Coffee & Chat with Shelby from Be Nurtured Tallow
Hey there, grab your coffee or favourite brew and get cosy. Today, we’re sitting down for a relaxed heart-to-heart with Shelby from Be Nurtured Tallow, one of the many passionate creators featured in the Crunchy Life Australia directory. Together, we’ll explore why small-batch tallow skincare isn’t just a passing trend, but a heartfelt movement rooted in authenticity, integrity, and love.
A World of Goodness (and Growing Awareness)
Shelby and I both love that tallow skincare is finally gaining the recognition it deserves. More people are asking what it is, why it works, and how to use it. But she also points out something important - many shoppers default to Amazon, Temu or big-box retailers, where convenience and price often outweigh quality.
The problem? Those mass-produced “tallow” creams are often made with poor-quality back fat, mixed with synthetic fillers, and bulked up with unnecessary ingredients. They may use the word Tallow for marketing, but the products lack the purity and nourishment of the real thing. This leaves people disappointed and sometimes giving tallow skincare a bad name.
Awareness is growing, but education is just as vital.
The Vitamin Myth & the Real Magic of Tallow
You’ll often see skincare brands shouting about vitamins in their products. For example, “packed with Vitamins A, D, E, and K!” But here’s the truth: research shows that after rendering, these vitamins are not present in meaningful amounts.
The real magic of grass-fed tallow skincare lies in its fatty acid profile. Tallow is rich in stearic acid, oleic acid, and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), these are fats that closely mirror the natural lipids in human skin. That’s why it absorbs so seamlessly, strengthens the skin barrier, and leaves skin feeling soothed, nourished, and balanced.
It’s not hype, it’s harmony with nature.
Small-Batch Makers: Where Heart Meets Integrity
What makes creators like Shelby and many others in the Crunchy Life directory stand out is intention. Shelby’s Be Nurtured Tallow is made in small batches using Australian grass-fed and finished suet, created especially for her daughter Harper’s sensitive skin. For her, it all begins with the ingredients; sourced locally, chosen with care, and honoured through a slow, methodical process.
Every jar is minimal in formulation, designed to let the natural benefits of tallow shine. It’s skincare made from love, and with love.
And she's not alone!
- Bramston House (Burpengary East, QLD) – innovators in natural skincare, crafting with organic tallow, distilled water, and local botanicals, while driving new product development forward.
- Fully Nourished Apotheca Imperialis (Pyrenees Ranges, VIC) – honouring slow living and sustainability through handcrafted small-batch skincare.
- Soulful Haven (Gladstone, QLD) – blending ritual wellness with toxin-free tallow skincare.
- Meraki Mumma (Melbourne, VIC) – offering postpartum and mother-care products made with nourishing tallow.
- Berry Beautiful (Perth, WA) – creating organic elderberry syrups and whipped tallow creams for inner and outer wellness.
- Meado Tallow (Sydney, NSW) – specialising in gentle balms for dry, sensitive, and eczema-prone skin.
And of course many more, best bet, look who's closest to you and support local where you can.
Together, these makers show that tallow skincare is more than a product.
It’s a movement rooted in care, integrity, and community.
Shelby’s Tallow Wisdom for Consumers
If you’re new to tallow skincare, Shelby has some down-to-earth advice:
- Keep it simple. Always check the ingredients. Where does tallow sit on the list? Is it the true base, or just a marketing sprinkle? In Shelby’s balms, tallow is always the hero ingredient. Less ingredients is more quality.
- Know the story. Every small-batch tallow maker has a reason they began. Shelby’s “why” is her little girl, Harper. Mass-produced tallow creams don’t carry that same heart, they’re built for margins, not people. If a maker isn’t transparent about their process, sourcing, or ingredients, that’s a red flag.
- Choose trust over convenience. Yes, Amazon is tempting. But your skin (and your family’s skin) deserves more than the cheapest option. Supporting small-batch makers means choosing products made with obsessive attention to detail that you’ll never see on a label.
- Manage expectations. Real, small-batch tallow balms feel different from mainstream lotions, that’s part of their magic. They’re rich, bio-compatible with your skin, and may vary slightly from batch to batch. That’s the beauty of something real, handmade, and alive with nature.
The Heart of It All
What I love most about chatting with Shelby is her perspective: there’s no competition here. Every tallow maker lifting awareness helps the whole community. For her, it’s about supporting others, sharing knowledge, and ensuring people understand what real tallow skincare feels like.
So, next time you’re tempted by the “easy option” in your cart, pause and think: Do I want convenience, or do I want quality and authenticity?
Because when you choose makers like Shelby at Be Nurtured Tallow, and the many others in the Crunchy Life directory, you’re choosing skincare made with love, tradition, and integrity.
What questions do you have about tallow skincare?
Drop them in the comments, we’d love to keep this coffee chat going.