This tallow and honey balm recipe combines the healing properties of beef tallow and honey to hydrate, nourish, and protect the skin naturally, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a gentle and effective skincare solution.
Why these Ingredients?
Beef Tallow
Beef tallow is essentially rendered beef fat, a traditional ingredient used in both cooking and skincare products. It is rich in fatty acids that deeply moisturize the skin, providing long-lasting hydration and combating dryness. Packed with fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K, beef tallow nourishes the skin, promoting elasticity and overall skin health. The natural saturated fats in beef tallow form a protective barrier on the skin, shielding it from environmental stressors and locking in moisture. Beef tallow is gentle on the skin and suitable for all skin types, including sensitive and irritated skin. In fact, its emollient properties help soothe and calm irritated skin, making it effective for conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil is like a big hug for your skin, offering a multitude of benefits that keep it glowing and healthy. Full of nourishing fatty acids and vitamins, it deeply hydrates and softens your skin, leaving it feeling smooth and youthful. Its powerful antioxidants fight off free radicals, reducing signs of aging and giving you a radiant complexion. Plus, its anti-inflammatory properties work wonders in calming irritated skin.
Manuka Honey
Manuka honey is a skincare powerhouse, renowned for its natural healing properties. It’s loaded with antioxidants and antimicrobial compounds that promote skin regeneration and combat acne-causing bacteria. Its moisturizing properties deeply hydrate the skin, leaving it soft and supple. Manuka honey’s anti-inflammatory effects soothe irritated skin, making it ideal for sensitive or acne-prone skin. Incorporating manuka honey into your skincare routine can lead to smoother, clearer, and more radiant skin, naturally.
Tea Tree Essential Oil
Tea tree oil purifies your skin, removing dirt, oil, and impurities for a clean and refreshed complexion while preventing excess oiliness. It also promotes wound healing and prevents infections, encouraging the growth of healthy skin cells to minimize the appearance of scars. Not to mention its natural antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties work wonders in calming down irritated skin. Whether it’s acne breakouts, eczema, psoriasis, or dermatitis, it has been a huge help in my skincare lineup!
Tallow and Honey Balm Ingredients:
1/2 cup grass-fed beef tallow
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp manuka honey
24 drops of essential oils of your choice
Personally, I like to add tea tree essential oil. Since I started incorporating oil cleansing and tallow balm into my skincare routine, tea tree essential oil seems to be an ingredient my skin craves. Feel free to switch this out for other essential oils!
Tallow and Honey Balm Instructions:
Melt the Tallow: In a saucepan, gently heat the beef tallow until it melts and becomes liquid.
Combine Oils: Once the tallow is melted, remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the olive oil and honey to the melted tallow, stirring until thoroughly combined.
Add Essential Oils: Incorporate the essential oils into the mixture, ensuring even distribution through thorough stirring.
Pour and Chill: Pour the mixture into a clean glass jar. Place the jar in the refrigerator to allow the balm to solidify. Once solid, bring the balm to room temperature before using.
Store: Store your tallow and honey balm at room temperature in a cool, dry place. Ensure the jar is tightly sealed to maintain freshness. It will keep for up to a year!
You can also make a whipped tallow and honey balm. To do this, let your mixture solidify in a large mixing bowl. Then, use an electric mixer to whip until it is airy and fluffy. Then, allow the tallow and honey balm to solidify at room temperature. Use a spatula to gently transfer the balm to a glass jar. The same storage instructions apply, however, the whipped balm will only remain shelf stable for 4-5 months due to the incorporated air.
Now Let’s Use it!
Now you have a natural skincare POWERHOUSE at your fingertips… but how should you use it in your natural skincare routine?
- Cleanse Your Skin: Start by cleansing your skin with a gentle cleanser to remove any dirt, oil, and impurities. Pat your skin dry with a clean towel.
- Take a Small Amount of Balm: Scoop out a small amount of the honey and tallow balm using clean fingers. A little goes a long way, so you don’t need to use a large amount, but no need to be shy! Your skin will LOVE this.
- Warm Between Your Fingers: Rub the balm between your fingers to warm it up slightly. This helps the balm melt into your skin more easily and ensures smooth application.
- Apply to Your Skin: Gently massage the balm onto your skin using circular motions. Focus on areas that tend to be irritated or in need of extra hydration, such as your face, elbows, knees, and hands.
- Allow Absorption: Allow the balm to absorb into your skin for a few minutes before proceeding with any other skincare products or makeup. This gives your skin time to fully benefit from the nourishing ingredients.
- Repeat as Needed: You can use the honey and tallow balm morning and night as part of your skincare routine. Adjust the frequency based on your skin’s needs and preferences.
Have You Tried Tallow Balm?
Once I started making and using tallow balm, I never turned back! Something about it being SO easy and So effective got me back to the basics of natural solutions in skincare. Embracing holistic and traditional remedies isn’t just about nourishing the skin, it’s about the beauty and efficacy of God’s creation.
I would love to hear YOUR experience with using natural solutions in skincare! Have you made tallow balm before? Are there certain ingredients your skin LOVES?
Love and blessings on your day,
Grace
Tallow and Honey Balm
This tallow and honey balm recipe combines the healing properties of beef tallow and honey to hydrate, nourish, and protect the skin naturally, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a gentle and effective skincare solution.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup grass-fed beef tallow
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp manuka honey
- 24 drops of essential oils of your choice
Instructions
- Melt the Tallow: In a saucepan, gently heat the beef tallow until it melts and becomes liquid.
- Combine Oils: Once the tallow is melted, remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the olive oil and honey to the melted tallow, stirring until thoroughly combined.
- Add Essential Oils: Incorporate the essential oils into the mixture, ensuring even distribution through thorough stirring.
- Pour and Chill: Pour the mixture into a clean glass jar. Place the jar in the refrigerator to allow the balm to solidify. Once solid, bring the balm to room temperature before using.
- Store: Store your tallow and honey balm at room temperature in a cool, dry place. Ensure the jar is tightly sealed to maintain freshness. It will keep for up to a year!
Notes
You can also make a whipped tallow and honey balm. To do this, let your mixture solidify in a large mixing bowl. Then, use an electric mixer to whip until it is airy and fluffy. Then, allow the tallow and honey balm to solidify at room temperature. Use a spatula to gently transfer the balm to a glass jar. The same storage instructions apply; however, the whipped balm will only remain shelf stable for 4-5 months due to the incorporated air.
Since honey is water soluble, how do you get it to not separate? I’ve made a similar recipe to this before and the honey separated at the bottom. I don’t notice any special instructions in regards to the honey in this recipe so I’m curious how you get them to combine. Do you use an emulsifier?
I don’t use an emulsifier, but some balms will have beeswax or other ingredients for this purpose. I have never had a problem with the honey settling out, but my kitchen is often warm with the oven on, and heating the honey can help it mix in better. Another trick would be mixing the balm as it is cooling to make sure the honey does not settle. Again, I have not run into this issue with this recipe myself, but those would be my suggestions if not adding an emulsifying agent!