Sēlkyn Tallow was born in the lush hinterland of Byron Bay, on Bundjalung Country, where nature’s raw beauty inspires every creation. Founded by Anki, a mother, grandmother, and lifelong advocate for women’s wellbeing, the brand began over two decades ago as a personal journey of crafting herbal remedies and natural skincare at home. Today, it has evolved into a conscious, woman-owned business devoted to pure, organic self-care.

Rooted in ancestral wisdom, Sēlkyn Tallow celebrates the centuries-old tradition of tallow skincare. Rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K, and essential fatty acids, tallow deeply nourishes the skin, restoring hydration and supporting graceful aging. Each balm is handmade in small batches using organic, grass-fed tallow and botanicals, free from industrial seed oils, synthetic fragrances, and hormone disruptors.

Anki’s journey as a midwife, menstrual educator, and rites of passage guide has shaped her belief that beauty is more than skin deep; it’s about honoring the body’s natural rhythms and embracing every season of life. Sēlkyn Tallow is not just skincare; it’s a ritual of self-love, a return to simplicity, and an invitation for women to reconnect with their sensual, authentic selves nourished by nature, grounded in wisdom, and crafted with love from her hands to yours.

We spoke with Anki, the heart behind Sēlkyn Tallow, to learn more about her journey, her inspiration, and the soulful philosophy guiding the brand.

Story Behind Her Approach to Women’s Well-Being

You’ve had such a rich journey from midwife and nurse to tantra coach and now the founder of Sēlkyn Tallow. How did these experiences shape your philosophy around women’s health and self-love?

My experiences have shown me time and time again how incredible women are, and yet how many negative belief systems women hold about themselves. From the vast array of women I  have worked with over the years, the belief systems about self-worth, beauty, body image, and self-love are the same, regardless of age, lore, looks, wealth, or success. This has been a huge eye-opener for me, and I’ve realized how strong the societal conditioning is for women across the board regarding beauty, sexuality, and self-worth.

I realized how these belief systems impact women in such a broad way, from their mental health to the relationship they have with their body, impacting women in every area that I’ve worked in.  I see these belief systems impact how women navigate birth, the trust they have in their body, the ability to speak up for themselves, to trust in their intuition, how they are embodied in their sexuality, how connected they are to their sensuality, what kind of partners they choose, how they look after themselves, how they go about their self care and what products they spend their money on.

When women have negative belief systems about themselves, all of the industries surrounding these topics benefit. Profiting on women’s loathing and lack of self-confidence is a massive industry, from obstetrics to fashion, cosmetics, fitness, beauty, and aging.

My whole career, in all of the different areas that I have worked in, has been geared towards helping women reclaim their power, know their worth, and unravel from the toxic belief systems that are so systemic within our current mainstream culture. My passion is and has always been to help women understand who they really are, what they are truly capable of, and how they can do this in a way that honors feminine principles, rather than disconnecting from them.

Living Self-Care as a Daily Ritual

The idea of “self-care as a sacred ritual” is at the heart of your brand. How do you personally practice this in your daily life?

For me personally, self-care is how I consciously choose to show up to all of the negative belief systems that I have been conditioned with as a woman in our current culture. I’m 45 years old and already a grandmother. I look in the mirror, and I see the effects of a life lived in the sun. I see my skin begin to sag; my hair is rapidly graying. I hear my own self-talk about beauty, aging, and how that affects my own self-esteem.

I use self-care as a ritual and an opportunity each graying day to nourish my skin with healthy, non-toxic products as a way to say thank you to my body, to give it love, to pay attention to the negative self-talk and notice how awful it makes me feel. I challenge myself to see the beauty in my lines,  to change my perspective to one that is grateful for the stories my body tells, and to give myself the time to nourish and nurture myself. This slowly helps me to shift the stories I tell myself over time and come into a deeper place of love, gratitude, and compassion for myself.

The way I choose to show up to myself and care for myself in this way deeply impacts the way I  feel about myself and gives me the power to heal the negative stories that I carry with me. To think of self-care as a ritual and a way to heal myself puts the power back in my own hands, rather than being at the mercy of a culture that doesn’t honor aging and promotes perpetual youth. It feels good. It’s a process, and I’m up for the journey.

The Art of Slow Living and Self-Love

Sēlkyn Tallow uses a unique slow infusion process. Can you share more about what makes this method special and how it connects to your overall vision of mindful living?

Our slow infusion process is a bit of a secret, because based on my research of other products and conversations with other tallow makers, our process seems to be quite unique and certainly creates something unique in terms of aroma and quality.

I’ve noticed that most tallow brands use essential oils to create the signature aroma of their product; however, essential oils can be harsh on the skin and have a high ecological footprint,  requiring a huge amount of resources to produce such a concentrated product. Using a slow infusion method creates a much more medicinal product as well as an aroma that is delicate,  wholesome, and deep, completely transforming the tallow smell into something delicious.

To me, this is important. To have a product that is actually potent with the medicinal qualities and benefits of the herbs infused into it, rather than a product that uses essential oils to mask the tallow smell with no other therapeutic benefits.

I love that you connected this to mindful living in your question, because it’s true. We live in a world where quick fixes and efficient productivity drive the market. Unfortunately, this also means that integrity and quality are often lost. That’s why we live in a world that is choking on plastic and swimming in pollution, because it’s the consequence of quick fixes and cost-efficient productivity.  More and more people are starting to seek out and appreciate products that are made with love,  intention, and quality, and people are willing to pay the money for it because it’s a completely different experience.

