture that would be far more aesthetically pleasing as a body treatment.

Thanks, this is helpful....yeah I tried coconut oil before but it really made my forehead break out. I've noticed that too much tallow, too often can do something similar.

Where do you find high-quality capric triglycerides?

 

[OccamzRazer]

I switched from regular coconut oil to hydrogenated coconut oil for my skin. The hydrogenated has ZERO pufa and my neck doesn't itch in the winter from being irritated anymore. Mixing half hydrogenated coconut oil with half pure lanolin makes the best ever hand cream for dry cracked skin.

Interesting! If I recall correctly the hydrogenated coconut oil actually depletes PUFA, right? I wonder how that would affect skin composition long-term.

 

[mostlylurking]

Interesting! If I recall correctly the hydrogenated coconut oil actually depletes PUFA, right? I wonder how that would affect skin composition long-term.

I think you're right about the hydrogenated coconut oil helping to deplete PUFA. I use it to cook with too. At least it's not adding any more PUFA. Even regular coconut oil has some PUFA in it.

I've only used coconut oil on my face for the past 30 + years. I switched to hydrogenated coconut oil about 5 years ago. I'm 71. My skin is in pretty good shape. I have one large age spot on my cheek bone (left side, from driving); it has now faded about 80%. I also put progesterone in vitamin E oil on this age spot and a little flaky spot I have on the side of my nose. I have spent a lot of time in the sun over the years.

My husband is outside in the sun a lot. About three years ago, I got him to use the hydrogenated coconut oil on his face and the mix of hydogenated coconut oil + lanolin on his arms. He has gone to the dermatologist once a year to get things burned off for years. For the last 18 months, the dermatologist can't find anything to burn off.

 

[golder]

It's definitely a bit heavy or occlusive on the skin from my experience, but a wonderful balm/lip treatment. Its acid profile would probably be a bit concerning for anyone prone to comedogenic substances, which is also why coconut oil doesn't work topically for some people(lauric acid in particular). I'd imagine if tallow was whipped up and blended with some caprylic/capric triglycerides + progest E that you would end up with a much lighter cream texture that would be far more aesthetically pleasing as a body treatment.

Any idea why some people react badly to the topical lauric acid? My MCT that I’ve bought has ~2% lauric acid. Wondering if it might be better to find one with zero. Thanks!

 

[Kray]

I switched from regular coconut oil to hydrogenated coconut oil for my skin. The hydrogenated has ZERO pufa and my neck doesn't itch in the winter from being irritated anymore. Mixing half hydrogenated coconut oil with half pure lanolin makes the best ever hand cream for dry cracked skin.

Can you provide a brand of hydrogenated coconut oil? Cant find anything like that on word search. Thanks!

 

[Morgan]

Thanks, this is helpful....yeah I tried coconut oil before but it really made my forehead break out. I've noticed that too much tallow, too often can do something similar.

Where do you find high-quality capric triglycerides?

Food grade MCTs would work as a source of triglycerides.

Any idea why some people react badly to the topical lauric acid? My MCT that I’ve bought has ~2% lauric acid. Wondering if it might be better to find one with zero. Thanks!

There may be a couple of reasons why, one being that it is very occlusive with pure lauric acid having a white powder or crystalline structure and has a melting point of around 43.2°C(109.8°F), so this could build up on the skin of course. It's also possible that fatty acids with a chain length of 11-24 can be a source of food for fungal acne(Malassezia); yet lauric acid is ironically antifungal and antibacterial, but likely not against Malassezia. I'd imagine 2% lauric acid wouldn't be much of a problem in most cases.

 

[mostlylurking]

Can you provide a brand of hydrogenated coconut oil? Cant find anything like that on word search. Thanks!

Hydrogenated coconut oil is also known as 92 degree coconut oil (its melting point).

