I love that your daughter creates wonderful products with all those nourishing elements. And you get to thoroughly enjoy them. This week I'm trying my hand at rendering the tallow from our cow and creating skin products and other things with it. I make my own lotions and skin products but am striving to replace unnecessary purchased ingredients with more of my own or locally grown elements. I agree with the essential oils stance though, like you, there are certain ways I use them that are more ritualistic and cleansing than anything.
My mind enters into a discordant tone when thinking about all the "stuff" we put in and on our bodies, only to find we must detox from all that "stuff" all without recognizing it's the "stuff" that's harming us. Which, in turn, applies to not just our bodies, but animals, nature and Mother Earth. I've taken your advice and began reading Sacred Economics, which I feel is completely this sort of thing Charles is writing about. We've lost the art of holding things sacred, money being one, but so much more. It's a slow read for me so far, taking in all the bittersweet details, but truly enjoyable and inspirational. Thank you for the recommendation.
I love that our daughter makes these beautiful things for us, too :)
I'm so glad you're reading Sacred Economics. It's a slow read for me, too. All of his books are. I like to read and ponder and reread and ponder. Maybe that's when you know it's something worth soaking up.
I've been making balm/lotion bars with grass fed tallow, shea butter, and a little beeswax to firm it up for bars, for years. I use essential oils depending on the use (lavender to soothe, various mixtures to help allergies, sore muscles, etc.). It is absolutely wonderful and so easy to make.
My all myself made products are: lard or tallow based soap ( some coconut oil for hardness); hydrosol ( distilled plant water) for face cleaning, skin hydration ; all purpose tallow+hydrosol+beeswax cream. I am strugling to find proper hair shampoo and toothpaste. Not much makeup, but need improvements here. Hair dyer with iranian herbs chna&basma. Laundry wash with washing soda+ selfmade laundry soap. Acv and soda home cleaning( but some chemicals time by time).
Thank you Tara, for the club of obsessed :)( that was a joke, let people think so, while they believe in false claims of cosmetic companies).
My insta account is @countrygarden_diary. Greetings from Lithuania, East Europe country!
Beautiful, Modesta. It is always good to meet another obsessed, in all the right ways, human. My family is Slovak so we share the good Eastern European blood :)
Any specific brand of rock salt you recommend? I actually had a doctor once tell me to cut out ALL salt...not for the usual, mainstream blood pressure-related reasons but because it's all contaminated with mercury, microplastics, and so on. I don't doubt that it IS contaminated, but cutting out something so essential didn't seem like the answer. I have struggled to find anything that I feel good about though.
Unrelated: this is my first time commenting here and I feel I would be remiss to not mention how deeply I admire you: your words, your commitment to the health of yourself, your people, the animals and land you steward...and your willingness to share snippets of your life with all of us. The very first post I ever read from you on Instagram brought me to tears, and your words continue to impact me in profound ways years later. So thanks for doing what you do in the way you do it for inviting me into it.
Thank you for such kind words, Mandy. I always find it so profoundly moving to hear from people that have been reading what I share for years and then hearing from them. It feels like opening a gift or something. So wonderful.
Yikes, I'd been running from that doctor. There's a couple of brands that I use that are both extracted from ancient sea beds (sometimes you see this as "rock salt" or "mountain salt", but it's sea salt from a time long gone). My favourite brand is Giddy YoYo. You can read the story of where they source it and how it's sourced. My second favourite is Real Salt. The Real Salt has a lot of 'debris' or insoluble grit in it that's not filtered as well as the Giddy YoYo. You don't notice it on food, but it's unpleasant in an electrolyte mix when your last swig is full of sand.
Wonderful! Yes, after hearing people rave about Real Salt I tried it but was not prepared for the sandy finish; perhaps my own expectations kept me from enjoying it as I thought I ought to. I will definitely look into Giddy Yoyo! Being able to read about the where and the how of a product goes a long way with me, so I'm looking forward to checking them out. Thank you for the recommendations!
As a city dweller trying to make her way out, I’m still relying on the talents of other lovelies who carefully make their products in a way I value. I have consistently loved the items ordered from the apothecary Sunfolk. (Formerly Wild Woman.)
