Tallow Balm

I’ve used plenty of moisturizers before, but when I tried this I had never used a tallow balm before; I find myself wishing I had tried it sooner. I tested the 1oz containers in Unscented, Lavender & Lemon, and Vanilla & Spearmint, and even before trying them I had the thought of wow these would make great stocking stuffers. I’m pretty sure almost every woman I have ever dated has a lavender lotion / cream / something for the evenings. This is an easy win for us all come holiday season. Now that being said, I don’t want you to think that the product isn’t geared towards men. If you are anti-scent you can easily go for the unscented, but I have found myself enjoying all the scents from Tallowbourn, and that has been a constant theme in their reviews. Like the others, the scents are true to form, so if you find yourself knowing you are a vanilla or lavender fan, feel free to lean into that.

The one-ounce product comes in a small tin, and has a look of Vaseline or Vicks VapoRub when open. Having never used a tallow balm before I wasn’t sure what to expect, and initially wondered if this would clog my pores. However, one of the key benefits of the Tallowbourn balm is that it is gentle on sensitive skin and is unlikely to clog pores. Apparently tallow’s fatty acid profile is very similar to the natural oily substance produced by your skin. The Lavender and Lemon is great for evenings, and if you or your significant other have ever used the Sleepy Lotion from Lush I would say this has a very similar smell and that is a great thing. While I primarily used this on my face, the balm is optional for dry skin in general, making it a great thing to have on hand if you’re approaching the cooler seasons.

Tallowbourn products are made with very limited ingredients. The unscented only has six things: grass-fed and finished tallow, jojoba oil, shea butter, beeswax, honey, and vitamin E. The scented jars add two more to optimize for smell. There is no water in the formula, so it is actually a balm and not a watered-down cream, which is also why it does not need the preservative stack most lotions carry just to stay shelf-stable. The tallow itself brings a little of the fat-soluble vitamins that live in the animal fat (A, D, E, K), the honey is in there for texture and a bit of hold, and the beeswax is the piece that keeps moisture from leaving without turning into a plastic coat on your face. That is a different point than whether it clogs pores. It is why the tin can do face, dry patches, and cooler-weather skin with one short list.

This is another easy Take My Money from Tallowbourn. I think the thing that keeps me from using this as an all-the-time is an initial shine as I put it on my face. I found it fades once it’s absorbed a bit after I rub it in, but I am a terrible planner when leaving the house and getting ready and heading right out the door. I find myself looking for something that feels a bit more matte in the mornings, but have a feeling that the balm will be a growing part of my evening routine as we head towards fall and winter. If you find you enjoy a lot of their products I would also highly recommend you take a look at their “Routine” option, that lets you build a custom box based on your favorites on a flexible 1–2 month ship schedule. One additional small note is that the picture featured here are the 2oz jars.