During and after the birth of my twins, my skin became extremely sensitive. I started making my own moisturizers, lotions, and some makeup, so that I could more closely control what I was putting on my skin and thus, minimize reactions.
I have often been so amazed at the results of the final product, that I’ve wondered why I didn’t start making these things sooner! I have some favorites that are definitely better than any conventional product I have ever tried.
I’ve written about the lotion bars I started making a few years ago. Tallow balm is definitely another favorite.
I whip it into a rich, soothing moisturizer for the body. I have also taken that basic recipe, and made a tinted facial moisturizer that is AMAZING!
What is Tallow?
Tallow is rendered beef fat. It has some amazing benefits for the skin.
Andrew Gardner, of Vintage Traditions, writes about the use of tallow in Traditional Nourishing and Healing Skin Care.
“Tallow contains the abundant natural fat-soluble activators, vitamins A, D, and K, as well as vitamin E, which are found only in animal fats and which are all necessary for general health and for skin health.”
“Tallow (especially tallow from grass-fed animals) also contains fats like conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as palmitoleic acid, which has natural antimicrobial properties.”
“Interestingly, tallow fat is typically 50 to 55 percent saturated, just like our cell membranes, with almost all of the rest being monounsaturated, so it makes sense that it would be helpful for skin health and compatible with our cell biology.”
The Omega 3 fatty acids in tallow have many benefits for the body.
Tallow from grass fed cows has been shown to have substantially more vitamins, micronutrients, minerals, CLA, and Omega 3 fatty acids than tallow from grain fed cows. So the source of the beef tallow you are using matters.
You can render it traditionally yourself, or you can buy it already rendered. I use Epic’s Grass Fed Beef Tallow.
Tinted Facial Moisturizer Ingredients
- ½ cup melted tallow
- 2 tablespoons sweet almond or jojoba oil
- 30 drops essential oil
- ½ to 2 ½ teaspoons cocoa or carob powder (carob powder has red undertones).
- 2-4 teaspoons non-nano and uncoated zinc oxide
Instructions
Melt the tallow in the oven at 150 degrees F. Let it cool, but while it is still a liquid (it solidifies as it cools completely), mix in the other ingredients: sweet almond or jojoba oil, essential oils, zinc oxide powder, and cocoa or carob powder.
Be sure to add small bits at a time of the colored powder to achieve the right shade for your skin tone.
Adding a bit of tint helps to offset the whitening effect of the zinc . The zinc helps to give a smooth finish.
Whip with a hand mixer until lighter and more fluffy. Transfer to a container for storage.
Essential Oils
The essential oils I used in this recipe are geranium, lavender, and elemi. Here is a list of some options for essential oils that you can include in your moisturizer.
Oils like lavender are soothing for the skin. Oils like elemi, frankincense, and myrrh support the skin’s appearance, and oils like rose and sandalwood have been traditionally used in skin care for a long time, improving skin texture:
- geranium
- lavender
- elemi
- frankincense carteri or serrata
- myrrh
- palmarosa
- carrot seed
- Roman chamomile
- jasmine
- rose
- coriander
- ylang ylang
- sandalwood
- vetiver
As with any essential oil use, be sure to check a good desk reference to make sure that any of the above oils are not contraindicated for you and your particular circumstances.
