A while back, I discovered how great tallow is for skin health. Even though we loved making our own tallow lotion bars at home, I wanted something with a creamier texture. That’s how this soothing whipped tallow balm came to be, and it’s gentle enough for sensitive skin.
I love how it leaves my skin feeling silky and soft. Plus, it’s made with natural ingredients that I’m comfortable using on my kids. I noticed a significant improvement in my son’s eczema scars after using tallow. Let’s dive into why tallow balm is fantastic, how to use it, and how to make your own!
Tallow balm stands out from other moisturizers and lotions that use plant oils. It’s derived from animal fat, typically beef or mutton, which is rendered and purified. This is similar to lard from pigs. The best tallow comes from grass-fed suet or leaf fat found around the kidneys.
Since tallow is animal-based, it nourishes and absorbs into our skin beautifully. It’s versatile, perfect for everything from soaps to lip balms and salves. It helps with dry skin, eczema, and anti-aging, suitable for all ages, even babies for eczema and diaper rash.
While you could apply plain tallow directly, it’s quite firm and not easy to spread. Making a tallow balm with a mix of tallow and liquid oils makes it simpler to use, offering the best of both worlds.
Some folks add ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil, or jojoba oil. I prefer to keep it simple, primarily using extra virgin olive oil, along with a touch of rosehip seed oil. The astringent quality of rosehip helps the tallow absorb better and brings incredible skin healing benefits. It’s especially loved as an anti-aging facial moisturizer.
Typically, you’d add beeswax to thicken balms and salves, but tallow doesn’t need it. Adding essential oils is optional; frankincense, chamomile, and lavender are excellent choices.
This recipe results in a product that feels like whipped body butter. If you skip the whipping step, it feels more like a salve. Both methods work, but I personally prefer the whipped texture.
Now, if you’re intrigued by the skin benefits of tallow, where can you find it? You might locate high-quality, grass-fed beef tallow from a local farmer, and if not, you can always find it online.
Rendered tallow comes in an off-white color and might have a faint beefy smell. Further purification can eliminate this odor and give it a snow-white color. While the smell isn’t troublesome for cooking or soap making, you’ll want purified tallow for skincare. You can find guides on rendering your own tallow, but here’s how to purify it further.
Once your tallow is purified, you’re all set to create your own tallow balm!
Not in the mood to make it yourself? Toups & Co Organics offers some fantastic tallow balms that my family really enjoys.
Have you tried tallow on your skin? What’s your favorite way to use it? Share in the comments!
