Why We’re Libido-Maxxing

Libido isn’t just about sex. It’s about vitality. In fact, desire might be one of the most overlooked wellness markers of our time, a “vital sign” that reveals the state of your hormones, your nervous system, and your overall health. When your libido is flat, it can be a red flag that your body is under stress, depleted, or out of balance. When it’s thriving, it signals resilience, nourishment, and a body that feels safe enough to prioritize pleasure.

That’s why we’re libido-maxxing. Not to glamorize sex, but to remind ourselves that desire is about more than intimacy, it’s about wholeness. And the truth is, protecting and nurturing your libido could be one of the most powerful ways to protect your health.

Libido as a Vital Sign

Libido is one of the clearest reflections of your internal landscape. While we often reduce it to a matter of sex drive, it’s actually a complex interplay of hormones, brain chemistry, nervous system function, and metabolic health.

• Hormones: Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone directly influence desire. When they’re balanced, desire often flows naturally. When they’re disrupted by stress, aging, toxins, or medical conditions, libido tends to decline.

• Nervous System: High cortisol from chronic stress suppresses desire. When your brain is locked in survival mode, pleasure and intimacy are deprioritized.

• Metabolic Health: Libido requires energy. If your body is struggling with blood sugar instability, poor mitochondrial function, or nutrient deficiencies, desire can plummet.

In short: libido is a barometer of whether your body feels safe, nourished, and balanced.

Why Libido Drops (Root Causes)

If you’re experiencing a drop in libido, you’re not alone. Low desire is one of the most common wellness concerns for both women and men. Here are some of the key reasons why:

1. Stress + Cortisol Overload
   High stress floods the body with cortisol, which directly competes with sex hormones. Chronic stress can keep libido offline indefinitely.

2. Poor Sleep
   Testosterone, estrogen, and growth hormone are all restored during deep sleep. Lack of rest is one of the fastest ways to drain desire.

3. Overtraining or Under-Eating
   Too much exercise (especially endurance training) or not eating enough calories/fats can suppress sex hormones.

4. Medications
   SSRIs, hormonal birth control, and alcohol are well-documented libido suppressors.

5. Environmental Toxins
   Endocrine disruptors in plastics, skincare, and household products can interfere with hormone balance.

6. Relational or Emotional Stress
   Safety, trust, and intimacy all influence whether desire feels accessible.

Natural Ways to Increase Libido in Women

For women, libido is deeply tied to hormonal balance, cycle phases, and emotional safety. Here are some natural ways to support it:

1. Eat Nutrient-Dense Foods
   Oysters for zinc, grass-fed tallow for healthy fats, organ meats for B vitamins, raw dairy for fertility support, and dark chocolate for magnesium.

2. Cycle Syncing
   Work with your natural rhythms, honour rest during your luteal and menstrual phases, and embrace energy peaks around ovulation.

3. Supplements

• Maca root: studied for boosting sexual desire in women.

• Ashwagandha: lowers cortisol and improves arousal.

• Magnesium: calms the nervous system and supports progesterone.

• Shilajit: mineral-rich vitality booster.

• Progest: supports healthy progesterone balance.

4. Lifestyle Practices

• Prioritize 7–9 hours of restorative sleep.

• Incorporate strength training and yoga instead of chronic cardio.

• Create nervous system rituals: journaling, breathwork, sauna, somatic practices.

5. Intimacy Rituals
   Eye contact, slow touch, and sensual rituals can reignite desire beyond the physical act of sex.

Natural Ways to Increase Libido in Men

For men, libido is strongly tied to testosterone levels, energy availability, and circulation. Here’s how to support it naturally:

1. Eat Like Your Ancestors
   Steak and eggs, bone marrow, seafood, brazil nuts, and liver provide the building blocks for testosterone.

2. Train Smart
   Heavy compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench press) stimulate testosterone. Sprints are better than long-distance cardio, which can suppress hormones.

3. Supplements

• Ashwagandha: proven to boost testosterone in men.

• Tongkat ali: increases free testosterone.

• Fadogia agrestis: a trendy herb with early research on testosterone.

