From Toxic to Tallow: Non-Toxic Living & the Birth of a Tallow-Based Skincare Business with Sarah Sohm

I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah and learning about her amazing tallow-based skin company, Fauna/Flora Naturals. I enjoyed seeing how she makes her tallow-based products and can attest that they smell and feel amazing on my skin! I love having the peace of mind that what I’m putting on my skin is completely natural and toxic-free, and I love supporting local women-based businesses in Boise! Thank you Sarah for taking the time to share your story. I’m so excited for readers to learn about how your Tallow-Based Skincare company, Fauna/Flora Naturals came to be!

Meet Sarah Sohm – Founder of Tallow-Based Skincare Company, Fauna/Flora Naturals

From her very earliest memories, Sarah always had a passion for teaching and assisting others. Pursuing her ambitions, she studied Early Childhood Education and dedicated over 15 years to working with children with a fulfilling career as a preschool teacher turned nanny. However, when the challenges of the Covid era unfolded, both her personal and professional life underwent some pretty significant transformations. 

Now, Sarah is a devoted full-time stay-at-home mom to her spirited and incredible 2-year-old son. Alongside her favorite role as a mom, she now wears all the hats of her business, Fauna/Flora Naturals, as well.

In this venture, she not only formulates and creates high-quality skincare products but also finds incredible joy in her ongoing research and perfecting her skills in the realm of natural skincare. This dynamic combination reflects her commitment to both her family and professional pursuits.

Sarah’s Path From Toxic to Non-Toxic Living

In early 2020, amidst the challenges of Covid, Sarah & her partner, Vinnie, who had been together for over a decade, faced another unexpected turn when a positive pregnancy test brought them both excitement and nerves (they had made the joint decision early in their relationship that kids weren’t in their future). However, their joy turned to sorrow as subsequent visits to the OB revealed the heartbreaking news of a nonviable pregnancy.

Despite the devastation and grief, this experience prompted them to reevaluate their desire for children. Uncertain about the cause of the miscarriage and determined to improve their chances of a viable pregnancy in the future, they sought solutions and came to a crucial realization — a shift towards a more natural and non-toxic lifestyle was imperative for a healthier future. 

Sarah’s Switch to a Non-Toxic Lifestyle

Sarah learned that adopting a nontoxic lifestyle is crucial, particularly when embarking on the journey of conception. Discovering the potential hazards of toxins in food, plastic, and everyday personal products, she recognized their role as endocrine disruptors, capable of interfering with hormonal balance. Sarah came to understand that these disruptions could pose significant challenges when attempting to conceive. 

Recognizing the importance of minimizing exposure to harmful substances, and seeing that our skin is our biggest organ, Sarah particularly emphasized the need to switch conventional skincare and personal products to nontoxic products. Conventional products often contain chemicals (and usually many per product) that may adversely impact reproductive health, making the shift to cleaner, toxin-free alternatives imperative during this pivotal time. 

Choosing a more nontoxic lifestyle aligns with creating a healthier environment for conception, prioritizing the well-being of both the prospective parents and the future child(ren).

This marked the end of toxins in her and Vinnie’s daily lives, and the beginning of their quest for natural, chemical-free personal products. And in doing so, it led to the pregnancy and birth of their son… and eventually to the birth of Sarah’s other baby: Fauna/Flora Naturals, her tallow-based skincare company!

What is Tallow-Based Skincare? 

Tallow-based skincare is an all-natural form of skincare that is, as you may have guessed it, made with tallow as the base ingredient! Not only is it amazing for our skin but it’s also better for  the environment. Additionally, it supports the nose-to-tail approach – which aims to use as much of an animal as possible. 

What are the Benefits of Tallow-Based Skincare?

Tallow-based skincare offers a multitude of benefits!

• Tallow’s fatty acid profile closely mirrors our skin, making it incredibly bioavailable to us, thus facilitating quick absorption and quick nutrient uptake. 
• Rich in fat-soluble vitamins, tallow shields against free radicals, providing vital protection from our day-to-day environmental stressors. 
• Essential fatty acids in tallow soothe dry skin, ensuring optimal moisture, which is important all year round, and especially in the colder months! 
• The EFAs in tallow aid in maintaining microbial balance, potentially helping with acne and scarring. 

