This tallow balm is the single most effective all-purpose skin-care substance I’ve ever used. My story of how I cured my lifelong, severe eczema is long and complicated, but discovering tallow balm and developing this recipe were both instrumental steps in my journey to take back my skin.

Made from 5 ingredients, this balm is soothing, hydrating, healing, and nourishing for all types of skin conditions and injuries. This tallow butter, my Beeswax & Peppermint Lip Balm, and homemade coconut oil soap are the only skin care products our family of 5 now uses.

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What is tallow?

Tallow is rendered beef fat. It is slightly yellow in color and solid at room temperature.

Where can I find tallow?

I recommend buying tallow directly from a local farmer that you trust to raise his cows in sunlight and on pasture. You can buy grass-fed tallow on Amazon, but it’s much more expensive than buying directly from a local farmer. You can also render your own tallow.

How do I render my own tallow?

You can either slow-cook and strain chunks of solid beef fat (called suet), or you can pour off rendered fat from recipes you’re already making like my Rosemary & Garlic Beef Jerky.

Step 1:

Pour rendered fat from beef jerky pan into a heat-safe bowl.

Step 2:

Place bowl in fridge overnight to solidify fat.

Step 3:

Remove solid fat layer from bowl, break into pieces, and melt on low heat.

Step 4:

Strain tallow, then store strained tallow in refrigerator.

Why choose tallow?

The triglyceride and fatty acid composition of beef tallow is 52.59%, which is very similar to the triglyceride and fatty acid composition of human sebum (outer skin) at 57.5%. Because the fat composition of our skin is more similar to animal than plant fat, animal fat has been used historically to heal wounds and soothe skin disorders.

Grass-fed beef tallow additionally contains fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and significant amounts of conjugated linoleic acid, which is anti-carcinogenic and immune-supportive.

What other ingredients are in this recipe?

This recipe contains 4 ingredients other than tallow, for a total of 5 ingredients:

1. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is 1 of 5 pantry essentials I recommend for a real-food kitchen. It is a true superfood with hypocholesterolemic, anticancer, antihepatosteatotic (liver-protective), antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and skin moisturizing properties. Coconut oil has been used for its health properties in Ayurvedic medicine for approximately 4000 years. Oil pulling with coconut oil can improve dental hygiene and oral health, and coconut oil topical administration can improve skin health, especially in pediatric populations.

2. Calendula Oil

Calendula officinalis is an annual herb bearing an edible orange or yellow daisy-like flower, and calendula oil is simply olive oil infused with calendula flowers. Calendula has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, and antioxidant properties.

Studies have shown that calendula has comprehensive wound-healing properties, as well as the ability to shorten the inflammation phase of injury. It has additionally demonstrated prophylactic effects against burn injury and ability to improve skin hydration and firmness. One study showed a significant reduction in pain, inflammation, and swelling in women after episiotomies.

3. Rosehip Seed Oil

Rosehip seed oil is cold-pressed from the hips of different varieties in the rose family. Rosehip oil contains substantial amounts of unsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols, phenolic acids, and carotenoids and is therefore rich in anti-cancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have shown anti-aging effects on the skin barrier and promising results in inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema.

4. Sweet Orange Essential Oil

I use sweet orange essential oil to cover the smell of tallow, which can be quite farm-y. Eczema is a condition of intense chemical sensitivity, so chemical smells in perfumes, colognes, scented candles, and other commercially available products have given me headaches since I was a little girl. I have to be very careful with essential oils because they can easily have the same effect.

Sweet orange is uplifting without being overwhelming or cloying. It has a positive psycho-somatic effect for me and makes me think about sunlight and citrus even in the depths of winter when my skin can be at its worst. It’s my favorite essential oil for this recipe but some other child-safe options are lavender and clary sage.

My Experience with this Tallow Butter Recipe

I have always had extremely dry and sensitive skin. I’ve spent periods of my life completed addicted to Eucerin and Aquaphor and throughout a good portion of college, I used to bathe my body in pure castor oil in an attempt to find some comfort and relief. After trying dozens of commercial and homemade products, I finally developed this recipe and haven’t looked back since.

One of the major problems with eczema and other types of dermatitis is that creams and lotions can leave it feeling stretched, dry, greasy, or and in need of multiple applications. In delightful contrast, the texture and sensation of tallow butter leaves my skin feeling hydrated, smooth, elastic, and nourished for hours. The skin around my eyes can become particularly dry, and one application of tallow balm in the morning can easily last me until evening or shower time.

I’ve used this recipe for tallow butter for the past 3 years, and it has never failed me. You can use it to treat cuts, burns, scrapes, rashes, and broken skin of all kinds. It holds up great under diapers and bandages alike.

Calendula & Rosehip Whipped Tallow Butter

Caroline

Grass-fed tallow, organic coconut oil, calendula, rosehip, and sweet orange oils whipped to create an all-purpose remedy for dermatitis, sunburn, diaper rash, and poison ivy.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45

Cooling Time 5

Total Time 5 45

Course Skin Care

Servings pint jars

Equipment

Ingredients

2 pints grass-fed beef tallow
1 cup organic, extra-virgin coconut oil
2 tbsp calendula oil
2 tbsp rosehip seed oil
up to 100 drops sweet orange essential oil or other child-safe essential oil

Instructions

Allow tallow to come to room temperature (if stored in fridge), then scrape tallow and coconut oil into a medium-sized saucepan.
Gently melt oils on low heat, then stir to incorporate.
Remove oils from heat and scrape into the bowl of a stand mixer. Refrigerate 4-6 hours or until solid.
Leave oils in refrigerator long enough to harden but soft enough to push the whisk attachment into the fat.
Begin to whip on low, gradually increasing speed until it's on the highest setting.
After a few minutes, stop the mixer and add calendula, rosehip, and sweet orange oils.
Resume whipping until additional oils are fully integrated.
Remove from mixer and scrape tallow butter into 4 pint-sized jars for storage.
Lid and label jars; store in freezer until ready to use.

Notes

Timing how long the tallow/coconut oil blend sits in the refrigerator is the only tricky part of this recipe. If it’s too cold but still whip-able, you can end up with un-whipped, more solid chunks of tallow, which can be a little annoying when you’re trying to apply. When this happens, I usually just power through it and tinker with the cooling time the next time I make it.

Like many of my recipes, this is a bulk recipe for a 5-person family to use for approximately 3 months. You can easily halve the recipe if you’re new to tallow-balm making and just want to try it out. Just use 1 pint of grass-fed tallow, 1/4 cup of coconut oil, 1 tbsp of calendula oil, 1 tbsp of rosehip seed oil, and up to 50 drops of essential oil of choice.

We store extra jars of whipped tallow butter in the freezer until we are ready to use them. They freeze and defrost beautifully!

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Sourcing

I typically render my own tallow or purchase it from a local farm called Meadow Ridge Farms, but I purchase the other herbal oils from Mountain Rose Herbs, which is an online store for organic and ethically-sourced herbs, spices, and oils.

Share Your Experience!

Are you in need of a full-spectrum skin-care solution? Are you or your child struggling with eczema or another skin condition? Try out this tallow balm, and see how it works for your family. Leave a comment below and let me know how it goes!

Calendula & Rosehip Whipped Tallow Butter for Eczema Relief

What is tallow?

Where can I find tallow?