Years ago I discovered the benefits of fat for skin health. While these DIY tallow lotion bar were a favorite in our house, I wanted something with a softer consistency. The result is this nourishing balm, perfect for sensitive skin.
I love how it makes my skin feel so silky and soft. Plus it has natural ingredients that I feel good about using with my kids too. I really saw a huge difference in my son's eczema scars after using the tallow. Here's why sebum balm is so great, how to use it, and how to make your own!
Benefits of Balsam Deja
Unlike other moisturizers and lotions with plant oils, tallow balm is a unique creation. It all starts with animal fat (usually beef fat, but mutton works well too) which is then processed and refined. It is similar to lard, which comes from pigs. The best fat to use for beef tallow comes from grass-fed lard or tallow. This leafy fat is what is found around the kidneys.
Since tallow comes from an animal source, it nourishes and soaks into our skin beautifully. It's great for all kinds of skin care uses, from soap to lip balm to lotions. As a balm, it helps with dry skin, eczema and anti-aging. It's perfect for any age, starting with babies (to help with eczema and nappy rash). You can read more about skin benefits and how to use fat here.
Fat Balm Ingredients
You can use simple tallow on your skin, but it is very strong and difficult to spread. An easier way is to prepare a sebum balm made with a mixture of fatty and liquid oils. This makes application much easier and you get the best of both worlds.
Some people add ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil, or jojoba oil. I like to keep things simple and use mostly extra virgin olive oil here. I also added some rosehip seed oil. Since rose is astringent, it helps the sebum to absorb a little better, plus it has amazing skin healing properties. This anti-aging facial moisturizer with rose it's a reader favorite!
A lot of times with balms and salves I'll add beeswax to help thicken, but you don't need the fat. You can also add some of your favorite essential oils, although it is completely optional. Frankincense, chamomile and lavender essential oils are some good ones to consider.
This recipe looks like a whipped body butter, or you can skip the whipping step and it looks more like a sauce. Either way it works, but I prefer the feel of the battered version.
Where to get tallow
Ok, so maybe I've sold you on how great sebum is for the skin… but where do you get it? You may be able to find high-quality grass-fed beef from a local farmer in your area. If not, I like to take the wheel too tallow online here.
Processed cheese is white in color and may or may not have a pungent odor. Further cleaning it helps to get rid of the smell of the hose and gives a snow white color.
How to clean fat
If you're using tallow for cooking (or even making soap), the smell isn't strong enough to make a difference. For skin care products though you'll want purified talc. You can find a tutorial on how to give your fat here, but here's how to clean it further.
- Add the rendered fat, 4-8 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of salt to a saucepan. How much water you use depends on how much fat you have.
- We put it on the minimum and let it boil for about an hour.
- Strain the hot liquid into a large bowl through a fine mesh strainer lined with paper towels or a very clean tea towel or t-shirt.
- Let the bowl chill in the fridge until firm.
- Remove the solidified fat block from above the brine and turn it over. At the bottom, you can see some brown bits, wipe them all off.
- If you want, you can repeat this process one more time.
- Allow the fat to dry at room temperature so that all the water evaporates (otherwise it may mold).
Once your sebum is cleansed, you are ready to make your sebum conditioner!
Whipped Balm Recipe
This silky sebum balm is great for dry skin and all types of skin irritations. Great for all ages!
Yield: 6 ounce
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Add the fat to the top of a double boiler and melt the fat over low heat.
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Once it has become completely liquid, add the olive oil and mix.
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Remove from heat and add essential oils and rosehip oil if using.
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Pour the fat conditioner into a glass jar and refrigerate to harden.
Balsam whipped with tallow
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For a whipped bell balm version, pour the balm into a mixing bowl before refrigerating. You want it to harden to the point where it's firm but not really hard.
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Beat the fat conditioner with the beater attachment in a stand mixer or hand mixer. If it is too hard to beat, then let it sit at room temperature until it is soft enough to beat.
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Transfer to a glass jar for storage.
- Shelf life and storage: Store your gut balm at room temperature away from direct light and heat. It should last for several months if stored properly.
- This recipe uses an essential oil dilution ratio of 1%. If using for children ages 6 months to 3 years, then reduce essential oils to 7 drops total (.25%) or omit.
Don't like doing it? Toups & Co. Organics makes some great sebum balms that my family loves.
Have you ever used tallow on your skin before? What's your favorite way to use it? Leave a comment and let us know!
