Tallow has some incredible benefits for the skin, making this homemade tallow body butter the perfect addition to your natural skin care routine. It is made with 3 natural ingredients that are great not only for the skin but also, for your health.
What is Tallow?
Tallow is rendered fat. It can be from any animal, but usually, the term tallow refers to rendered beef fat.
The cleanest and highest quality tallow comes from the fat around the animal’s organs. Another name for this type of fat is leaf fat.
Like other saturated fats, tallow is solid at cooler temperatures and becomes a liquid in warmer temperatures.
I love using grass-fed beef tallow in my skin care routine. Tallow makes beautiful soap bars and you could even add it to a homemade body butter!
But even on its own, tallow can be applied directly to the body to nourish the skin.
What Kind of Tallow is Best?
Tallow from organically raised grass-fed cows will be the best tallow to use. This type of tallow has the most benefits for cooking, eating and the skin.
How to Render Beef Tallow?
You can render your own beef tallow by cooking trimmed beef fat to use later in the kitchen or for making soaps and body butters.
- Trim fat off of meat.
- Place the trimmed fat in a saucepan and turn the heat on low.
- Allow it to simmer for several hours, stirring every half hour.
- Strain the tallow off of the meat.
- Place in the refrigerator.
Is Tallow Good for the Skin?
Tallow is a popular cooking fat and is known for its many benefits for the body. Tallow is becoming more popular in the skin care line and can be found in shampoos, candles, soaps, balms, and lotions.
Tallow has some amazing benefits when used on the skin as it is very nourishing and moisturizing. As much as we love cooking with beef tallow, I often save a little back to make skincare products.
Tallow is a good source of vitamins A, D, K, E, & B12, along with several other minerals. It has natural anti-inflammatory properties, can help repair damaged skin, and improves skin flexibility.
In addition, tallow can help reduce anti-aging signs by smoothing fine lines, wrinkles, and crow feet.
Benefits of Beef Tallow for Skin
- High in vitamins A, D, K, E, & B12
- Contains healthy fats to nourish the skin
- Good source of antioxidants
- Repairs damaged skin
- Restore vibrancy in skin
- Very moisturizing for dry skin
- Mimics natural skin oils
- Doesn’t clog pores
- Good for all skin types
- Reduces signs of aging
- Antibacterial
- Improves skin imperfections
- Good source of omegas
Tallow Body Butter Ingredients
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Get my full disclosure HERE.
- 1/2 cup grass-fed tallow
- 1/8 cup shea butter
- 1/8 cup avocado oil
- 30 drops of essential oils, optional
How to Make Tallow Body Butter
- Add tallow and shea butter into a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler you can make your own by placing a glass bowl over a pot of water and bringing it to a boil.
- Melt over low to medium-low heat.
- Once melted, remove the ingredients from the heat and allow them to cool slightly. About 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in the avocado oil and essential oils.
- Transfer to the refrigerator so it can set up.
- For best results, use daily.
For a whipped body butter, remove the body butter from the fridge just before it fully sets up. You should be able to press your thumb into it and it holds the indent.
Whip with a handheld mixer until it is a fluffy, creamy consistency.
How to Store Homemade Tallow Body Butter
My favorite way to store all my natural skincare is in mason jars. Mason jars work great for DIY products because they are glass and they have an airtight lid.
It is always best to use glass when storing products made with essential oils as they can break down plastic over time.
This body butter will last up to 6 months if stored in an airtight container. Be sure to store your body butter out of direct sunlight and high temperatures.
If your house is over 80 degrees, you may want to keep the body butter in the refrigerator to ensure it doesn’t melt.
Best Essential Oils for Tallow Body Butter
Several essential oils can be helpful for skin irritations, anti-aging, and reducing scars. Adding essential oils into your tallow body butter can boost those benefits and give it a beautiful aroma!
You can choose several essential oils to make a customized blend or use a single essential oil.
- Lavender
- Frankincense
- Tea tree
- Roman chamomile
- Peppermint
- Rose
- Jasmine
- Clay sage
To make a soothing body butter for sore joints and muscles, use a blend of peppermint and frankincense. Peppermint essential oil is very cooling and frankincense oil can reduce inflammation.
For a calming body butter, use a blend of floral essential oils. Floral essential oils can help calm the nervous system and reduce feelings of anxiousness and stress.