• Zinc + magnesium: essential for male reproductive health.

• Red ginseng: traditional stamina and libido booster.

4. Lifestyle Practices

• Morning sunlight on skin + eyes sets testosterone rhythms.

• Limit alcohol and seed oils that tank hormone balance.

• Practice cold plunges and sauna for circulation and resilience.

• Join competitive play or sports to keep dopamine pathways sharp.

Non-Natural Ways to Boost Libido

Pharmaceutical interventions like Viagra, Cialis, and hormone replacement therapy can be effective tools. Viagra and Cialis increase blood flow but don’t address hormone balance. Hormone therapies, like testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), can be life-changing for men with true deficiencies, and estrogen or progesterone therapy can help women in menopause.

These options aren’t inherently harmful. For many, they’re essential. But they are often more like flipping a switch than addressing root causes. Without lifestyle and nutritional support, they don’t restore vitality, they just mask symptoms.

Why Libido-Maxxing Matters Outside the Bedroom

A thriving libido doesn’t just mean a more connected sex life — it’s a marker of broader health:

• Fertility: Healthy libido reflects balanced estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, all of which are key to fertility.

• Longevity: Research links strong libido with cardiovascular health and reduced mortality.

• Emotional Health: Desire and intimacy release oxytocin and dopamine, which improve mood and connection.

• Confidence + Vitality: A strong libido is often tied to self-confidence and life force.

When you focus on libido-maxxing, you’re not just prioritizing intimacy, you’re building resilience, energy, and long-term health.

Signs of Low Libido in Women

• Little to no interest in sex.

• Difficulty becoming aroused.

• Vaginal dryness or discomfort during sex.

• Reduced sexual thoughts or fantasies.

• Decline in desire around ovulation.

• Fatigue and low energy making intimacy feel like a chore.

• Mood changes or irritability linked to intimacy.

Signs of Low Libido in Men

• Decreased sexual interest.

• Fewer morning erections.

• Difficulty maintaining arousal.

• Weaker erections or less sensitivity.

• Longer recovery time between intimacy.

• Fatigue or irritability.

• Loss of muscle mass or strength.

Signs of a Healthy Libido

• Desire that feels spontaneous and natural.

• Energy and vitality throughout the day.

• Confidence and body connection.

• Emotional intimacy with a partner.

• Fertility and reproductive health markers in balance.

Lifestyle Habits That Support Libido Long-Term

1. Regulate stress daily — meditation, somatic practices, or simply long walks.

2. Sleep deeply — protect circadian rhythms with consistent routines.

3. Eat ancestral foods — grass-fed fats, bone broth, organ meats, raw dairy.

4. Strength train + rest — challenge the body but allow recovery.

5. Limit toxins — plastics, seed oils, endocrine disruptors.

6. Prioritize intimacy + connection — emotional safety fuels desire.

Libido, Hormones, and Everyday Choices

Everyday choices shape hormone balance and libido. Skipping meals, overexercising, staying up late, or relying on synthetic products that disrupt hormones can all lower desire over time. On the other hand, simple shifts, like eating nourishing fats, lifting heavy weights, or regulating stress, can help bring libido back online.

The Skincare Connection: Protecting Hormones to Protect Libido

One often-overlooked piece of the libido puzzle? The products you use on your body every day. Many conventional beauty and personal care products are loaded with endocrine disruptors, chemicals that mimic or interfere with hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. These disruptors don’t just affect skin; they can quietly shift hormone balance, lowering libido, disrupting cycles, and impacting fertility.

That’s why choosing hormone-safe, non-toxic products is such an important first step in protecting libido. When you swap synthetic fillers, artificial fragrances, and chemical sunscreens for ancestral, whole-ingredient products, you reduce the daily stress load on your endocrine system.

Every Tallow Twins product contains grass-fed tallow and simple, hormone-friendly ingredients. No endocrine disruptors, no synthetic fillers, no plastics, just nutrient-rich skincare that supports your vitality instead of draining it. Because protecting your libido starts with protecting your hormones, and that includes the products you put on your skin every single day.

Looking to balance your hormones and libido? Shop ancestral skincare.