Its StudySunday and I've been slacking.
This is something I've been overdue to write about so here we go quick!
🐷Why lard?!
🐮Most people know of tallow these days. Thanks to places like TikTok, tallow (visceral fat from cows) has become all the rage and I see it suggested endlessly. I hardly ever see lard (subcutaneous fat from pigs) suggested for use in skincare. This is a darn shame!
🐷Pork and lard has been attacked for years. Some say it is ''unclean'' and others demonize dietary cholesterol. Thanks to Crisco, lard stopped being used in households decades ago (but.. has our health improved overall???). Again, a darn shame.
We need a return to animal based in our diets and our skincare.
🐷Pig fat is incredibly unique and valuable. However, for the fat to be valuable, the pigs need to be raised with lots of sunshine, clean water and forage (hint, hint.. like our beloved pigs <3 ). When raised in such conditions, their fat is full of vitamin D, minerals and fatty acids. It is essential for the pigs to get adequate time in the sun for their fat to contain copious amounts of vitamin D (1). Conventional pork is largely devoid as the poor animals don't get time outside. "Lard is the closest exogenous substance on the planet to human sebum, which is the natural oil our glands produce. Back to this biological mimicry, lard is a spot-on match pH-balanced and lipid-balanced, and it simulates or mimics our natural oil" (Weston A Price). This likeness makes lard exceptional for use in skincare. It also contains natural collagens, vitamin A, E and Omega 3 fatty acids.
🐷 I would argue, it's the perfect fat and I can assure you that the lard used in our products is top quality!
🐷 It's important to note that another huge reason we use lard is that it is sustainable. Since we raise pastured pigs, their fat is readily available to us for rendering. We do not like waste here! The vast majority of my cooking is done in lard and as I have gotten more and more comfortable using it in my formulations, you'll find it featured in more products here and on the website.
1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5685574/