For an uplifting and energizing body balm use a blend of citrus essential oils.
How to Use Tallow Body Butter
Tallow body butter can be used just like regular lotion or night cream. For best results, use daily on the skin.
For really dry skin or damaged cracked skin, apply the tallow butter to the area before bed and allow it to soak in overnight. I like doing this, especially for my feet.
Moisturizing Tallow Body Butter
Equipment
- Double Boiler
Ingredients
- ½ cup grass-fed tallow
- ⅛ cup shea butter
- ⅛ cup avocado oil
- 30 drops essential oils
Instructions
- Melt tallow and shea butter in a double boiler over low to medium-low heat.
- Once melted, remove from heat, and allow it to cool slightly.
- Stir in avocado oil and essential oils.
- Place in the fridge to allow the ingredients to set up.
- Use like normal. For best results, use daily.
Elizabeth says
Why not just use tallow? Why add other oils?
Laura says
Several essential oils can be helpful for skin irritations, anti-aging, and reducing scars. Adding essential oils into your tallow body butter can boost those benefits and give it a beautiful aroma.
Daniel marler says
I have made some and sold at farm market had lady bring it back with mold in it
Laura says
You need to store in an airtight container and in a cool place.
Rebecca says
This recipe is incredible! I have made it for friends, and they rave about it. My aunt said that it help with her skin problem.
Laura says
That’s amazing, so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing!!
Krissy says
Thank you for this recipe! This was the first time I tried tallow. My husband always has some wagu tallow for when he smokes meats. It turned out wonderful. I did use cocoa butter instead just to try for a little cocoa scent. It whipped up nicely. My dogs kept wanting to smell my hands😆 It’s very moisturizing. I really like your recipes 😁
Amy Leffmann says
I make a beef tallow whip with organic olive oil and vitamin E. Does the avocado oil and shea butter have better benefits than the olive oil and vitamin E?
Deborah E Grainger says
I have just used the Moisturizing Tallow Body Butter on some very nasty dermatitis on my hands and within 36 hours there was a marked improvement and 4 days in its almost gone.
magic butter.
Thank you for sharing all the recipes.
Gabrielle says
I was wondering if instead of Shea butter if you can substitute coconut butter? Can you also substitute olive oil instead of avocado oil?
Laura says
Yes, you can, however, it may change the texture of the finish product.
Rylyn says
Hi!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and my last batch turned kind of gritty. Any idea why? It melts almost instantly and you can’t feel the grit anymore but I want it smooth!
Laura says
I am not really sure as none of the ingredients should be gritty. My only thought is the shea butter, you can try remelting and rewhipping it.
Chris Grabow says
I’ve tried and enjoyed several of your moisturizing recipes!
I’m going to try this tallow next. Do you have a link to a tallow you prefer? Hopefully, one that you receive a commission for 🙂
(Amazon if possible)
Laura says
Yes, I have tallow linked in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Kathy A says
Perfect timing to open this link in an email from you! Just received on order of bison tallow & needed to find a recipe for tallow balm using it. Can’t wait to make it now!
Laura says
Perfect, this is the best stuff ever!
Maggie says
What a great idea for a new skincare lotion. Never thought of a beef fat working on the skin but makes sense. I’m sure a lot of people won’t approve but it’s worth a shot. If not I’ll fry some French fries in it!
Donna Cook says
Hi! Thanks for the recipe! I bought grass-fed beef tallow and it has a definite beefy smell. Is that typical? Is there a brand that is odorless? Thanks!
Laura says
It does have a beefy smell because it is beef fat. Once it is made into a lotion, it is not as noticeable.
Donna says
I very much like how this body butter makes my skin feel. I just made my second batch!
Laura says
Glad you like it!
Tonya says
Donna where did you buy grass-fed beef Tallow? The Body Butter sounds great!!
Laura says
It is linked in the post.
Chris Grabow says
Oops! I found it your link. Disregard todays earlier message! Thanks so much
Anil says
Tallow has to purified, then there won’t be any smell. I created with Camel fat and done an excellent body butter.
I want someone guide me to make less greesy. I used olive oil and corn starch with tallow
matineh says
Hey Baby
Can you help me why my body butter does not whip? The final product is like a lotion
Laura says
Make sure it cools before mixing it with the hand mixer.