Your clean tallow-based sunscreen could be attracting sharks and damaging pool filtration systems.

In today's Ask Me Anything episode, I'm answering a question that's been flooding my DMs since I shared my thoughts on tallow-based sunscreens while at the beach in San Diego. While I absolutely love PrimallyPure's new regenerative, organic tallow-based SPF for hiking and outdoor activities, there are two specific situations where I wouldn't use this type of sunscreen.

First, let's talk about the ocean. Sharks have an incredible sense of smell, especially when it comes to animal fats. During shark season when great whites migrate past the California coast, the last thing I want to do is slather myself in tallow and go surfing at dawn or dusk when attacks are more likely. Yes, shark attacks are rare, but why take an unnecessary risk when there are plenty of other clean mineral sunscreen options?

The second issue is chlorinated pools. Tallow is not water-soluble, so it separates from pool water, floats on top, and accumulates in filtration systems and piping, just like pouring cooking oil down your drain. This can seriously damage pool equipment and interfere with chlorine's ability to sanitize the water, creating a breeding ground for bacteria. Whether it's a public pool or your own backyard, tallow-based sunscreens and chlorinated water don't mix.

In today's episode, we're chatting about:

• Why sharks are attracted to animal fats and when this matters most

• How tallow sunscreens can damage pool filtration systems and piping

• The difference between regenerative organic tallow and commercial tallow

• When tallow-based sunscreens are actually perfect (hiking, laying out, outdoor activities)

• Why sourcing matters when choosing animal fat-based skincare products

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Read The Shownotes Here

  📍 welcome back to another episode of the Talks for each podcast. As always, I'm your host, Wendy, and today's an Ask Me Anything episode, and today Miranda asked me, I think a question that I've received over on Instagram a lot in the last couple weeks since talking about sunscreen. I. And shark attacks.

And so Miranda says, I'm just gonna read it right here. Hi Wendy. I saw your story last week when you were at the beach in San Diego talking about tallow based sunscreens and shark attacks. Can you elaborate more on that? You also mentioned you should never wear tallow based sunscreens in chlorine swimming pools, and I'm just wondering why that is such a good question.

So let's talk about it.

Number one, this conversation came up because I was gifted by primarily pure some of their new SPF, which is a tallow based mineral sunscreen. And if you're on YouTube right now, they have the body sunscreen. They have a face stick, which I love, and a lip also, which it's really good to have a lip SPF in the summer.

And I'm somebody who gets a lot of unblocked sunshine. So let's just put that out there before I get like railed on the internet. I'm all about the vitamin D and the unblocked time in the sun. But listen, I'm also a realist and burning is bad for you. So especially because I live on a lake and I spend a lot of time outside, sunscreen is really, really important.

But to her question, I was promoting and talking about how much I loved this tallow base sunscreen. However, I made the caveat that I would never use a tallow base sunscreen either at a swimming pool or at the beach in the ocean. Okay, and here's why. Number one, let's start with the beach. And I might have been being a little bit dramatic, but it's actually grounded in truth.

Sharks have an incredible. Sense of smell, especially when it comes to animal fats. And I was in San Diego and we do, during shark season, we call it some of the great whites do migrate down south past, off the coast of San Diego and we, we have had shark attacks in the past. Are they rare? Of course. Am I going to get out on my surfboard in the morning at dawn or dusk when shark attacks are more likely and slather myself in a tallow based sunscreen and go surf?

No, no, I'm not, because even though the risk of shark attacks is very rare, if I'm gonna wear sunscreen in the ocean where I know there could potentially be sharks, I'm not going to slather myself in tallow where I know they can smell it and they will be attracted to it. So take that For what it's worth, I absolutely would never wear a towel base sunscreen in the ocean when I'm swimming, when surfing, like never, ever, ever.

And I, I'm not even afraid of sharks. Okay. I'm, I'm just not. But I still would not do that. Now to the question about chlorine swimming pools, I absolutely tell people, please do not use tallow based sunscreen on yourself or your children, and then spend time in chlorine based pools. The reason is this tallow is not water soluble, so it is a animal fat based product that will come off of you.

It will not mix with the water in the swimming pool. It will separate, it will sit on top of it. It will impact the ability of. Chlorine to work appropriately. And that is a huge problem when you're at a public pool especially. But if you're in a private pool, maybe you think that's less of an issue where maybe your family's the only one in there and you can upkeep your chlorine the way you want to.

You can do a lot more maintenance on it. But. It will impact the ability of the chlorine to actually work it will basically encourage the growth of bacteria and other things, and so you can ruin the ability of the pool to stay a sanitized environment. The other issue is it separates, it floats on top of the water.

It goes up against walls, it gets into filtration systems, and it starts to accumulate Also, piping the water, piping, the filters that come through. Think of it like you're cooking and you have hot cooking oil, and you put it down your drain, which you should never, ever, ever do. It accumulates in your pipes and it will clog it.

Like, and it will cause severe, severe damage. And so chlorinated pools, their filtration systems, you do not want that, those animal fats to accumulate in the filtration systems in the pipings. It is just really bad for chlorine pools. And so I always tell people, if you wanna use a really good base sunscreen.

And you know, the source of the tallow, and this is actually the start of this whole conversation, when I started sharing primarily Pure, had dropped their new SPF. The reason why I loved it so much is because the tallow is regeneratively, organically pastured like it is from a really healthy source. And the thing is toxins.

Some, some of the major toxins that we're worried about accumulate in fat. And so tallow, if it comes from a cow that is not pastured and isn't full of hormones and you know, it isn't given, um, hormone or pesticide, you know, feed, like if it's truly a pastured, grazed, grass fed healthy animal. And then the tallow that comes from that animal is probably gonna be fine.

But commercialized tallow coming from the fats of animals that are not absolutely the healthiest possible, is likely full of toxins. And so you just, you just can't know. Right. And so I really liked that, primarily pure. That is, they're very, very careful to make sure all of their things are regenerative and organic.

Their sourcing is absolutely impeccable that I said, I actually love this and I put it on and I went for a hike in the woods. With my dog, and I was surprised how much I loved it because usually tallow, when you sweat, it gets really sticky. But this formula. It was, was great. I was out in the 📍 sun and in the humid weather here in Virginia with my dog in the woods for like two hours and it was really smooth and it actually like soaked in really well and it didn't gimme that greasy feeling.

So I was talking about how much I really liked this product, but that I wouldn't wear it to the beach. I wouldn't swim in a pool with it. And so use it. If you love it and you want a towel based option, lay out in the sun, be outside, be hiking. Live your best life. Just don't go jump in a pool.

Okay, that's a wrap. If you didn't know, you could leave me a question to be featured on the podcast episode. Down in the show notes, you'll see a link to leave me a voice message.

I hope you're having the most amazing summer, and if you are looking for the best clean, truly nontoxic sunscreens, all you have to do is head on over to my shopping guide@toxinfridge.com slash Sun Care, and I'll put that link in the notes too. Have a great day, and I'll see you next week.