Hydrogenated coconut oil is available and very inexpensive.
Here's two sources of Hydrogenated Coconut Oil (92 degree melting point):
1. http://www.naturesbouquet.com/92-degree-coconut-oil.htm
2. Coconut Oil (92 degree)

here's a clip of Ray talking about hydrogenated coconut oil:

 

[OccamzRazer]

Food grade MCTs would work as a source of triglycerides.


There may be a couple of reasons why, one being that it is very occlusive with pure lauric acid having a white powder or crystalline structure and has a melting point of around 43.2°C(109.8°F), so this could build up on the skin of course. It's also possible that fatty acids with a chain length of 11-24 can be a source of food for fungal acne(Malassezia); yet lauric acid is ironically antifungal and antibacterial, but likely not against Malassezia. I'd imagine 2% lauric acid wouldn't be much of a problem in most cases.

You seem pretty knowledgeable about skincare, so here's another, non-related question:

How to reduce/prevent fine lines?

Right now all I'm doing is tallow, niacinamide, and red light. Is there something more?

 

[OccamzRazer]

I've only used coconut oil on my face for the past 30 + years. I switched to hydrogenated coconut oil about 5 years ago. I'm 71. My skin is in pretty good shape. I have one large age spot on my cheek bone (left side, from driving); it has now faded about 80%. I also put progesterone in vitamin E oil on this age spot and a little flaky spot I have on the side of my nose. I have spent a lot of time in the sun over the years.

My husband is outside in the sun a lot. About three years ago, I got him to use the hydrogenated coconut oil on his face and the mix of hydogenated coconut oil + lanolin on his arms. He has gone to the dermatologist once a year to get things burned off for years. For the last 18 months, the dermatologist can't find anything to burn off.

That's great! 3-5 years of hydrogenated coconut oil use is enough proof of concept for me. I can't use it on my face because of breakouts, but will try using it on my arms.

How long did it take for your age spot to begin fading once you switched over to hydrogenated coconut oil?

 

[mostlylurking]

That's great! 3-5 years of hydrogenated coconut oil use is enough proof of concept for me. I can't use it on my face because of breakouts, but will try using it on my arms.

How long did it take for your age spot to begin fading once you switched over to hydrogenated coconut oil?

Coconut oil is antibacterial/anti-fungal; it will help the breakouts. Give it a try. Here's what I do: wash face with hypoallergenic baby wash, dry, wipe with a mild witch hazel, apply the coconut oil. Give it a while to soak in.

The age spot: It appeared in 2014 when supplementing with fish oil. I found Ray Peat, stopped the fish oil January of 2015. I switched from coconut oil to hydrogenated coconut oil around 2016(?). I started using progesterone in vitamin E on the spot maybe 2016; I noticed good fading of the spot within 6 months. By that time, I had been avoiding PUFA and using Progest-E for at least 2 years. I think all of these things helped.

Face breakouts come from gut issues. I used to have a real problem with acne. I don't have that anymore.

I believe my husband's skin issues were helped by the following: massively reduced PUFA in his diet, supplements with niacinamide, uses hydrogenated coconut oil and lanolin on his skin. He slips up when he eats away from home, then I can see the spots on his face darkening.

 

[OccamzRazer]

The age spot: It appeared in 2014 when supplementing with fish oil. I found Ray Peat, stopped the fish oil January of 2015. I switched from coconut oil to hydrogenated coconut oil around 2016(?). I started using progesterone in vitamin E on the spot maybe 2016; I noticed good fading of the spot within 6 months. By that time, I had been avoiding PUFA and using Progest-E for at least 2 years. I think all of these things helped.

Thanks for the details. 6 months...so persistence matters, but that's still impressive.

I already eat 1-2 tbsp of 'regular' coconut oil and less than 5 grams of PUFA a day, but you've convinced me to try the hydrogenated stuff next.

Face breakouts come from gut issues. I used to have a real problem with acne. I don't have that anymore.

Interesting. I'm eating carrots and cooked mushrooms daily, and tried diatomaceous earth briefly but it gave me headaches. Also LOTS of bone broth/oxtail. Anything else you recommend for gut health?