Tallow is an age-old skincare solution, predating chemical-laden products. And, although it seems like a weird concept – using animal fat as skincare? It is absolutely worth a try! 

Sarah’s Tallow-Based Skincare Solution

Fauna/Flora Naturals presents a diverse array of skincare solutions, including an extensive range of whipped tallow balms designed for specific needs—whether it’s for the face, body, or addressing cracked hands and feet. The product line also features carefully crafted face and body scrubs, an eye balm, and nourishing chapsticks.

Sarah prioritizes the use of all-natural and no-spray ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible. The tallow, obtained from nearby farms, remains in an unrefined state, ensuring that all the inherent benefits and nutrients are preserved, resulting in exceptionally nourishing final products.

Tailoring her offerings to various preferences and skin needs, Sarah infuses the tallow and oils with an assortment of botanicals such as lavender, chamomile, and calendula. Additionally, she sometimes incorporates organic and 100% pure, third-party-tested essential oils to enhance the healing and beneficial properties of the products. The thoughtful selection of ingredients reflects a commitment to creating skincare solutions that are not only effective but also gentle and work harmoniously together.

Who is Tallow-Based Skincare For?

The versatility of Fauna/Flora Naturals’ products is evident in their suitability for all ages, from newborns to great-grandparents. These products can be applied at any time of day, offering head-to-toe nourishment and catering to individual skin needs. The emphasis on customization ensures that users can tailor their skincare routine according to personal preferences and specific skin issues.

It is amazing for those with skin issues such as eczema and psoriasis, it’s amazing as a balm for babies and even as diaper cream, it’s the very best facial moisturizer – and of course, your face is the skin that most people see!

Whether you are looking for clean products, have skin issues that you are looking for some relief from, need some extra moisture, or are simply looking for a product that will help make your skin amazing, Fauna/Flora tallow-based skincare just may be the thing that you didn’t even know you needed! It truly is for everyone with skin 🙂

Sarah’s Customizable Approach to Tallow-Based Skincare

Sarah’s dedication extends beyond her product line; she actively engages with customers, aiming to understand their unique needs and preferences. Through personalized consultations, she collaborates with customers to determine the most suitable products for them, individually. This customer-centric approach creates a supportive and enriching experience, reinforcing Fauna/Flora Naturals’ commitment to delivering not just skincare but a personalized journey toward skin health and well-being.

What to Look For in Tallow-Based Products

When exploring tallow-based skincare options, not all products are created equally, and it’s crucial to pay attention to certain factors. Ensure that the ingredients used in the skincare product are organic, derived from no spray or are wildly sourced. Moreover, the quality of the tallow matters; it should be 100% grass-fed and finished, made exclusively from pure suet or kidney fat. 

Make sure to avoid products made with trimmings, as they lack essential nutrients and may carry a more pronounced beefy odor, which may not be preferable for most users. Additionally, check any oils that are added to the product, focusing on their comedogenic scale ranking. Fauna/Flora Naturals, under Sarah’s meticulous curation, stands out by prioritizing all these essential criteria in the formulation of her products, ensuring a commitment to quality and optimal skin health.

How to Find Fauna/Flora Naturals Products:

You can connect with Sarah at www.faunafloranaturals.com (as of February 2024, this is still in the works but should be up soon). Until then, please like/follow Sarah on Facebook and Instagram, and please feel free to reach out to her with any questions or to purchase!

Sarah’s Advice On Non-Toxic Living:

Embarking on a path toward a non-toxic lifestyle can be quite the learning curve, and it’s important not to get disheartened in the early stages. The process involves a considerable amount of exploration, with moments of frustration as you determine what works best for you. At times, the journey might seem overwhelming, but in the long run, the positive impacts on your health, your family’s well-being, and the transformative benefits of embracing clean products will prove to be genuinely life-changing.

Lasting Thoughts on Non-Toxic Living & Tallow-Based Skincare

Thank you again to Sarah for taking the time to share her story and for creating Fauna/Flora Naturals, an amazing solution for those who are ready to switch to support their non-toxic lifestyle! It’s good to remember that our skin is our biggest organ and whatever we put on gets absorbed. So when using products that contain toxic ingredients, that can be detrimental to our health. Tallow-based skincare is one of the best solutions for natural non-toxic skincare – I encourage you to connect with Sarah and try it for yourself!

In wellness,

Sarah & Jeanna