Meet our skin-loving ingredients
It’s finally cooling off outside, and that can only mean one thing: Fall is here, and winter is right around the corner! It’s more important this time of year than any other to stay moisturized and make sure your skin is protected from cold temps and harsh winds.
Did you know that we sell a variety of hand and body lotions, as well as rich body butters, to help your skin stay healthy and nourished? Here’s your quick guide to what’s in our lotions and body butters here at Farmer’s Body and just what makes them so special.
Coconut Oil
If you’ve shopped around with us before and have taken a look at our other ingredient labels, you’ve probably noticed that we love coconut oil around here. It has amazing moisturizing properties that will leave your hands and body feeling soft, supple, and healthy overall. Plus, coconut oil has healing properties that can address any skin redness and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It truly is a miracle ingredient, especially when it comes to making moisturizing lotions.
Cetyl Alcohol
An alcohol may sound drying, but cetyl alcohol is actually an emollient that protects the skin from allergens and prevents moisture loss (The Derm Review). Cetyl alcohol is naturally derived from coconut oil. This fatty alcohol is used to give emulsions more stability, body, viscosity and thus can reduce skin flakiness and provide a protective moisture barrier that will leave your skin feeling soft and healthy.
Locally-Sourced Tallow
We know what you’re thinking: Tallow— that’s animal fat, right? You’re correct! It’s not as intimidating as it sounds, though, and we’ll spend a minute explaining why we include this slightly controversial ingredient.
Tallow is actually a great handmade lotion and body butter ingredient because it’s so nourishing for the skin. It’s filled with fatty acids and antioxidants that are adept at moisturizing the skin and preventing skin damage due to oxidation (Misumi). It’s also filled with Vitamins A, D, E, and K, which are all important for overall skin health.
We use beef tallow from Cedar Mountain Farm in Hartland, Vermont (https://www.cedarmountainfarm.org/) as an ingredient in several of our products. The farm is run by an amazing woman- Kerry Gawalt and her husband Stephen Leslie. These farmers are leaders in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.
The animals are loved and named. They are humanely raised, pasture-raised, and grass-fed year-round. The farmers don't use any electric machines in their market gardens- only old-fashioned horse-drawn farm implements in order to avoid introducing pollutants from emissions into the fields. The cows and the market garden produce the best compost in the entire world which is then used back on the fields to fertilize them naturally.
As we explained above, tallow is an amazing skincare ingredient and is typically wasted during meat processing, so we are happy to help ensure as much of the animal as possible is used and respectfully not wasted.
Here are a few editorial articles on tallow in skincare:
https://www.humblebeeandme.com/why-i-use-lard-or-tallow-in-my-soap-and-why-you-should-too/
https://mommypotamus.com/tallow-for-skin-care/
https://www.newhope.com/manufacturing-and-supply/why-tallow-skin-care-making-comeback
We do offer products that are vegan (no tallow, no beeswax, no honey, no dairy) for those who prefer to avoid animal products, but we think it is an important, sustainable ingredient for those who aren't vegan!
Calendula Extract
Calendula extract promotes skin tightness and hydrates the skin, making it a perfect handmade lotion ingredient (Tiege). It also helps protect the skin against UV rays, which is a huge bonus in our books. Our calendula was grown and harvested by women in Vermont.
Silk Amino Acids
Sounds fancy, right? We include silk amino acids in our lotions because this ingredient is just so moisturizing and good for the skin. Silk amino acids are easily absorbed and prevent moisture loss by supporting keratin health (The Derm Review). Plus they make lotion feel...well...silky!
Vitamin E Oil
We want our handmade lotions and body butters to be fresh as possible, which is why we included Vitamin E oil as an ingredient- it helps maintain the quality of the delicate oils and butters we’ve purposely included in our formulations. Vitamin E oil is incredibly moisturizing and has anti-aging properties.
Essential Oils
Pretty much any body butter or lotion you buy from Farmer’s Body probably has at least one essential oil in it. Essential oils make our lotions and body butters smell amazing, and they can actually be really helpful when it comes to boosting your mood.
Want to learn more about the ingredients we use here at Farmer’s Body? Check out this blog post: HERE.