Back before we had mass-produced skincare products, clinically tested brands, and chemical ingredients, we had ancestral skincare.
Our ancestors used tried-and-true methods they cultivated over thousands of years to manage dry skin, reverse aging, and help cure skin issues like eczema and acne.
When we think of ancient cultures, we often assume all of their methods were primitive. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. As modern hormone disruptors, environmental pollutants, and chemical ingredients wreak havoc on our skin, we need our ancestors’ natural methods more than ever.
How We Reimagined Ancestral Skincare
Most people think there are only two options for ancestral skincare:
- You go full crunchy and renounce any scientific advancements, scents, and natural methods. (No deodorant, hand-dyed cotton fabrics … you get the idea.)
- You only trust clinically tested brands that are full of chemicals and probably clog your liver. (Autoimmune disease, who?)
Our idea of the “perfect skincare routine” combines modern science and ancient skincare methods for the best approach to whole-body wellness.
We’re committed to whole ingredients that are backed by science. It turns out most ancestral skincare remedies prove to be highly effective in scientific studies. Go figure…
We took our ancestors’ skincare recipe book and added a modern twist:
- We use a variety of powerful ingredients. Most primal communities didn’t have access to imported ingredients. Today, we’re able to combine things like emu oil and tallow, two powerhouse ingredients that fight inflammation.
- We include nontoxic scents. Essential oils have been around since the time of the ancient Egyptians, but they couldn’t be packed in every skincare product (especially homemade ones). Today, we use a perfect balance of high-quality essential oils for both the health benefits and nontoxic scent.
- Quality control is key. We create our nontoxic skincare products in coastal Alabama, and they go through rigorous testing before they’re released to our clients. They’re not good enough for you until they’re good enough for our family.
4 Ancestral Skincare Principles We Live By
Want to live more in tune with the earth and cut synthetic chemicals from your environment?
These are the ancestral skincare principles we can’t get enough of:
-
Use the Oil Cleansing Method Instead of Stripping Your Skin
Oil cleansing dates back to ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, and 14th-century Japan. It’s been used across the globe as a method of cleansing the body—from head to toe. Oils were used in liquid form or molded into bar soaps.
The reason we stopped using this widely-accepted cleansing method is likely because of resource shortages during World War I and World War II. During the wars, plant oils and animal fats became difficult to access. So chemists found another solution: synthetic detergent.
After World War II, companies needed a way to keep the detergent business booming, so they pitched these chemical cleansers as a “better alternative” to ancestral skincare (hint: they aren’t).
Today, many of us are using skin-stripping detergents in our soap, shampoo, body cleanser, and face wash. This can be particularly damaging to the microbiome and may make us feel dirtier in the long run. Our skin needs natural oil. When these oils are stripped, our bodies can overproduce oil to compensate.
It’s time to return to our ancestral roots. We swear by using oil-based soaps created from tallow, olive oil, and other natural oils. These work by gently cleansing the body while adding much-needed moisture. In our experience, you’ll feel cleaner for longer and experience fewer skin issues.
Oil Cleansing for the Body — Try Body Oils and a Beef Tallow Soap
Oil Cleansing for the Face — Use a Liquid Face Oil and the Oil Cleansing Method
-
Focus on Animal-Based Skincare
Here’s the tea on animal-based skincare: it closely matches our own skin’s DNA. This is one of many reasons beef tallow for skin is the latest skincare sensation (thanks TikTok).
When they aren’t diluted with water, alcohol, or chemical fillers, animal-based products are packed full of essential fatty acids, which your skin needs for cellular regeneration. Emu oil, beef tallow, mutton tallow, and lard are all incredible moisturizers that soothe the skin with natural vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
We can go on and on about animal-based skincare … and we have! Check out our ultimate guide on tallow for skin.
While plant-based ingredients can be helpful to your skincare routine, animal-based skincare is truly unmatched.
-
Food Is the Best Medicine for Your Skin
We have plenty to say about skincare ingredients (and a whole line of products to prove our obsession). However, it’s important to remember that what you put in your body is just as important to skin health as what you put on it.
Antioxidants and cellular regeneration are even more powerful when they come from within.
According to customers, liver issues, gut imbalance, toxin overload, and hormone disruption are the leading causes of acne and skin symptoms. A diet of whole foods, mineral-rich ingredients, antioxidants, and minimally processed foods is a key ancestral principle for maintaining glowy skin.
-
Toxins and Chemicals Don’t Belong on Your Body
Modern consumers are realizing that chemicals and synthetic ingredients have no place on the human body. Common ingredients like parabens, forever chemicals, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been linked to hormone disruption, toxin overload in the body, and even autoimmune disease. Combined with environmental factors (pollution, heavy metals, mycotoxins, etc.) these toxic ingredients pose a real threat to our wellness.
Here’s the kicker: nontoxic skincare and body products can be just as effective as the chemical-filled options. The only reason natural products have a bad reputation is because we’re so out of touch with the ancestral skincare recipes and remedies that actually worked. (That’s why you have us.)
Ancestral Skincare Is the Future of Skincare
Ironic, isn’t it? With all the advancements we have today, we’re still turning back to the principles and ingredients used by our ancestors. And we’re using modern technology, science, and production strategies to make them even better.
It’s time for us, as a collective, to turn away from big-name companies that care more about profit than people.
We know ancestral skincare is extremely effective—and we know chemical products are wreaking havoc on our bodies.
We all deserve better.
Keep Exploring…