Tallow Face & Body Cream

Tallow Face & Body Cream

Commercial beauty products can often be expensive, usually over-promising and under-delivering, and contain a lot of chemicals and toxins (parabens, petroleum, SLS, acrylamide, etc.) that are potential endocrine disruptors and carcinogens, and are absorbed by your skin into your body.

I struggled with skin breakouts most of my teenage and adult years, even up until about 4 years ago.  I tried a lot of EXPENSIVE creams and went for all kinds of fancy beauty treatments.  All promised that if I kept using these products or continued going for these treatments, my skin would eventually magically clear up and become stunningly spotless and smooth!

Some advised that it was just a teenage problem and I was given antibiotics to clear up my skin.  This often worked for a short while, but then my skin would always revert back to where I started, sometimes it seemed even worse. By the time I hit my twenties and my skin had not cleared, I was hugely disappointed. By then I was told that it would clear up after I had children… But I’m sad to say that even after that, it didn’t.  My skin might have gotten a little bit better after I started using more natural chemical-free EXPENSIVE organic products, and a little bit better after having my second child, but I still struggled with break-outs.

It was only after I started on the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet almost 4 years ago that my skin cleared up completely as my gut became healthier and my liver could detox properly.  Now I might get a pimple occasionally, but never any break-outs. 

I had to cut back on the expensive organic beauty creams and just started using jojoba oil, but still something was lacking.  I started reading about tallow (rendered fat from cows or sheep) and how the fatty-acid profile is closely compatible to our skin cells and sebum.  It is actually still being used in some cosmetic products on the market.  Since it is a saturated fat, it is stable, does not go rancid quickly and supports the firmness of the skin.  Tallow from grass-fed cows is high in nutrients, including the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.

After using tallow on my face, I was amazed at how wonderful my skin felt.  This has become my go-to cream for everything, from face cream to body cream to bum balm for my children.  My husband even uses it as an aftershave balm.  When my children are sick, I use this cream instead of Vicks VapoRub, by simply adding an extra drop of lavender, eucalyptus, frankincense and lemon essential oils, mixing it in my hands and applying it to their chest, back and feet, after which I cover their feet with socks.  Applying this mixture under your feet helps for coughs as well.

The best tallow to use is from grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic free cows, and that has been professionally rendered (the process of making tallow) by your butcher.  I would not suggest that you use tallow you render yourself, as too much moisture is left behind and it goes off quickly.

I choose to mix the tallow with jojoba oil as it closely relates to our skin’s sebum as well, and is absorbed quickly.  It can be used by acne-prone skin and is also non-comedogenic, so it will not clog your pores.  I add olive oil to the winter cream, since it gives a bit more nourishment to the skin.  You can omit this if you have very oily skin and replace it with jojoba oil.

Remember less is more.  It feels oily when you apply it, but absorbs quickly.  I also love to mix it with a few drops of rosehip oil before applying.  Rosehip goes off quickly and is expensive, so I do not put it in the cream.

I chose the blend of essential oils for their calming and uplifting effects.  It has been known for thousands of years that oil and perfume rejoice the heart.  So go ahead and inhale deeply when you apply!   Each one of these oils have healing, nourishing or astringent properties for the skin.  You can however leave out the oils that you do not have and create your own fragrance.  I also love using a Neroli, Ylang-Ylang and Lavender combination, for a more floral fragrance.

Tallow Face & Body Cream

Prep Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g beef tallow
  • 25 ml organic jojoba oil
  • 25 ml organic extra virgin olive oil
  • 25 drops lavender essential oil
  • 10 drops myrrh essential oil
  • 10 drops frankincense essential oil
  • 7 drops rosemary essential oil
  • 6 drops lemongrass essential oil
  • 4 drops chamomile essential oil
  • 3 drops melissa essential oil (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Place your hand blender and utensils in boiling water to disinfect it.
  • Soften the tallow over hot water or in oven at 50C, but DO NOT COMPLETELY MELT.
  • Add the jojoba and olive oil to the softened tallow. Mix with the hand blender until just smooth. Do not overmix, as I have found that mixing too long gives the cream a very fine texture, but it does not want to absorb into the skin as well.
  • Add the essential oils to the mixture and gently mix it together with a knife or spoon.
  • Put the tallow cream in a glass jar(s) and store in the refrigerator until needed. I would suggest keeping the big batch in the refrigerator and keeping only a small jar in your bathroom. Then re-fill as needed.
  • This batch makes about 300ml tallow cream.

Notes

If you have oily or break-out prone skin, replace the olive oil with 25ml organic jojoba oil.

13 Comments

  1. Hallo

    I cannot agree more.

    I use tallow balm everyday too and my skin is glowing. Since I have reached my 40’s, my skin has become dry. I now make my own Vit C serum that I apply and then apply the tallow balm. For anti ageing, Helicryssum is a great EO to mix in. I am getting comments all the time about my skin. I also take high doses of Ascorbic acid which helps with healthy skin and collagen formation.

    Thanks for your informative articles.
    Martinette

    1. Hi! I would not recommend it, since it contains paraffin wax which is derived from petroleum. Rather make your own tallow balm or just buy pure tallow from a health store. You also get so many wonderful oils for the skin like apricot kernel oil, evening primrose, moringa, rosehip and jojoba. You can make your own blend!

  2. Hi! I would not recommend it, since it contains paraffin wax which is derived from petroleum. Rather make your own tallow balm or just buy pure tallow from a health store. You also get so many wonderful oils for the skin like apricot kernel oil, evening primrose, moringa, rosehip and jojoba. You can make your own blend!

Leave a Reply to Anonymous Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *