Tallow shaving soap is true soap: beef fat reacted with lye, pressed into a puck that a wet brush whips into lather. As an aftershave, a tallow balm is the moisturizing step once the razor's put away.
We make no shave soap or aftershave splash. After a shave, I'd use Bare Silk ($34 as of October 6, 2026), the Unscented original.
What's in a beef tallow shave soap?
The FDA says ordinary soap is made by combining fats or oils with an alkali, such as lye, and Edgar Thomssen's 1922 soap-making manual calls tallow by far the most used and important fat in soap. Stearic acid, one of tallow's big three fatty acids, finds its largest soap use in shaving soaps and creams, the manual says, for their creamy lather. I couldn't find a modern study that tests a tallow lather, so the research is thin.
Sodium tallowate on a label means tallow soap. A 2022 review by Mijaljica and colleagues lists that name and counts after-wash tightness among what harsh soaps can do. A puck's still soap. Tallow soap vs tallow balm walks through the rest of the chemistry, bar against jar.
How do you shave without razor burn?
The American Academy of Dermatology's tips start before the lather, with wet skin and hair, ideally right after a shower. Water softens both. A shaving cream or gel comes next, and that's the step a brushed tallow lather fills. Then go with the grain. The AAD calls shaving in the direction the hair grows an important step against razor bumps and burns, and its beard guide says going against it can cause ingrown hairs in some people. Rinse after each swipe. Change the blade after five to seven shaves, which the academy says keeps irritation down.
Can a tallow balm be your aftershave?
Yes, as the moisturizer: the AAD's beard guide says to apply moisturizer immediately after you shave. An alcohol splash evaporates, and a fat doesn't. If your face runs dry, the AAD's dry skin page says to stop using skin care products with alcohol in them.
Pat your face until it's just damp. Then press a warmed pea of Bare Silk Unscented onto clean, intact skin in a thin layer, and skip any nicks. It relieves the feel of dry, tight skin. That's the whole claim. It's cosmetic care, not a treatment, and your provider's plan comes first.
Start with Bare Silk ($34), five ingredients and sixty days to disagree.
Questions we hear
Is beef tallow good for shaving soap?
Yes, going by a 1922 soap-making manual: it credits stearic acid, one of tallow's main fatty acids, with the creamy lather a shave wants. A puck's still soap, though. Moisturize right after you shave, as the American Academy of Dermatology's beard guide advises.
Can I use tallow balm after shaving?
Yes, as the moisturizing step, on skin that's still a little damp from the rinse. Warm a pea between your fingertips. Press a thin layer onto clean, intact skin, and keep the balm off nicks and razor cuts, since that's broken skin.
Does tallow balm help with razor burn?
It relieves the feel of dry, tight skin after a shave, and that's all I'll claim. Razor burn starts with the shave itself. The American Academy of Dermatology's tips are to soften your hair with water and shave with the grain, and bumps that keep coming back are a dermatologist's call.
Does Craft Tallow make a shaving soap?
No. We pour tallow balm, and after a shave I'd use Bare Silk Unscented, five ingredients led by grass-fed suet tallow. There's no shave soap or aftershave splash in our line. Lather with whatever soap you like, then press a thin layer of balm onto clean skin.
Go deeper
If tallow's new to you, start with the beef tallow for skin guide, which covers the fat on skin. For the face and the beard, read tallow balm for men and tallow for hair and beard.
Sources
- Thomssen EG (1922). Soap-making manual, read for its chapter on raw materials. Project Gutenberg.
- The US Food and Drug Administration (2024). Frequently asked questions on soap, content current as of August 20, 2024. fda.gov.
- Mijaljica D, Spada F, Harrison IP (2022). Skin cleansing without or with compromise: soaps and syndets, read for its soap sections. Molecules 27(6):2010.
- The American Academy of Dermatology, public page (undated). Hair removal: how to shave, six tips from dermatologists, read October 6, 2026. AAD.
- The American Academy of Dermatology, public page (2021). A dermatologist's top tips for a healthy beard, last updated December 14, 2021. AAD.
- The American Academy of Dermatology, public page (2026). Dermatologists' top tips for relieving dry skin, read for its alcohol advice, updated January 2, 2026. AAD.
Brian is the founder of Craft Tallow, a small-batch tallow skincare line shipped from Cottonwood Heights, Utah, built on 100% grass-fed suet. Questions? Reply to any email from us; it lands with him.