I have struggled with dry skin and sensitivities to fragrances in lotions for years. Living in cold weather climates for my entire life, the winter was always a difficult time for me. My skin would be dry, itchy, and flaky for the entirety of the winter months (which is several months in the Midwest) It wasn’t until I broke out into a full body itch from what I thought was a fragrance free lotion, that I started to research alternative and more natural sources of skin hydration. In my research, I discovered that rendered beef tallow could be the answer to my dry skin woes.
I originally shared this recipe back in 2023, and today I am updating it with new photos as well as some tips and tricks I’ve learned for making a richest and most hydrating tallow body butter!
Since switching to tallow lotion and face cream, my skin is more consistently and evenly hydrated than ever before. Even during a harsh 5 month Midwest winter, which is usually a time of struggle for my skin, it showed no signs of dryness while using tallow.
DIY Whipped Tallow Body Butter Lotion
Tallow or rendered beef fat may sound like a weird and gross thing to rub all over your body, but it has a number of fantastic properties that make it a wonderful ingredient in skin care. Tallow was used for centuries in things like lotions and soaps because of its hydration properties. Yet, now it is just another ingredient on a long list of items that has been replaced by chemicals and synthetic products.
However, synthetic lotions and soaps simply don’t match the benefits of tallow. What is it that makes tallow so special? Since tallow is an animal product, it actually mimics the cellular makeup of the oil in our skin making it more easily absorbed and used by our bodies. In other words, the skin basically recognizes the oils within tallow as its own leading to a far superior and deeper hydration. Even if you don’t have dry skin, tallow has several benefits. It is loaded with vitamins A, D, E, and K, antioxidants, collagen, and essential fatty acids that are not commonly found in modern skincare products. It is also antifungal, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory.
How To Find the Best Tallow
When working with tallow, it is best to get the highest possible quality. You can obtain tallow from cows, bison, or sheep. These are ruminant animals, meaning their digestive systems are designed to naturally filter out toxins. Grass-fed tallow will contain more vitamins and nutrients than grain fed. Additionally, you want to ensure that the animal you are getting the tallow from is raised well and is handled with care and cleanliness. The best way to do this is to find a local farmer who raises their own grass-fed beef and visit the farm. Many of these types of farmers will willingly share exactly how their animals are raised and cared for. Something that is not easy to find in corporate America where businesses cut corners. The Weston A Price Foundation is a great resource to find local farmers.
Whipped Tallow Body Butter Scents
Rather than synthetic fragrances, essential oils provide a great natural alternative and allows you to pick and choose your scent based on the season. This recipe will yield a lotion with a pleasantly mild scent. If you like something a little stronger, just add a few more drops of oil!
Revive is where I go for all my essential oils. My go-to scent is a combination of mint and lavender (12 drops of lavender, 8 drops of mint). It is calming and the lavender and mint are soothing to the skin if you have any irritations or redness. However, you can use any combination you like! Here is a list of a few of my favorite combinations.
Lavender & Vanilla
Lemon & Mint (or any other kind of citrus)
Cedarwood and Vanilla (great for fall & winter)
How To Make Whipped Tallow Body Butter
What You Will Need:
Wooden spoon
Sauce pan
Mixing bowl
Hand held mixer. Any type of mixer will work but hand held works best.
Glass Jar(s). I like to use smaller jars in order to dig the lotion at the bottom of the jar more easily.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb Grass-Fed Tallow
2 Tbsp Olive Oil (other liquid oils like avocado or jojoba oil work well too)
15-20 drops Essential Oil (or more if you like a stronger scent).
Optional:1/2 tsp Arrowroot Powder (This will help decrease the greasy texture of the lotion and help it absorb. I start with 1/2 tsp and add more if necessary.)
Instructions:
1. In a double boiler on medium-low heat, melt tallow. Stir occasionally until tallow becomes liquid. If tallow is already liquid, skip this step.
2. Remove tallow from heat and let cool about room temperature but don’t let it solidify. Add and stir in olive oil.
3. Place in refrigerator and let cool until solid.
4. Remove tallow mixture from fridge and bring to room temperature. This will make it easier to whip. Use hand mixer to whip tallow mixture until it is a light creamy texture.
5. At this time, add frankincense and arrowroot powder and mix until well integrated. Store in a jar at room temperature for up to 6 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the lotion still have a beefy smell?
