How My Neighbor’s Tallow Began: A Return to Ancestral Skincare

When I first moved to the Hudson Valley full time, I wasn’t planning to start a skincare brand. I was just a new mum stepping away from my intense and demanding Wall Street career, trying to focus on building a home and a slower family life. I remember looking at my baby for the first time after we brought her home and thinking, There’s no way I can leave her all day once my maternity leave ends.

My old schedule had me out the door by 6:30 in the morning. On a good day, I’d return by 6:30 in the evening. If I was out entertaining clients in the city, it could be 10 or 11 at night. That lifestyle didn’t align with the kind of mother I wanted to be.

I know how fortunate I was to have the option to step away. My husband was, and still is, a successful software engineer. But that choice came with real changes. We sold our home in Darien, Connecticut, because I was no longer going to be the one earning the bigger income. It was a clear decision for us, and to this day we talk about how we don’t regret it for a second. Just three weeks after bringing Wilhelmina home from the hospital, we listed the house and moved upstate full time.

We relocated to our 1772 Dutch cottage. We had bought in our mid-twenties as a weekend escape in Hudson, New York. We both had jobs in finance and were smart with our savings also know this is not normal for someone of 25 but we did it on our own means. It was right before the pandemic, when prices were still manageable. During COVID, we ended up living there full time for two years allowed to temporarily WFH, and by the time Wilhelmina was born we were working in offices again in the city and stamford CT, but the house already felt like home to us. We had never imagined we’d live there full time with both of our jobs we always dreamed of it in the retirement years, but something changed in me when I saw her. The idea of making a lot of money just didn’t hold the same appeal. I wanted to be present. I wanted to witness everything she experienced for the first time.

I feel incredibly grateful that my husband supported me in that fast and life-altering decision. He told me it would be an honor to watch me raise our children. We had even hired a nanny in Darien to start that fall when I was meant to return to work. We helped her find another family, and the rest was history.

At that point, I wasn’t planning to start a skincare business. My plan was to be a full-time homemaker with my littles and, hopefully, grow our family. I had toyed with the idea of opening a small pantry-style café called The Neighbor’s Pantry a spot that offered non-perishable foods, eco-friendly cleaning supplies, and really good coffee. But the margins were tight, and the time it would have taken me away from my baby didn’t feel worth it. Then something else called to me something that came from a real problem in my own life.

Wilhelmina developed persistent eczema, and no over-the-counter cream felt safe or effective enough for her sensitive skin. So I did what mothers have always done. I turned to the past. I looked to other women who had faced the same challenges before me, and I followed their lead.

That’s when I rediscovered tallow on a Facebook page for homesteaders. A time-tested, nutrient-rich fat that had been used for centuries to nourish and protect the skin. What began as a solution for my daughter’s eczema quickly turned into a calling.

First, I had to figure out what tallow actually was. It’s funny looking back now I had to ask a few local farmer friends which part of the cow it came from. They quickly told me it’s the suet, the fat around the kidneys. I had only ever heard of suet being used in bird feeders by old-school birders. But our ancestors knew something we had forgotten. Tallow is nature’s best-kept skincare secret. this humbling research phase makes me way better at explaining what it is to others who have no idea. More approachable even ... never feel dumb asking as HOW on earth would you know? haha. 

One thing I pride myself on is that our suet comes from grass-fed and finished cows raised on regenerative farms right here in the Hudson Valley. Used for thousands of years by cultures from the Romans to the Egyptians, tallow is finally having its well-deserved revival. We’re proud to be part of that movement to making it an evergreen ingredient. 

As I started to research more, I found myself asking, Why tallow for skincare?

The truth is, our skin knows exactly what to do with it. Tallow’s composition is incredibly similar to the sebum our bodies naturally produce. That makes it one of the most compatible and effective moisturizers out there. Funny fact is that Tallow in Latin means Sebum which is skin. 

Tallow is 98% bioidentical to human skin! 
• Rich in essential fatty acids like omega 3, 6, and 9, which support the skin barrier and help keep moisture locked in
• Packed with fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, which are essential for skin regeneration, elasticity, and a healthy glow
• Non-comedogenic and soothing, making it ideal for all skin types, including those with eczema, acne, or sensitive skin

Unlike synthetic creams or plant oils that can sit on the skin’s surface or cause irritation, tallow absorbs beautifully and delivers deep nourishment at the cellular level.

What began as a simple balm made for one baby my daughter Wilhelmina or little bean was never intended to become a business. I created it to soothe her skin, to protect her, and to offer something I could fully trust. That first winter, I gave a few jars to friends and family as Christmas gifts in late 2023, never imagining it would go any further. But the response was immediate and heartfelt. Word spread, and soon this balm that started in my kitchen was helping not just one infant, but thousands of people. From chronic eczema to dry winter skin, or simply helping someone feel good in their own skin, it became something much bigger than I ever imagined.

Birthing my daughter and walking through those early months of healing, rethinking our life, and redefining myself was my Saturn return. It cracked me open, but in doing so, it gave me clarity, direction, and purpose.

In birth, you contract, but you do so in order to expand. 
This brand, this work, this community it is my expansion. And I am so grateful you are here for it.