Beef Tallow & Skincare
Just over a year into her business, Tammy has learned a lot about skincare, ingredients, beef tallow, and customer preferences. Inspired by her son who was suffering from eczema, Tammy’s experience using natural soap and tallow on his skin launched Tiny Toes Soap Company into what it is today.
“After trying everything on my son's skin, I wanted to try using tallow but couldn’t find any anywhere,” Tammy says.
This experience inspired her to start making her own tallow and skincare products. She started with lip balm and quickly began making soap, balms, bath bombs, lip gloss, and more.
When it came to coming up with a business name, her kids were the inspiration.
“There’s a book that I used to read to my oldest child when he was really little and it mentioned tiny toes. It's one of his favourite books and the name just stuck," she says.
Over the past year and a half, Tammy has paid close attention to what customers are buying. Not just her own customers but buying habits in other regions as well.
“I’ve noticed that some of my customers are looking for all natural products while others are looking for products with bright colours and strong scents. I’ve started to introduce mica powders for more colour options and fragrance oils to offer a variety of scents.
Based in Blenheim, Ontario, Tammy sells her products in stores and at events and has started to learn how she can stand out in the skincare category.
“Lots of people are selling only all natural products but I’m finding there are customers who are looking for more colour and scent options. Adding micas and fragrance oils to some of my products means those ones aren’t necessarily all natural but I find that different people are looking for different things,” she explains.
Tammy now has a collection of products that appeal to customers of all ages, meaning someone could find something from Tiny Toes for everyone in their family.
When it comes to launching new products, it's all about seeing how customers react.
“I’m trying to adapt as I go," Tammy says.
But what makes Tiny Toes products unique is Tammy's use of tallow in her products.
"I use beef tallow. Basically, it's fat from a cow. I get a big chunk of suet from the butcher and render it down, which takes about 24 hours. I run it through multiple filters and dry render it. Then I put it in mason jars and store it in our root cellar. When I'm making soap, balms, or other products that use fat, I use the tallow I rendered," Tammy explains.
Known for being moisturizing and rich in vitamins A, E, D, and K, Tammy attributes the improvement in her son's skin to the use of products made with tallow.
“It all depends on your skin but tallow seems to be a good one to help with skin issues. It doesn’t work for everybody but it seems to be a popular choice for many people. It’s moisturizing, full of vitamins, and you only need to use a small amount at a time," she says.
We LUV Tammy's passion for skincare and creating unique products. Check out everything she has to offer by visiting her LUVLOCAL store!