Thank you, Tara, for being a sister I’ve never met, encouraging, challenging and educating me on this journey🧡
Herbal infused body oils, lots of herbalists offer them and they are very simple to make at home. In the winter i use a St. John’s wort oil, in the summer I use the mugwort one I make myself!
Oh yes, love these too. I have been using a lot of these, especially St. John's Wort when I have to go into town. An extra layer of psychic defence against the madness :)
We just finished butchering three pigs. One was of the Kune Kune breed, which is a lard pig. I am now surrounded by jars of lard! I do plan on making soap with some, but thinking I could also use it in lotions…. Anyone have a tried and true recipe? Thanks!
Thank you, as always, for your deeply nourishing and connecting words. You are an invaluable guidepost in this insane world. I ditched all of the skin BS a few years ago, but being a farmer and now at high altitude, I gotta have some balms. For this I adore my friends little handmade skincare shop, calendula infused balm on my lips and hands nightly and I wake up supple and rebirthed. Funny how far we will stray when the perfect solutions are under our noses. Keep on keeping on. Your emails are so grounding and affirming, an incredible gift. PS, I’ve heard that regular bovine/feline/canine kisses on the face are a wonderful skincare regimen. ;)
ha! Yes, I do believe those kisses are the best of all. Bovine, especially, can take the first few layers off in an exfoliation unparalleled by any loofah :)
My scalp has sounded loud warning bells about my move to a new area and the cold dry winter air. I’m hopeful that this more natural shampoo I’ve found will right its course enough to go back into trying food products exclusively again. I’m going to try the honey before my next wash day.
I only started dipping my toes (literally and figuratively) into making products this past year. Calendula steeped in coconut oil for dry skin and other all-purpose healing needs, and then a plantain and coconut oil mix for a pesky mild infection. Both have become our family’s go to for skin needs and I plan to keep going this spring. There’s a lovely patch of jewel weed we found a little late in the season last year but will continue to visit as the seasons change with offerings and gather in gratitude as the time is right.
JUST made a herb infused whipped tallow face cream! It’s really luxurious and lovely for the winter especially. I use organic everything for skincare—it’s getting absorbed right in through our largest organ after all. Organic Castor oil (in a glass bottle only!) can be good for congested skin when mixed with a carrier oil as a face cleanser. Jojoba is a great face oil, very similar to our natural sebum (just like tallow) ❤️ Thank you for this, it was very affirming of lots of the self care practices I use, and gave me some great new ideas too!
Question: Was wondering what you use for electrolytes?
Beautiful! In two litres of water I mix 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp potassium, a little magnesium threonate. You can jack the salt up or down to taste. In summer, when I'm sweating a lot more, I tend to like it saltier.
..."To simply put in the effort to avoid the constant volley of chemicals looks almost extreme or obsessive in a world that has normalised living in a chemical soup."
This is spot-on & reminds me of an article I read a while back entitled, "Why We Need To Be Weirdos To Be Healthy", by Alex Fergus. Funny, but not. I do sincerely believe constant vigilance is required to avoid all the toxic things that surround us on a daily basis. People will look at you strangely when you actively avoid them. Explanations are called for. Sometimes shared knowledge is well received. Other times, people are dismissive, perplexed or openly hostile. And so it goes. One sure thing I've learned on my journey to better health is that you can only help those who want to be helped. That is why your writings and this community are such a blessed, beautiful thing!
I loved reading this, as I have each and every one before, thank you for sharing your information with us it is so much appreciated. I have also been experimenting with making my own skincare products and they are definitely better than anything I can buy- I also feel that the energy and love put into making your own product effects the way it works for you- especially if you have also lovingly tended to the animals while they were alive and tended to the plants and things used in your 'concoctions'. There's a certain feel that goes along with it all too. After your recommendation of a post by sheisofthewoods where she talks about chamomile also being useful as a replacement for topical steroid cream for eczema- I made my own, infusing chamomile into our beautiful grassfed organic homegrown homekilled and ever loved sheep fat -and a few other ingredients I felt called to include- in a double boiler over a lovely campfire and I am very thrilled to say that for the first time in years my eczema has cleared up. I don't use social media much at all and I only have an account because of you but this is a good example I think of the good that can come out of genuine sharing and caring.
