Bare & Honest: My Journey to Building A Transparent Skincare Business

Wow—what a whirlwind this year has been already, and it’s only March! When I first started making my own tallow at home last year, I never imagined it would grow beyond a personal hobby. Now, not only do I get to create something I love, but I also have the privilege of supporting my family from home. It’s been an incredible journey, full of learning, dreaming, and plenty of trial and error.

Over the past few months, my husband and I have spent countless late nights brainstorming and mapping out our vision for this little business. And no matter how many ideas we toss around, I keep coming back to one thing: transparency. I don’t want to be another skincare brand making wild claims that beef fat is a magical cure-all. That’s just not me. Instead, I want to build a community of people who value the full picture—people who want honest conversations about holistic living, even when it’s messy and imperfect. And if, after that, you decide you want to try tallow? Well, I’d love nothing more than to share that with you.

But before we dive deeper into that, let’s rewind a little. I think the best way to start this conversation on transparency is by sharing my own winding, bumpy journey into holistic skincare and a more natural lifestyle. I’m going to warn you—it’s not a straight path. It’s been filled with roadblocks, questions, research rabbit holes, and years (yes, years) of trial and error. And I’m still learning. But if my story can inspire even one person or help someone feel less alone in their struggles, then it’s worth telling.

I didn’t grow up in a holistic household. In fact, I didn’t even know what holistic meant until college. But as I took small, hesitant steps in that direction, I realized that this lifestyle—the slower, simpler way of living—just made sense to me. It felt like the opposite of the fast-paced, overstimulated life I was juggling in college. At the time, I was working full-time as a coffee barista, taking 18 credit hours, and pushing myself to the limit. The idea of slowing down and simplifying was a distant dream.

Then, in March of 2022—just two months before my wedding—everything changed. Out of nowhere, I developed painful, cystic acne along my chin and cheeks. It wasn’t just an occasional breakout; it was relentless, deep, and angry. I was in full panic mode. I had never experienced acne like this, and with my wedding looming closer, I was desperate for a solution.

I threw myself into research, trying everything from harsh spot treatments to expensive cleansers that burned my face. I changed my pillowcases religiously, and finally, as a last resort, sought medical help. A week before my wedding, I was prescribed a steroid, and like magic, my skin cleared up just in time for my big day. I felt like I had dodged a bullet—problem solved, right?

Not quite.

Two weeks into my honeymoon, the acne came roaring back, worse than before. A month later, my husband and I packed up our lives and moved from Texas to a small town in North Idaho, where I was about to start my job as a ninth-grade English teacher. My skin, however, made me feel like I belonged in high school rather than standing at the front of the classroom.

By July 2022, my face was a battlefield—painful cysts, chemical burns from harsh cleansers, and the emotional weight of feeling like I’d never find a real solution. Looking back, I’m oddly grateful that we had moved away from home. It forced me to stop relying on quick fixes. I had to face the reality that the steroid had only masked the issue, not healed it. And in fact, it had made things worse in the long run.

Let me be clear—I’m not anti-medication. There’s a time and place for steroids and other medical interventions. But I wish I had understood how they worked before blindly jumping to a quick fix. That little pill gave me a week of clear skin but cost me months of painful breakouts afterward. And ironically, my solution wasn’t even tallow. (Don’t worry, we’ll get to that part!)

Through more research, I started seeing skin health differently. Our skin is our body’s largest organ—it’s not just a surface-level issue. Acne, eczema, and other skin conditions often have deeper roots, usually in gut health or overall inflammation. Slathering on more products wasn’t the answer. If anything, most of those products were making my skin worse.

When I looked back at my lifestyle before the breakouts, the puzzle pieces started clicking into place. I had never been on hormonal birth control—I had done my research and decided it wasn’t the right fit for me. But my diet? That was another story. I was a busy, stressed-out college student juggling work, school, and an intense CrossFit addiction. Cooking at home felt impossible, so I relied on cheap protein shakes and quick, processed meals to keep me going.

That realization led me to a slow, painfully gradual shift toward whole foods. No overnight miracles—just small, intentional changes. I stopped scrubbing my skin raw with five different acne treatments. Instead, I simplified my routine: washing with water, moisturizing, and waiting for my body to heal. By Christmas of 2022, my skin had transformed. Not perfect, but worlds better.

But like I said—this journey isn’t linear.

Almost two years later, when I had my daughter in 2024, my perspective deepened even more. She displayed symptoms of CMPA (cow’s milk protein allergy), leading to skin issues and digestive struggles. I’m still in the thick of that healing journey, making sacrifices and learning every day. It’s a slow process, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So where does tallow fit into all of this? Well, it’s not the solution. But it’s a solution—one of many small, intentional choices I’ve made to support my family’s health. I won’t sit here and promise it will change your life the way big skincare brands do. Life isn’t that simple. Skin health isn’t that simple. But if you’re looking for something clean, free of harsh additives, and supportive of your skin’s natural barrier, tallow might just be the missing puzzle piece in your journey.

For me, this business is about more than just skincare. It’s about slowing down, simplifying, and embracing a lifestyle that values real, sustainable choices. Having a child makes you want to move mountains to create a healthy home, and that’s what I hope to share with you through this journey. My goal has always been transparency—whether it’s in the ingredients I use, the way I run my business, or the conversations we have here. Because at the end of the day, you deserve to know exactly what you’re putting on your skin and why it matters.

I’m so grateful for this life, this business, and this amazing community. Thank you for being here.