I want to educate people that it matters how things are grown; it matters what you put into your body and on your skin. The choices people make around the products that they buy not only impact their own health but the health of the planet as well. The two are intrinsically linked; the health of the planet reflects the health of those living on it.

Reclaiming Sensuality and Softness

In a world that often pushes women to “fix” themselves, how do you hope your products encourage a softer, more compassionate approach to beauty?

Our ethos is rooted in the reclamation of natural skincare, toxic living, and natural beauty. I  think the more people hear these words and concepts, the more they become alive in people.  People are drawn to what is true and real and makes them feel good inside. There is so much suffering that comes from the constant striving for beauty and perfection, and it is so exhausting and consuming for women. Changing the mindset from ‘fixing’ to ‘honoring’ is a radical concept, a transformative concept, and one that I’m on a mission to preach. I believe that this mindset is influenced and inspired by healthy role models.

When you see someone comfortable in their own skin, it’s contagious. When you see a woman aging with grace, it’s inspiring. When you see someone embody an aspect of themselves that you yourself deny or loathe, it helps to plant a seed that maybe this aspect within yourself can be beautiful, too.

Creating skincare that promotes the concept of nourishment and care over fixing a flaw is a narrative that becomes stronger in people the more they hear it. It gives people permission to shift their thinking and perception of beauty to one that is more embodied and wholesome.

I hope to grow old in a world where women adorn themselves for the joy and love of it, rather than to mask something that they want to fix or hide. This is what I want to role model to my granddaughter as she grows up. I want to show her that beauty shines from the inside out, reflected through the way we hold ourselves, value ourselves, and carry our stories like the textured and bright threads that create our complex and unique tapestry of who we are.

Where Nature Meets the Feminine

Your work is deeply rooted in the feminine and in nature. How do you see these two forces influencing each other in your brand’s philosophy and product design?

For me, the feminine and nature are not two separate forces; they are the same living current expressed in different forms. The feminine is life force, cyclical, responsive, intuitive, and deeply

attuned to the rhythms of the natural world. Everything I’ve ever taught and everything I create through Sēlkyn Tallow comes from this Place.

My years of working with women taught me that when we reconnect women to nature, they reconnect to themselves. The feminine reveals herself through the same patterns we see in the world around us, such as the moon cycle, the seasons, the tides, and the slow unfolding rhythm of growth and rest. It teaches women about themselves, their menstrual cycle, their rites of passage,  their emotional landscapes, and their creative seasons.

Using a product such as Selkyn Tallow draws people back into connection with nature and the feminine because it restores a relationship between body, land, and lineage. It reminds people of what is wholesome and good and that the way we live and the products that we choose to buy directly impact our health and the health of the planet. The two cannot be separated.

Sensuality & Finding Your Way Back to It

Finally, what does sensuality mean to you today, and how can women begin to reconnect with theirs in a natural, empowered way?

My experience of sensuality has always been intertwined with the deepening relationship I hold with my own body. It’s difficult to truly be alive in your sensuality if you’re not grounded in your physical self. This is why the exploration of the body and the teachings of Tantra have been profound teachings for me, both personally and in the way that I guide others.

So many women live disconnected from their bodies, shaped by trauma, inherited shame, and conditioned belief systems. As a result, their sensuality becomes muted and their sexuality often  takes the form of performance or service, rather than an intimate, enlivened expression of their  own pleasure.

From my own Path through the lens of Tantra, sensuality arises through the senses, such as taste,  touch, smell, sound, shame, and sight. It is the art of feeling the world through the body. This is what makes the cultivation of sensuality such a powerful, healing journey for women. Tantric practices ask you to become present, to drop into what is actually occurring in the body, moment by moment.

To be connected to the body requires presence. It requires slowing down, turning inward, and softening. And in that slowing, the truth reveals itself. It shows us where we hold tension, where we have closed, and where trauma or shame lives in the tissues. Cultivating sensuality naturally becomes a path of healing, uncovering the parts inward and of us that have been silenced or ignored. It’s deep, transformational work!!

To be fully alive in your sensuality means learning to open, to be present, which is the very opposite of what most of us have been conditioned to do. Once this begins to awaken in you,  everything changes. You become more available to your own pleasure and the pleasure of being alive. You feel the wind differently, the sun on your skin, and the scent of flowers drifting on the breeze.  Your senses become pathways back to yourself and back into being fully alive in the world.

The beautiful thing about all this is that it’s really simple! Anyone can cultivate a deeper experience of sensuality just through slowing down and being present, sitting in nature, and honoring their body the way it deserves. It’s all available to us, without needing anything external, just ourselves! It’s so beautiful and a bit of a cosmic joke in a way. We have all of the tools we need within ourselves.

A Softer Way to Care for Yourself

Sēlkyn Tallow is more than just a skincare brand; it’s a thoughtful approach to women’s wellbeing that blends care, presence, and empowerment. It shows that looking after your body can feel nurturing, natural, and deeply satisfying, without pressure or judgment.

It’s about creating a space for self-respect, connection, and gentle ritual. It invites women to honor their bodies, embrace their own rhythms, and find joy in caring for themselves. By shifting how we approach self-care and beauty, Sēlkyn Tallow reminds us that true confidence grows from within and that empowerment comes from embracing your own body, your own pleasure, and your story every single day.