My hubby and I are in Western Australia and live mostly self sustainably on a small farm out in the wheatbelt. Our intention is to bring our little speck of the planet back in balance and plant as many trees as we can- which is what this place needs the most right now. We have lived here (in a tent!) for over 5 years now and haven't taken any wages and very little income. It's amazing with how little you can get by, dare I say it thrive! We have our chickens - all heritage breeds- nearly exactly as in your previous essay. We have merino sheep for wool, milk and meat, and we have a few cows. Our youngest heifer (we named her Tara- hope you don't mind....?!) is going to be our first go at having a milking cow and we have just purchased a young red Dexter bull.....
We hope to find some likeminded people out here in WA as well and grow a bit of a community one day :).
This turned out a way too long a comment! lol. Thank you again. Lots of love, Kim
Tara, I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. A little glimpse into the healthy rhythms you have cultivated over time. At the risk of being somewhat off topic, I’m curious if in the future you might discuss how you would plan to carry on some of these systems if you were to go “off grid” by necessity or choice. Your freezer and refrigerator posts were always the Instagram hit, but how would you continue food storage and other necessities without electricity. Thank you again for taking the time to put your thoughts to paper/screen!
I love that your daughter creates wonderful products with all those nourishing elements. And you get to thoroughly enjoy them. This week I'm trying my hand at rendering the tallow from our cow and creating skin products and other things with it. I make my own lotions and skin products but am striving to replace unnecessary purchased ingredients with more of my own or locally grown elements. I agree with the essential oils stance though, like you, there are certain ways I use them that are more ritualistic and cleansing than anything.
My mind enters into a discordant tone when thinking about all the "stuff" we put in and on our bodies, only to find we must detox from all that "stuff" all without recognizing it's the "stuff" that's harming us. Which, in turn, applies to not just our bodies, but animals, nature and Mother Earth. I've taken your advice and began reading Sacred Economics, which I feel is completely this sort of thing Charles is writing about. We've lost the art of holding things sacred, money being one, but so much more. It's a slow read for me so far, taking in all the bittersweet details, but truly enjoyable and inspirational. Thank you for the recommendation.
I love that our daughter makes these beautiful things for us, too :)
I'm so glad you're reading Sacred Economics. It's a slow read for me, too. All of his books are. I like to read and ponder and reread and ponder. Maybe that's when you know it's something worth soaking up.
I couldn't agree more
I love Wildwood Apothecary products. I just ordered a tallow shampoo bar from a local shop on etsy.
Thank you for sharing 💕
I've been making balm/lotion bars with grass fed tallow, shea butter, and a little beeswax to firm it up for bars, for years. I use essential oils depending on the use (lavender to soothe, various mixtures to help allergies, sore muscles, etc.). It is absolutely wonderful and so easy to make.
It is! Once you get into the rhythm of making it, it just becomes another thing you do (and wouldn't live without). :)
So inspiring!would you mind sharing your favorite brand/sources for your ingredients? Especially the tallow?
I order supplies from sellers on Amazon since I haven't been able to source locally.
My all myself made products are: lard or tallow based soap ( some coconut oil for hardness); hydrosol ( distilled plant water) for face cleaning, skin hydration ; all purpose tallow+hydrosol+beeswax cream. I am strugling to find proper hair shampoo and toothpaste. Not much makeup, but need improvements here. Hair dyer with iranian herbs chna&basma. Laundry wash with washing soda+ selfmade laundry soap. Acv and soda home cleaning( but some chemicals time by time).
Thank you Tara, for the club of obsessed :)( that was a joke, let people think so, while they believe in false claims of cosmetic companies).
My insta account is @countrygarden_diary. Greetings from Lithuania, East Europe country!
