Homemade 3-Ingredient Whipped Tallow Balm Recipe

Learn how to make a nourishing 3-ingredient tallow balm recipe at home. It’s super easy to DIY, which saves you a lot of $$ and ensures that you’re left with a high-quality, chemical-free balm that you can apply just about anywhere. Plus we'll show you some tricks for working with tallow.

I never thought you’d find me smearing cow fat on my body, but all I can really say is the ladies of Tiktok know what they’re talking about. Because I was blessed with perpetually dry hands, I recently gave tallow balm a try thanks to promises of fewer pimples, less wrinkles, and most importantly, super soft skin.

The downside of handmade balms is that buying them can get pricey fast, so follow our easy recipe to make your own whipped balm with olive oil at home.

Jump to:

• Tallow Balm Benefits
• Tallow Balm Ingredients
• How To Purify Tallow
• DIY Tallow Balm Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Storage
• FAQ

Tallow Balm Benefits

If you're not familiar with tallow balm, it's a nutrient-rich moisturizer made from rendered cow fat (called ‘tallow’). Making your own homemade balm with tallow provides many skin-loving benefits, including:

• Tallow closely resembles our own skin’s natural sebum, so it provides deep, long-lasting hydration that other oils may not.
• Tallow is rich in fatty acids like stearic acid, oleic acid, and palmitic acid, which help to nourish and protect the skin.
• It contains vitamins A, D, E, and K, which are vital for skin health and regeneration.
• The natural antimicrobial properties of tallow also help to protect the skin from infections and inflammation.

Tallow Balm Ingredients

This balm contains just three ingredients: tallow, olive oil, and essential oil.

Beef tallow: If you have the option, use suet (the fat around the kidneys) for the highest quality tallow. It's cleaner and has a milder smell compared to other beef fat. I found tallow at my local health foods store, but you can also find it online and at most farmer’s markets.

Olive oil: Olive oil is a great addition to tallow balm thanks to its moisturizing and antioxidant properties. It helps to keep the skin soft and supple by providing deep hydration. It also makes the tallow smooth and creamy instead of dry and fluffy.

Essential oils: Tallow can have a distinctive odor that some don't like. Purifying your tallow helps cut down on it, and you can also use essential oils. Some options:

• Sweet marjoram is known for its calming and soothing properties.
• Chamomile soothes irritated skin and reduce redness, making it ideal for sensitive or inflamed skin conditions.
• Ylang ylang helps to regulate oil production, making it suitable for both dry and oily skin types.

How To Purify Tallow

Whenever you use tallow for skincare and soap recipes (like goat milk soap), you’ll want to purify it first.

The initial rendering process separates the fat from the meat and connective tissue, but it can leave behind impurities that you don’t want in your skincare products. Even if you use store-bought tallow, like I did, purifying it removes any lingering impurities and gets rid of the sometimes strong, meat-like odor that's often associated with tallow.

Step 1: Combine tallow and water

Add 16 ounces of rendered tallow and 6 cups of water to a large pot.

Step 2: Add salt

Then sprinkle 3 tablespoons of salt over top. 

Step 3: Let simmer for an hour

Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for an hour.

This will help separate any impurities from the fat.

Step 4: Strain the liquid into a bowl

Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and line the sieve with paper towels or several layers of cheesecloth.

Carefully pour the hot liquid into the sieve a little at a time to avoid any spills or messes.

Step 5: Cool the strained liquid in the refrigerator

Place the bowl of liquid in the refrigerator and let cool overnight, or until the tallow becomes firm and can be removed easily.

Step 6: Remove hardened tallow

Then remove the block of hardened tallow resting on top of the water. Place it on a plate lined with paper towels and allow it to air dry at room temperature for several hours (I used a small fan to help it dry faster).

Replace the paper towels as needed until they no longer feel damp when you touch them. Any remaining moisture can cause the tallow to mold over time, so take your time with this step. 

You can repeat this entire purification process once more if, if needed.

DIY Tallow Balm Instructions

Step 1: Melt tallow and olive oil

Combine the olive oil and tallow in a microwave safe bowl. Then heat in 20-second intervals in the microwave until melted.

Melt tallow slowly to achieve a smooth consistency. If melting tallow on the stove, use a double boiler to keep it from contacting direct heat, which can scorch it.

Step 2: Place the melted oils in an ice bath

Fill a large bowl with ice cubes and a little water. Place the bowl of melted oils in the ice bath and let cool for 1-2 minutes.

Step 3: Add essential oil

Once the mixture has cooled slightly but is still liquid, add the essential oils. Start with 10-15 drops and adjust to your preferences.

Step 4: Whip the oils until fluffy

While still in the ice bath, use a hand mixer to whip the oils on high speed until the mixture comes together. It should resemble the consistency of thick cake batter.

This may take several minutes, so be patient. Scrape the bowl every so often to incorporate the solidified oils back into the mixture.

Step 5: Transfer to a clean storage container

Once the balm is whipped to your desired consistency, transfer it to a clean storage container. Glass jars or metal tins work well for this purpose.

Substitutions

Vegan — If you’re vegan, you can just go ahead and skip this one, since there’s not really a plant-based substitute for tallow. Or you can check out this homemade oatmeal lotion, which provides long-lasting hydration without the animal products.

Essential oils — You can also incorporate strong-scented essential oils, like peppermint, eucalyptus, or lavender, in your tallow balm to mask any remaining odor.

Variations

• Using baking soda can cut down on odor. When purifying your tallow, trying adding ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the tallow / water mixture to help reduce the beefy smell.
• If your tallow is too soft, add beeswax. Depending on the tallow you use, you find that your balm softens too easily. In that case, try adding a teaspoon of beeswax to your melted tallow mixture to give it a firmer texture.
• Customize for your skin type. If you have dry skin, replace the olive oil with more emollient oils like avocado or sweet almond oil for extra hydration. If you have oily skin, use lighter oils like grapeseed or jojoba oil, which are less likely to clog pores.

Storage

Always label and date your tallow. Animal fats go bad relatively quickly. So make sure to label your tallow balm with the date it was made.

Choose a clean, airtight container made of glass or food-grade plastic to prevent contamination and preserve the balm's quality. Store the container in a cool, dark place, such as a pantry or a bathroom cabinet, away from direct sunlight and heat. This will help maintain the balm's consistency and keep it from melting or separating.

You can store homemade tallow balm at room temperature for up to 4 months. If you live in a particularly warm climate, consider keeping the balm in the refrigerator for up to one year. 

FAQ

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