Beauty

The Prettiest Way To Go Clean—The Tallow-Based Skincare Brand That Actually Works

Take a little journey with me up to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, where the air snaps with a crisp autumn chill, the forests smell like lavender, cedar, and fresh beginnings, and life slows down just enough for you to notice what you’ve been missing.

By Anna Hartman5 min read

The mountains have this way of grounding you, reminding you what matters and what doesn’t. And if you ask me, there’s no better season to let nature nudge you toward something new than fall.

Which is funny, because I’m not exactly what anyone would describe as “earthy.”

My highlights require a standing six-week appointment, my home routinely smells like whatever three-wick candle HomeGoods told me I needed, and yes, I occasionally indulge in prepackaged snacks with the dreaded seed oils. I didn’t even realize my makeup routine was accidentally clean until a few months ago, when I investigated it (via ChatGPT, naturally) for an article.

I can already hear the crunchy-girl shrieks echoing through the internet.

The truth is simple: I’m a results-first kind of woman. If a product works, I’m loyal. If it’s effective and beautiful? Consider me devoted. Aesthetic joy is a valid category in my personal hierarchy of needs.

So when I stumbled into Hearth & Homestead, a clean, tallow-based skincare brand with packaging so lovely it could double as farmhouse-chic decor, I felt that rare spark of finding something that actually aligns with who you are and who you want to be.

A quick note before we dive in: This article may contain affiliate links or include paid partnerships. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Everything recommended here is chosen independently by our editors and reflects our honest views.

Tallow: The Clean Beauty Trend That’s More Like a Comeback

Tallow may be having a modern clean-beauty moment, but nothing about it is new. Women used it for centuries before the rise of lab-made lotions and synthetic ingredients. It’s part of an ancestral beauty lineage, and it's simple, nourishing, and reliable.

But like many people, I wasn’t immune to the mental hurdle of putting fat on my face. Would I smell like Sunday dinner? Would I break out? Would my skin revolt after years of mainstream serums?

I had questions. Lots of them.

And because I am nothing if not chronically online, I started where most modern women do: the reviews. And they weren’t just positive, they were obsessive. Hundreds of five-star testimonies from women who sounded strangely spiritual about their face cream. That kind of loyalty doesn’t just appear out of nowhere.

So I decided I needed to try it for myself. But if I were going to experiment with a whole new category of skincare, I wanted it to come from a brand with integrity, quality, and, yes, good branding. My friends (glowy-skinned, trustworthy women) unanimously pointed me toward one name: Hearth & Homestead.

A Family-Owned Brand Rooted in the Blue Ridge

Hearth & Homestead is exactly the kind of brand you want to discover, then tell everyone about. They’re Virginia-based (same as me), family-owned, and dedicated to reviving ancestral skincare using ingredients sourced the way nature intended.

Hearth & Homestead has a hard rule: no synthetics, no artificial fragrance, no dyes, no fillers.

Their tallow comes from small farmers who practice regenerative agriculture (meaning cows graze rotationally on fresh pasture year-round, eating nothing but real grass.) This lifestyle creates a golden, vitamin-rich fat naturally high in nutrients your skin recognizes and knows what to do with.

And just as importantly, Hearth & Homestead has a hard rule: no synthetics, no artificial fragrance, no dyes, no fillers. Never. Like, ever.

It’s genuinely clean, not performatively clean. And yet it’s thoughtful, elegant, and surprisingly luxurious. That’s what convinced me to dive in.

Below is the routine I tested. You can consider it my full conversion story into the world of tallow.

My Hearth & Homestead Routine: The Four-Step Facial Collection

If the clean beauty world overwhelms you (hi, same), this collection feels like a breath of fresh mountain air. No guesswork. No 12-step routine. No checking ingredient lists like you’re studying for the SAT.

Just: cleanse, treat, nourish, glow.

Let’s break it down.

Step 1: Dewdrop Cleansing Oil

If you grew up removing makeup with baby oil, as I did, this will feel like the glow-up of a lifetime. It melts off mascara, sunscreen, and the entire emotional residue of your day without leaving a greasy film. My skin felt velvety after the first use.

It’s the kind of product that makes you rethink everything you put on your face.

Step 2: Chimney Sweep Charcoal Face Soap

I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did. It’s one of the only charcoal soaps I’ve tried that detoxifies without stripping. Perfect two or three times a week when your skin needs a proper reset (or when your toddler sneezes directly on your cheek, which happens more often than I’d like to admit).

Step 3: Nectar Reparative Retinol Serum

My personal favorite.