Beautiful, Modesta. It is always good to meet another obsessed, in all the right ways, human. My family is Slovak so we share the good Eastern European blood :)
Any specific brand of rock salt you recommend? I actually had a doctor once tell me to cut out ALL salt...not for the usual, mainstream blood pressure-related reasons but because it's all contaminated with mercury, microplastics, and so on. I don't doubt that it IS contaminated, but cutting out something so essential didn't seem like the answer. I have struggled to find anything that I feel good about though.
Unrelated: this is my first time commenting here and I feel I would be remiss to not mention how deeply I admire you: your words, your commitment to the health of yourself, your people, the animals and land you steward...and your willingness to share snippets of your life with all of us. The very first post I ever read from you on Instagram brought me to tears, and your words continue to impact me in profound ways years later. So thanks for doing what you do in the way you do it for inviting me into it.
Thank you for such kind words, Mandy. I always find it so profoundly moving to hear from people that have been reading what I share for years and then hearing from them. It feels like opening a gift or something. So wonderful.
Yikes, I'd been running from that doctor. There's a couple of brands that I use that are both extracted from ancient sea beds (sometimes you see this as "rock salt" or "mountain salt", but it's sea salt from a time long gone). My favourite brand is Giddy YoYo. You can read the story of where they source it and how it's sourced. My second favourite is Real Salt. The Real Salt has a lot of 'debris' or insoluble grit in it that's not filtered as well as the Giddy YoYo. You don't notice it on food, but it's unpleasant in an electrolyte mix when your last swig is full of sand.
Wonderful! Yes, after hearing people rave about Real Salt I tried it but was not prepared for the sandy finish; perhaps my own expectations kept me from enjoying it as I thought I ought to. I will definitely look into Giddy Yoyo! Being able to read about the where and the how of a product goes a long way with me, so I'm looking forward to checking them out. Thank you for the recommendations!
Hi Mandy! Not sure if you've heard of Tamara Rubin (the lead safe mama), but she tests different salt brands for lead and other heavy metals. Might be helpful in making a brand choice :) https://tamararubin.com/2020/10/how-much-lead-is-in-salt-which-salt-is-safest-to-use-for-cooking-is-himalayan-salt-safe/
No, somehow I have missed her but I will definitely look at her work. That sounds like exactly what I've been looking for; thank you for sharing!!
Wonderful, you're welcome!
As a city dweller trying to make her way out, I’m still relying on the talents of other lovelies who carefully make their products in a way I value. I have consistently loved the items ordered from the apothecary Sunfolk. (Formerly Wild Woman.)
Thank you, Tara, for being a sister I’ve never met, encouraging, challenging and educating me on this journey🧡
Thank you for that recommendation and for being here, Nina :)
Herbal infused body oils, lots of herbalists offer them and they are very simple to make at home. In the winter i use a St. John’s wort oil, in the summer I use the mugwort one I make myself!
Oh yes, love these too. I have been using a lot of these, especially St. John's Wort when I have to go into town. An extra layer of psychic defence against the madness :)
We just finished butchering three pigs. One was of the Kune Kune breed, which is a lard pig. I am now surrounded by jars of lard! I do plan on making soap with some, but thinking I could also use it in lotions…. Anyone have a tried and true recipe? Thanks!
Lard in soap is wonderful. :)
Thank you, as always, for your deeply nourishing and connecting words. You are an invaluable guidepost in this insane world. I ditched all of the skin BS a few years ago, but being a farmer and now at high altitude, I gotta have some balms. For this I adore my friends little handmade skincare shop, calendula infused balm on my lips and hands nightly and I wake up supple and rebirthed. Funny how far we will stray when the perfect solutions are under our noses. Keep on keeping on. Your emails are so grounding and affirming, an incredible gift. PS, I’ve heard that regular bovine/feline/canine kisses on the face are a wonderful skincare regimen. ;)
ha! Yes, I do believe those kisses are the best of all. Bovine, especially, can take the first few layers off in an exfoliation unparalleled by any loofah :)
My scalp has sounded loud warning bells about my move to a new area and the cold dry winter air. I’m hopeful that this more natural shampoo I’ve found will right its course enough to go back into trying food products exclusively again. I’m going to try the honey before my next wash day.
