Hopefully by now the word is out about how brilliant animal fats are for your insides, but today we’re sharing something a little different. How you can incorporate lard into your beauty regime to keep your outsides looking and feeling great too.
To be completely honest, using lard as a natural moisturiser and in natural soaps is really very simple, the hardest part for most people is the mental idea of slathering themselves in fat when we’ve been conditioned to believe that oils are the cause of breakouts!
But when you think about it there’s really nothing more logical. Do you think our paleolithic ancestors were covering themselves in $200 serums to protect their skin from the elements? No, they would have used what was available to them; fats from the animals they’d caught themselves (ok we’re making an educated guess here but it makes sense).
If you’ve found yourself eating more meat and therefore handling meat more regularly you may have even noticed the difference in your hands already. It’s pretty common to hear from people switching to a more paleo way of eating.
So how does it work as a moisturiser? Simple. Just warm a small amount of lard in your palm until it’s spreadable (or soften in the microwave for a couple of seconds - BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOURSELF!) and slather it all over your face, body, hands or feet after a shower. Be aware that there will likely be residue on your pillowcase or sheets so be sure to take that into consideration. If you’re using it on your hands and feet then popping on some socks or cotton gloves is a great idea to keep it contained. In the morning you can just cleanse your face as normal. There are even recipes out there for healing balms containing lard and your favourite essential oil!
What about making your own soap using lard? Your skin is your largest organ so why do we seem to have this compulsive need to coat ourselves in bodywash full of chemicals and preservatives that we can’t even pronounce? Making soap with lard as a central ingredient is pretty simple and creates your very own creamy, mild, moisturizing bar with the added benefit of knowing exactly what’s gone into it.
There are so many recipes and instructions available on the internet so have a look around but for a nice, simple beginners recipe you just need 3 ingredients - lard, water and caustic soda (aka lye) and some patience. This is a great tutorial showing you how to do it all, step by step.
Lard is a lovely, gentle ingredient for the skin, but there will always be some people who react to certain ingredients so be sure to try it on a small, inconspicuous area before lathering your whole body as a soap or moisturiser.
Ready to add lard to your beauty regime? Remember you can buy online here or in the chiller section of selected Coles, Woolworths and IGA stores Australia wide.
