Homemade Tallow Lotion
Discover the joy of tallow skincare in a light, pumpable lotion! This homemade tallow lotion is ultra-moisturizing without feeling heavy or greasy. It's a great everyday lotion for the body and face.
Servings: 8 ounces
Equipment
- Plastic squeeze bottle Pump bottle, squeeze bottle, or jar
Ingredients
Oil/emulsifier
- 1.5 oz rendered beef tallow
- 0.7 oz jojoba oil
- 0.5 oz emulsifying wax
- 0.4 oz cetearyl alcohol (co-emulsifier)
Water phase
- 7 oz distilled water
Cool-down phase
- 0.1 oz Geogard 221 (1% of total weight)
- 10 drops essential oil optional
- Citric acid
Instructions
- Combine beef tallow, jojoba oil, emulsifying wax, and cetearyl alcohol in a double boiler. Warm until the oils are melted, then remove from the heat.
- In a separate container, heat the water to 160°F.
- Transfer your warmed water to a tall-sided, heat-resistant container, then slowly add the melted oils. Pulse with an immersion blender for about 40-60 seconds. (It's going to look liquidy, just make sure everything is well combined).
- Continue to pulse every couple of minutes until the temperature has cooled to 130°F. Once it has cooled to 130°F, add the Geogard 221, and continue mixing with the immersion blender for about 60 seconds, or until it is completely mixed in.
- Finally, if you are using a fragrance, add that in now, and mix with the immersion blender.
- Check pH and adjust as needed. You will need to lower the pH, as it will be around pH 9 at this point. Using a citric acid and water mixture, it only takes a little bit to lower it to 6, which is right around where I like it (see notes for full instructions).
- Transfer to an airtight container and allow it to completely cool before securing the lid. It will turn into a creamy, smooth consistency as it cools.
Notes
How to lower the pH of the lotion:
- In one container, dissolve 20g citric acid in 20g distilled water.
- In a separate container, measure out 1g of lotion and add 9g of distilled water.
- Mix well.
- Dip the pH test strip in the lotion and water mixture.
- If it is above 7, add a squeeze of the citric acid and water mixture to your main lotion container.
- Mix well.
- Then repeat steps 2 to 3 as needed until you get your lotion in the correct range.
- If you are using a squeeze bottle with a small neck to store it in, I highly suggest pouring it in while the ingredients are still melted. Otherwise, you can always scoop it into a plastic zippered bag, poke a small hole in the end, and squeeze the lotion into your container.
- Make sure everything is sterile before beginning — all equipment and containers should be washed and sanitized.
- Discard if you notice a change in the lotion's color, texture, or smell.