I only started dipping my toes (literally and figuratively) into making products this past year. Calendula steeped in coconut oil for dry skin and other all-purpose healing needs, and then a plantain and coconut oil mix for a pesky mild infection. Both have become our family’s go to for skin needs and I plan to keep going this spring. There’s a lovely patch of jewel weed we found a little late in the season last year but will continue to visit as the seasons change with offerings and gather in gratitude as the time is right.
Sounds lovely, Alli. For the honey, be consistent with it on your scalp for a week or so, every day. That usually does it for us.
Evanhely! thats all I use for my face. The Frankincense tonic is amazing
Earth Harbor and Rituel are both great lines.
JUST made a herb infused whipped tallow face cream! It’s really luxurious and lovely for the winter especially. I use organic everything for skincare—it’s getting absorbed right in through our largest organ after all. Organic Castor oil (in a glass bottle only!) can be good for congested skin when mixed with a carrier oil as a face cleanser. Jojoba is a great face oil, very similar to our natural sebum (just like tallow) ❤️ Thank you for this, it was very affirming of lots of the self care practices I use, and gave me some great new ideas too!
Question: Was wondering what you use for electrolytes?
Beautiful! In two litres of water I mix 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp potassium, a little magnesium threonate. You can jack the salt up or down to taste. In summer, when I'm sweating a lot more, I tend to like it saltier.
..."To simply put in the effort to avoid the constant volley of chemicals looks almost extreme or obsessive in a world that has normalised living in a chemical soup."
This is spot-on & reminds me of an article I read a while back entitled, "Why We Need To Be Weirdos To Be Healthy", by Alex Fergus. Funny, but not. I do sincerely believe constant vigilance is required to avoid all the toxic things that surround us on a daily basis. People will look at you strangely when you actively avoid them. Explanations are called for. Sometimes shared knowledge is well received. Other times, people are dismissive, perplexed or openly hostile. And so it goes. One sure thing I've learned on my journey to better health is that you can only help those who want to be helped. That is why your writings and this community are such a blessed, beautiful thing!
I loved reading this, as I have each and every one before, thank you for sharing your information with us it is so much appreciated. I have also been experimenting with making my own skincare products and they are definitely better than anything I can buy- I also feel that the energy and love put into making your own product effects the way it works for you- especially if you have also lovingly tended to the animals while they were alive and tended to the plants and things used in your 'concoctions'. There's a certain feel that goes along with it all too. After your recommendation of a post by sheisofthewoods where she talks about chamomile also being useful as a replacement for topical steroid cream for eczema- I made my own, infusing chamomile into our beautiful grassfed organic homegrown homekilled and ever loved sheep fat -and a few other ingredients I felt called to include- in a double boiler over a lovely campfire and I am very thrilled to say that for the first time in years my eczema has cleared up. I don't use social media much at all and I only have an account because of you but this is a good example I think of the good that can come out of genuine sharing and caring.
My hubby and I are in Western Australia and live mostly self sustainably on a small farm out in the wheatbelt. Our intention is to bring our little speck of the planet back in balance and plant as many trees as we can- which is what this place needs the most right now. We have lived here (in a tent!) for over 5 years now and haven't taken any wages and very little income. It's amazing with how little you can get by, dare I say it thrive! We have our chickens - all heritage breeds- nearly exactly as in your previous essay. We have merino sheep for wool, milk and meat, and we have a few cows. Our youngest heifer (we named her Tara- hope you don't mind....?!) is going to be our first go at having a milking cow and we have just purchased a young red Dexter bull.....
We hope to find some likeminded people out here in WA as well and grow a bit of a community one day :).
This turned out a way too long a comment! lol. Thank you again. Lots of love, Kim
Tara, I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. A little glimpse into the healthy rhythms you have cultivated over time. At the risk of being somewhat off topic, I’m curious if in the future you might discuss how you would plan to carry on some of these systems if you were to go “off grid” by necessity or choice. Your freezer and refrigerator posts were always the Instagram hit, but how would you continue food storage and other necessities without electricity. Thank you again for taking the time to put your thoughts to paper/screen!