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Using tallow for skincare is becoming commonplace as people seek more natural alternatives to apply to their bodies, instead of chemical-laded manufactured products. Tallow is extremely moisturizing and gentle enough for even the most sensitive skin. Give it a try, your skin will thank you!
This recipe uses tallow rendered from goats on our farm, but any type of tallow will work. Tallow is made from rendering the fat from a ruminant animal. Ruminants include cattle, sheep, goats, and deer which all have a four-chambered stomach and chew cud. I used the leaf fat from around the animal’s kidneys because it provides the most pure and odorless tallow upon rendering. For directions on how to render tallow on a stovetop, click here to read my article.
Solid Tallow Balm Versus Whipped Tallow Balm
Following this recipe, you will have a solid balm that stays pretty firm at room temperature. If you want a more creamy and softer balm, I have another post with directions for making a whipped version. Click here to learn how to make whipped tallow balm.
Both the solid and whipped versions rub in amazingly and nurture the skin. Which you like better is personal preference. The whipped balm is more like lotion, but technically both types are still balms because they only contain oils and no water.
Materials Needed for Making Solid Tallow Balm
- Stove
- Saucepan
- Rubber spatula
- Kitchen scale
- 1-quart glass measuring cup with spout
- Jars to store the balm
I prefer to melt my tallow on the stovetop so that I can heat it slowly while stirring with the rubber spatula. You could use a microwave, but it is easy to overheat it. You don’t want to cook the tallow, just warm it until it changes from a solid to a liquid.
I prefer to measure in grams, so everything is in the same unit, so I use a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, the oils could be measured in cups and the essential oil in drops.
A 1-quart glass measuring cup is perfect because it has a spout for pouring, so you make less of a mess filling your jars. I have used glass and aluminum to store my balm, but plastic would work fine as well.
Ingredients for Making Solid Tallow Balm
- 217 grams tallow
- 58 grams avocado oil
- 1.5 grams essential oil
Tallow is the main ingredient here, the avocado oil is added to make the balm less hard and easier to rub into the skin. You could use another liquid oil in this recipe instead, if you prefer olive or sweet almond oil those are great options!
You don’t have to add essential oil to your balm. I added tea tree oil to this balm for scent as well as its antibacterial properties.
Directions for Making Solid Tallow Balm
- Weigh 217 grams of tallow into a saucepan using a kitchen scale
- Adjust the burner to the lowest setting and warm the tallow on the stovetop, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula
- Once the tallow has liquified, transfer it to the glass measuring cup
- Put the measuring cup with the melted tallow on your kitchen scale, tare it out, and add 58 grams of avocado oil
- Add 1.5 grams of essential oil to the tallow and avocado oil mixture
- Stir until combined
- While warm, pour the liquid tallow balm mixture into storage jars
- Allow to cool completely before affixing lid
- Rub on your skin and enjoy!
Mother, farmer, author, and teacher by trade… She loves tending to things and watching them grow!