Make a batch of this beef tallow moisturizer for pamper yourself, or for a gift project. You can get multiple jars out of one batch, so it works great for personal use, and for gifting. This whipped beef tallow body butter is light, and not greasy. It applies easily, and stays malleable at room temperature.
There’s no need to pay a premium for tallow moisturizers, or facial creams, make up your own with this easy to source natural product, and make it whipped for a lighter and less greasy texture. This recipe is surprisingly easy to whip up. If you don’t have beef tallow on hand, render some from beef fat or suet. Suet is specifically the fat around the kidneys, and has a higher nutrient value, it’s also easier to render. Fat trimmings are firmer, but once rendered work beautifully as a substitute if you can’t get beef suet. The holidays are the perfect time to grab beef suet from the grocery store, and render some for body care products for the rest of the year. Otherwise, you can still use regular beef fat, like the trimmings from a brisket, to fill in the tallow requirement.
With the challenges of sourcing certain ingredients for skin care, since 2020, it’s nice to use things like beeswax and beef tallow that can be sourced locally, from neighbors, or from the farmer’s market. It increases your personal resilience, and also can help with your local economy. There’s something unique about being able to craft, and gift, something as simple as a locally sourced moisturizer. And that is freeing.
Whipped Beef Tallow Moisturizer:
Yield: Approximately 3 cups (6, 1/2 cup containers – perfect for gifts, wellness baskets, and more)
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup olive oil or herb infused oil
- ¼ cup sweet almond oil
- 2 Tablespoons argon oil
- ½ cup tallow
- ¼ cup beeswax pastilles
- 40 drops lavender essential oil (optional)
- 20 drops rose geranium essential oil (optional)
- 10 drops frankincense essential oil (optional)
Directions:
- Create a double boiler with a glass measuring cup and small saucepan.
- Measure the olive oil, sweet almond oil, argon oil, and tallow into the heat proof cup.
- Warm until it melts, add the beeswax pastilles, and let melt until fully combined. Remove from the heat.
- Transfer to a large bowl, or stand mixer.
- Add the essential oils and whip on low with a whisk beater.
- Scrap down the bowl’s sides as the hot blend slowly cools down it will start to hold air and become fluffy
- When the mixture is fluffy and somewhat firm, spoon or scoop into small, decorative jars.
- Store out of direct sunlight, heat will deflate the whipped body butter. Keep in a cool place when not in use.
Notes: Rosehip seed oil may be substituted for argon oil, and is rich in antioxidants. Makes about 3 cups of whipped body butter, packaged in half pint jars or decorative jam jars for gifting.
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Whipped Beef Tallow Moisturizer
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Description
A soft, but luxuriously smooth, whipped body butter or facial cream.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil or herb infused oil
- ¼ cup sweet almond oil
- 2 Tablespoons argon oil
- ½ cup tallow
- ¼ cup beeswax pastilles
- 40 drops lavender essential oil (optional)
- 20 drops rose geranium essential oil (optional)
- 10 drops frankincense essential oil (optional)
Instructions
- Create a double boiler with a glass measuring cup and small saucepan.
- Measure the olive oil, sweet almond oil, argon oil, and tallow into the heat proof cup.
- Warm until it melts, add the beeswax pastilles, and let melt until fully combined. Remove from the heat.
- Transfer to a large bowl, or stand mixer.
- Add the essential oils and whip on low with a whisk beater.
- Scrap down the bowl’s sides as the hot blend slowly cools down it will start to hold air and become fluffy
- When the mixture is fluffy and somewhat firm, spoon or scoop into small, decorative jars.
Adjusting for Sensitive Skin:
If you’re creating a whipped beef tallow moisturizer for sensitive skin, or someone with scent sensitivity, you can omit the essential oils and just infuse the warm oils with whole herbs. Once the oils are melted together, use a tea bag, or tea strainer, to place herbs like lavender or rose petals, into the hot oil. Let them infuse for 15-30 minutes, in the hot oil. Then remove and squeeze out all the oil from the herbs. Then melt in the beeswax and continue the process. This reduces the intensity of the moisturizer’s scent, and makes it gentler.
Crafting and Creating with Beef Tallow:
Beef tallow is a hydrating oil that is great for skincare. It can be locally sourced, and crafted and rendered at home, making it potentially easy to source through much of North America. Grass-Fed beef is recommended, as the fat has higher anti-oxidant content, and good anti inflammation action, but any beef tallow or rendered beef fat can be used. The key with beef tallow is for homemade skin-care to be accessible and let people create their own homemade, full routine of skincare products.
Create your own tallow based skincare in small batches. You can create tallow balm, in a firmer texture, by not whipping the above recipe and simply pouring it into 1-2 ounce salve containers. The whipped version is gentle on mature skin, and easy to spread. Even in cool winter conditions, it doesn’t solidify too hard to gently spread on skin.
Face creams, serums, and lip balms can also include beef tallow in their formulation. If working from a recipe not designed for beef tallow, you can substitute tallow for another firmer oil in the blend, like cocoa butter. Beef tallow can pass the skin barrier easily, due to being an animal product. It provides nutrients directly into the skin. Again, this is why grassfed beef tallow is highly recommended, but the beef tallow most accessible to you is the best one to use. You can also pair honey, in small quantities, with animal fat beef tallow, if would work nicely in a lip balm.
Tallow based products are great for many different skin types, and can help with acne-prone skin, dryness on lips, dry skin, smooth skin feel, and help with skin regeneration. If you’re unsure of how your skin will react, just start by using a small amount and see how your skin behaves.
Back to You:
What is your favorite homemade skin care item? Leave a comment!
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