Retinol has always been one of those “someday” skincare ingredients for me, something future-me would use when she wasn’t breastfeeding, pregnant, or perpetually sleep-deprived. But after three baby boys, years of nursing, and more toddler bedtime dramatics than I can count, I realized someday needed to become now.

What makes this retinol stand out is that it’s clean, safe, and non-toxic, which means that you can likely use it during pregnancy and breastfeeding (of course, consult your OB/GYN to be sure, though). If you’ve ever felt excluded from major skincare ingredients while growing tiny humans, this serum feels like being invited back to the table.

I’ve been using it morning and night, catching up for lost time, and I swear my face looks five years more rested.

Step 4: Wild Bloom Bio-Active Tallow Face Cream

This is the moment everything comes together. Hydrating, plumping, soothing. It's rich but not heavy. It creates the kind of dewy, healthy finish that makes you want to wear less makeup. And honestly? I have been.

My skin just feels good. Like it’s functioning the way it’s supposed to.

If you want to test out the full line-up before investing in the full-size collection, try the mini version for less than $50!

The Autumn-In-A-Bar Soap Everyone Loves

If a cozy cabin getaway could be bottled into a bar of soap, the Blue Ridge Goat Milk Soap would be it.

The scent is earthy, comforting, and nostalgic. It's lavender, cedarwood, and clove all wrapped in creamy goat milk and grass-fed tallow. Your whole bathroom will smell like the best parts of fall. It’s become one of their top sellers for a reason.

For Perfume Lovers Who Want to Go Clean

Designer fragrances are lovely until you start paying attention to endocrine disruptors and unnecessary synthetics. If you’ve been wanting to transition to a cleaner fragrance option without sacrificing complexity or longevity, Hearth & Homestead’s Perfume Oil Collection is a beautiful alternative.

The collection features four ancestral-inspired blends housed in gemstone roller bottles, each thoughtfully crafted to be worn solo or layered to create your own signature scent:

  • Nile Blooms – feminine, floral, soft.

  • Persian Vanilla – cozy, sensual, fireside-worthy.

  • Silk Road Citrus – bright, energizing, instant mood-lift.

  • Caribbean Spice – warm, vacation-at-dusk energy; perfect for date nights.

You can choose one based on your mood, outfit, or even the season, or lean into the art of fragrance layering and build a personalized scent that feels entirely your own. The experience is intimate, subtle, and unexpectedly luxurious, offering a clean-beauty twist on traditional perfumery.

My Favorite Product (Besides the Retinol): The Anti-Aging Face Mask

One thing about me? I am ride-or-die for a face mask. Any time we play the classic “What would you do if you won the lottery?” game, my answer is embarrassingly consistent: a weekly facial, forever. Sure, I’d donate generously to family and charities first, naturally, but right after that? I’m booking standing appointments at the nicest spa in town like it’s my full-time job.

Alas, the Mega Millions has yet to recognize my potential (despite my two earnest attempts), which means my dreams of professional pampering remain temporarily on hold. Thankfully, Hearth & Homestead’s Anti-Aging Face Mask exists to soften the blow. At just $15, it’s basically the at-home version of sneaking away for a $100 spa facial, minus the childcare logistics.

The formula is based in rhassoul clay, a naturally detoxifying, mineral-rich clay beloved for its purifying, tightening, and brightening abilities. Packed with skin-loving potassium and magnesium, it leaves your face looking refreshed, revived, and suspiciously well-rested, like you took a nap and drank water today, even if neither of those things is true.

The Body Scrub That Feels Like a Spa Day

If you buy one body product this season, make it the Frosted Vanilla Bean Tallow Body Scrub.

There is no delicate way to put this: it feels heavenly. Like someone scratching your back in the exact right spot on the first try. It’s indulgent without being wasteful, comforting without being too sweet, and it makes your skin feel brand new.

Whether you take “everything showers” or five-minute survival showers, this belongs in your routine.

My Christmas Gift Picks

I’m giving Hearth & Homestead products to half the people I know this Christmas. They’re thoughtful, useful, clean, beautiful, and feel far more luxurious than their price point.

A few favorites:

Why Hearth & Homestead Converts Even the Non-Crunchy Girls

Clean beauty can sometimes feel like an all-or-nothing club. Either you’re reading ingredient labels in the Whole Foods supplements aisle, or you’re doomed to a lifetime of parabens.

Hearth & Homestead hits the sweet spot: clean, heritage-inspired, highly effective, aesthetically beautiful, and made for women who want simplicity, not sacrifice.

It’s skincare that works with your life, not against it.

If you’ve been wanting to detox your routine without giving up performance, luxury, or your identity, this may be your new favorite discovery.

Explore the full Hearth & Homestead collection and use our code "EVIE20" for 20% off your order!