In this short article, we’re going to show you how to make your own tallow balm at home. It’s easy, only takes 10-15 minutes, and will be way more nourishing than any conventional skincare product you can buy in the store!
And that’s important being that the average American will spend $15,000 on skin care in their lifetime!
We are spending tons of money on toxic soaps, lotions and creams that are full of petroleum-based chemicals, parabens, phthalates, artificial fragrance and a lot of cheap fillers like glycerin and seed oils.
These companies think they’re being so clever, selling us these toxic, cheap ingredients in rainbow-colored, plastic bottles.
And we’ve been falling for this scheme since the 1950’s but, no more…
Now? Everyone’s switching over to natural ingredients like ‘tallow’ and are making their own tallow balms, soaps and creams at home.
How tallow balm will save you money
A single jar of tallow balm can replace your daily face cream, your lip balm, eye cream, leave-in hair conditioner, body cream and more.
This alone can save you tens if not hundreds of dollars a year.
The fat found in beef tallow is similar to the natural sebum (oil) our skin makes. It also rates at a 2 on the comedogenic scale which means it doesn’t clog pores (Check out our article on ‘ the tallow clogging-pores myth’, it’s just not true!). So, you can safely use tallow balm anywhere on your body and you’ll see, it will trump any skin cream out there.
Here’s how to make your own beef tallow balm at home:
1. Buy beef tallow or render your own!
You can find pre-made beef tallow at many local butcher shops. This is a great way to get fresh beef tallow that is made in-house.
You can also purchase cooking grade beef tallow online on Amazon.
Or you can even render your own beef tallow. It’s very simple to do and saves you money if you’re already cooking with beef. Here’s how:
Grab some organic, grass fed & finished beef fat from the grocery store. It will basically look like this:
You can get beef fat from a butcher or collect fat trimmings from pieces of fatty beef you buy.
First, add the beef trimmings to a stock pot and bring to a simmer (set the element to medium-low). You’ll notice that the fat will start to melt.
Simmer the tallow like this for around 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. You don’t want the tallow to boil, keep it on a low-medium simmer.
Next, turn off the heat and allow the tallow to cool slightly. Pour through a mesh strainer, catching any pieces of crispy beef. Make sure there is a bowl underneath to catch the liquid tallow!
Next, strain the tallow AGAIN with some cheesecloth. Take the same mesh strainer and lay cheesecloth over top. Now you’re straining the tallow in a finer way.
The tallow you have here is great for cooking and frying but is not good for spreading onto your skin. Unless… you want to smell like beef!
So, you’re gonna need to purify it.
2. Purify the tallow
To purify your tallow and make it white and odorless, add your tallow back into a large, clean pot with 6-8 cups of water and 3 tbsp of salt.
Turn on the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour.
After you’ve simmered for 1 hour, pour into a mesh strainer fitted with cheesecloth (like you did before with the rendered tallow).
Pour into a metal bowl and chill until hardened.
The hardened tallow will have risen to the top. Remove the tallow and dump out the salt water. There also might be residue on the piece of tallow itself. Scape that off.
Now, you’re left with a piece of “purified” tallow. You can choose to repeat the steps in this section until it’s purified to your liking or, continue to the next step.
3. Mix the balm
To make hard, unwhipped tallow balm (for lip balms etc…) it’s actually very simple! Just melt ½ cup of your purified tallow in a double broiler, add in 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 tsp honey (if desired) and around 20 drops of an essential oil of your choice.
For a whipped tallow balm, transfer the above mixture to the fridge to harden slightly (not all the way). When you’re left with a slightly hardened, buttery texture, whip with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Transfer to jars and… you’re done!
4. Storing tallow balm
Beef tallow balm should last several months on the shelf without needing refrigeration.
Our tip? Store your homemade tallow balm in a small jar and put the rest in the freezer. Then, when you run out, you have some fresh tallow balm waiting for you!
Takeaways
And if you don’t want to go through all the trouble of making tallow balm at home, you can totally buy one and it will be just as good, maybe even better than homemade.
But… you have to pick the right one. Find a tallow balm that is grass fed & finished, made in the USA and uses only natural ingredients.
Our Evil Goods Whipped Honey Tallow Balm checks all of these boxes. We use only the highest quality grass fed & finished suet beef tallow sourced from cows raised on family farms in the USA.
We also mix in other skin-loving natural ingredients like pot marigold flower extract and manuka honey.
Click here to grab a jar!