have more than a handful ingredients
cost as much as a new pair of designer jeans
contain artificial colorants, parabens, silicones, mineral oil, polysorbates, or anything you CANNOT pronounce
consist of seed oils that oxidize in light and heat leaving your skin susceptible to free radical damage and aging.
be complicated

Why Making My Own Products Is Important

Ok, now that we got that out of the way, let’s take it a step further. First, I want to address that I try my hardest to make as much as I can from scratch and that includes my skincare products. After all, it doesn’t have to be complicated.

The skincare industry is well known for using harmful chemicals to preserve their product and make it gorgeous, using ingredients like formaldehyde, fragrance, PEGs, BHT/BHA, Siloxanes, and Benzophenone.

I’ll give you a second to look up any of those ingredients for yourself.

To save your time, let me just tell you that those are man made and are considered endocrine disruptors. I speak all about that in this post.

I’m Addressing PUFA’s Again

I am going to be a broken record here and I probably should dedicate a whole post to what I look for in skincare, but alas here I am talking about PUFA’s again.

In an earlier post, I explained the harmful effects of including PUFA’s in your daily diet. I went further into the harmful effects of PUFA’s on the skin on my tips for keeping bugs away. (In case you’re wondering, it was included there because most bug sprays are full of PUFA’s.)

The reason I explain all of this is because many people use moisturizers both store-bought and homemade that still use these unhealthier oils.

But if you’re wanting to look into it here, I’ll give a quick summary.

The Harmful Effects of PUFA’s On The Skin

A Life Adjacent wrote up a great article on this very topic.

She writes:

Not only will the sun oxidize the lipids in the oil, but it can also extend this damage to the lipids in your skin. PUFAs have been identified as one of the main culprits that cause cellular damage in the presence of radiation. And as we know, the sun emits radiation in the form of ultraviolet (UV) light.

In one study, two groups of shaved rabbits were fed diets containing either corn oil or coconut oil. After exposure to sunlight, the rabbits fed corn oil developed wrinkled, aged skin. Conversely, the rabbits fed coconut oil showed no such damage from the sun exposure.

Some Oils I Stay Clear Of In My Skincare Recipes

argan oil
black cumin seed oil
camelina oil
corn oil
cottonseed oil
evening primrose oil
flax/linseed oil
grapeseed oil
hemp oil
maracuja oil
peanut oil
pumpkin seed oil
red raspberry seed oil
rosehip oil
safflower oil
sesame oil
soybean oil
sunflower oil
walnut oil

Ways PUFA’s Can Age Your Cells

Oxidation –> unhealthy skin cell –> aged, wrinkled skin

GMO toxicity: Most PUFA oils are derived from GMO corn, soy, cotton, etc. which can result in skin issues as a detoxification pathway

Weak digestion: PUFAs decrease stomach acid –> poor protein absorption –> skin and hair take a hit

Low Progesterone –> PUFAs increase estrogen and decrease progesterone (youth hormone)

Suppressed thyroid –> lack of biological energy –> dull complexion

Age Spots: Because PUFA’s are so light sensitive and go rancid and oxidize when exposed to light and heat (the sun), age spots may appear. If your body is overburdened with an accumulation of them, it could be trying to detox them through your skin.

And let’s not forget that your skin is your body’s largest organ. It truly does matter what you put on you skin!

Try Products With Monounsaturated Fats

avocado oil
baobab oil
buriti oil
camellia oil
carrot seed oil
castor oil
crambe oil
jojoba oil
macadamia oil
marula oil
moringa oil
olive oil

The reason these are considered to be a safe option is that monounsaturated fats have only one double bond at which oxygen reacts, so a reaction is FAR LESS likely to happen.

My Favorite Safe Fats

tallow and other animal fats
grass fed butter
ghee
raw cacao butter
jojoba (topical)
shea butter
raw olive oil

What is Tallow?

Tallow is a saturated animal fat that you will find mostly rendered from cows. It is 50% saturated, 42% monosaturated, and 4% polyunsaturated.

It’s a very traditional cooking fat. In its original form, it is hard, waxy, dry, and crumbly.

Why I Use Tallow

Tallow is a nutrient packed, natural substance that not only is free of harmful oxidizing oils but it deeply nourishes us both inside and out.

Keep in mind it is considered mostly saturated so the form varies depending on temperature. It’s melting point is around 100-118 degrees so if you do use this and keep it at room temperature, it should stay.

Benefits of Tallow

Rich in Vitamins A, B12, D, E, & K
It holds a nearly perfect ratio of omega 3 & 6 fatty acids
It’s abundant in alpha linoleic, stearin, oleic, conjugated linoleic, palmoleic and palmitic acids. All which decrease inflammation and protect the barrier of your skin.
Versatile. You can use this as a moisturizer or a face cleaners (think oil cleansing).’
The closest oil to our skin’s sebum you can find.
Noncomedogenic (non-pore clogging)
Sustainable

Why I Use Jojoba Oil

Contrary to its name, jojoba oil is not an oil. It’s chemical structure classified it as a wax ester, setting it apart from the vast majority of seed oils.

This wax is product on Jojoba for protection, moisture control, and emmoliency making it higher quality and close to our natural skin sebum.

Jojoba’s chemical structure as well as its high antioxidant content gives it a long shelf life, so it doesn’t need any preservatives added to it unlike most oils you find in commercial skincare product. It also makes it protective against free radicals which can cause aging, wrinkles, thinness of skin, and even cancer.

It has a high melting point of 158 degrees. Because of its durability to heat, you do not need to worry about any negative consequences when wearing jojoba in the sun.

Jojoba does contain 3% PUFA content, but if you purchase organic, they’ll contain far lower than that. Also, when you add it to tallow, you get virtually no PUFAs.

Benefits of Jojoba Oil

Rich in Vitamins A, D, & E.
Rich in minerals like Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Iodine, and Chromium
Non comedogenic (pore clogging)
Non-irritant
Not greasy
Anti-aging properties: Helps smooth fine lines and wrinkles and even out skin tone.
Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory: Can use it to treat sunburns, acne, psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis.

Uses For Tallow Whip

All over body hydration
Can be used as a facial cleanser: Rub tallow whip on your face. While you’re doing that, let a washcloth soak in hot water. Then place the washcloth on your face and steam for up to a minute. This is a great way to take off any makeup.
Use as a deep hair conditioner once a week. Massage into scalp, wrap a towel on your head, and let sit. The longer the better.

Many people use essential oils to help with the smell of the whip. But the addition of essential oils can also help with a skin issue you may have. You can find essential oils that help target diaper rash, scars, sunburn, eczema, acne and add that to your tallow whip as well. But please do your own research before adding any essential oils