The smell of the lotion depends highly on the tallow from the individual cow and personal preference. I have personally never found mine to have too strong of a smell. However, if the “beefy” smell is still too strong for you there are a couple options. You can try to render the tallow multiple times. Each rendering will make it more pure and decrease the beef smell. The other option is to wet render the tallow. Again, this give you a more pure tallow that will have a more mild scent.
Why isn’t the texture of the lotion smooth?
I have found that my tallow lotion will get clumpy for one of three reasons. First, it could be that you did not add enough olive oil. Adding a little more will help smooth out the texture. Second, you whipped the tallow when it was either too warm or too cold. Both will create clumps. You want to ensure that it is at room temperature when you whip it. Third, the tallow may have not been strained properly. When this happens, there are still clumps of cartilage tissue in the lotion that create granules.
Do I really need to chill and then let the tallow come back to room temperature?
Technically, you could just let the mixture cool to room temperature and mix it. However, I have found it is a lot more difficult to determine if it’s fully cooled unless you let it sit for a several hours. The cooling and bringing back to room temperature is a way to speed up this process and ensure that the tallow lotion gets that nice fluffy whipped texture.
Other Non-Toxic Swaps You Might Enjoy…
6 Free Ways To Decrease Toxins In Your Home
Hi. I’m wondering if you can tell me why my whipped tallow ends up with tiny granules in it. I’ve tried cooling it quickly and also have left it on the counter to firm up before whipping an I always get the same results.
Thanks
Ava
I have found that I sometimes get granules if the tallow isn’t strained well when it’s originally rendered. The tallow itself might not be as pure which would lead to the granules. I would recommend melting your tallow and straining it through a cheesecloth to strain out the granule impurities. I don’t worry to much about the granules when making it for myself, but an extra strain would definitely be helpful if you like it a little smoother or are giving it as a gift!
Thank you! How much does this make? I have 4oz jars
It will make about 8 ounces, so it should fit in 2 of your jars.
Just made and it set up. Is there a way to keep it soft and fluffy?
Whipping it well and storing it a place that doesn’t get too cold will help keep the fluffier texture. You could also try adding a little more olive oil since it is the tallow that is more likely to set up.
Hello. I just made this with our grass-fed tallow and jojoba. But once in the jar, it solidified. What should I have done differently?
I haven’t worked with jojoba oil as much so I’m not quite as familiar. Perhaps it is more likely to harden. I have found with the olive oil that you need to make sure it is whipped well or it will harden. Storing it in a place that is quite cool can also cause it to harden.
How do you eliminate the beef odor? I added SO much essential oils to try and cover it!
I have heard that wet rendering your tallow can decrease the beef odor. The method I use is dry rendering which I personally have found easier and don’t mind the smell. I have also heard that rendering and straining the tallow multiple times will decrease the odor as well. Hopefully one of these help!
Have you tried a different starch? I’m wondering if tapioca would work?
I haven’t tried other starches, but I know others who have used bentonite clay and said that works well. From the research I did, tapioca starch may provide a thicker texture than arrowroot. I would try starting with a smaller amount until you get the preferred texture.
I just made this today & it is much softer than I wanted. Perhaps it will become more solid as it sits. Also, the tallow odor was very evident as well. I had my lard rendered at the locker plant where my home grown beef was processed. I don’t know what method they used. Is there anything I can do to lessen the odor?
You can try rendering the tallow again or wet rendering it. From both will help reduce the beefy smell. It can be quite soft it is kept in a warmer area or if it didn’t fully cool this can make it softer as well. I would recommend storing it in a cool and dry area.
I made this today & it is the best recipe I’ve tried so far & one I’ll use from now on. I didn’t have arrowroot powder so I used Bentonite clay & I also used half and half jojoba/frankincense and organic EVOO. Whipped up perfectly & for those looking for a storage container, I put mine in a vintage crystal candy dish with a lid and it held it all beautifully!
The crystal candy dish sounds beautiful. What a great way to use it. Glad it turned out well!
So we did a large batch of tallow for cooking and put it in mason jars I’m wanting to make some lotion do I need to reheat if it’s already at room temperature to add the oil ?
Yes, it will need to be reheated to mix in the olive oil evenly to ensure the smooth whipped texture.
What if the tallow comes from cows the eat both grain and grass?
That works too!
What do you mean by wet rendering? I am new to this, thanks
The wet rendering method is essentially the same as dry rendering except you’ll add a 1/2-1 inch of water when rendering. It will then seperate from the fat as they cool leaving a layer of water on the bottom.