Easy Homemade Tallow Lip Balm Recipe
This tallow lip balm recipe takes only a few minutes to make and uses simple ingredients. With almost endless variations, it makes as fun and practical project you can use yourself or a great gift to friends.
What is Tallow?
Tallow is animal fat. It comes from ruminants like cows, deer, bison, sheep, goats, etc. This recipe calls for beef fat/tallow but you can certainly try other types of tallow you might have available. The fat is processed and cooked down until it is a light yellow to white, mostly scentless product that looks similar to shortening.
Why is Tallow Good for Our Skin?
The fatty acids in tallow are very similar to that of our own skin, which makes it easier for our own skin to absorb the moisturizing benefits of tallow. Depending on which sources you look at, tallow has a low to moderate comodogenic score (meaning how much it clogs our pores).
I tend to have a greasier skin type, especially around my nose. Even with that, using tallow as my nightly facial moisturizer, my skin always feels nourished but not greasy.
Please note that like all skin care products, some work better with different skin types than others. I always advise trying a small batch of a DIY skincare recipe first, just to makes ure it agrees with your body. I would hate for you to have fifty tubes of lip balm that don’t work well for you.
How Do You Get Tallow?
Tallow can be purchased a few different ways. If you are purchasing a beef animal you will have the option to get the tallow with your meat.
If you are getting your tallow this way I would recommend asking if they will run the tallow through their meat grinder, as it makes melting it down that much easier.
You can ask around to local processors to see if they have any available. Some higher-end butchers might have already rendered tallow available, but you can expect to pay an extra cost for this product as it is value added.
Local beef producers might be willing to sell you tallow that their beef customers do not want. Most folks including myself recommend grass-fed tallow for skin care recipes.
The sticky bit is I don’t have any solid evidence as to grass-fed vs. grain fed animals and how it affects their fat (thought I am working on it!). I choose to use grass fed tallow the same reason I prefer grass fed beef for my family’s meat.
Cows are meant to eat and thrive off of grass and this makes for a healthier animal and planet.
How Do you Render Tallow?
Rendering tallow can be done with the wet or dry method. I recommed the wet method as it gives you a clean product with less chance of it scorching and the rendered tallow smelling “beefy”.
Here are step-by-step instructions for rendering tallow. The process is easy but it does take several hours up to a few days depending on how many times you process it.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Ingredients for Homemade Tallow Lip Balm
- 3 tsp Rendered Tallow
- 3 tsp Almond Oil or Grapeseed Oil
- 2.5 tsp Beeswax
- 3 Drops Vitamin E Oil
- 8-10 drops Pure Essential Oil of Choice
Basic Supplies
- 5 Lip Balm Tubes or metal tins
- Glass Measuring Cup with Pour Spout (recommended though not completely required)
- Measuring Spoons
- Small Whisk
- Optional: For larger batches I recommend a double boiler in place of the measuring cup.
How to Make Tallow Lip Balm
You can make your own lip balm so easily with this recipe and it is ready in minutes!
Begin by adding the tallow, almond oil, and beeswax to a microwave safe, glass measuring cup. I like these because the pour spout makes it easy to fill the lip balm tubes.
Microwave these for twenty seconds to start, then stir. Continue to heat in ten second bursts, stirring between each, until all the ingredients are melted.
Note, this recipe makes five plastic tubes. If you’d like to make a bigger batch I would recommend using a double boiler instead of the microwave. Beeswax is highly flammable so you don’t want large amounts being microwaved for extended periods of time. Warm your oils over low heat and stir them frequently.
Once melted down, whisk in the Vitamin E oil and essential oil. Whisk thoroughly. Once fully combined, carefully pour the solution into the lip balm tubes.
Fill the first four, then let them solidify. Sometimes they can get a little dip in the top. You can use the oil remaining in the measuring cup to even this out if it bothers you. If you don’t mind a little divet, fill all the tubes right away.
Allow these to cool fully, 30-60 minutes, then you can put the caps on. Your DIY lip balm is ready to go!
Even though you CAN use it right away, I recommend letting these sit for a few days. The solids will harden up more and the texture will be perfect after a few days of curing time.
Storing and Using
This lip balm keeps for a very long time! I love a good all-natural lip balm, but find they start to go kind of funky after a while. This is because the oils in them turn rancid. For whatever reason, this combination stays smelling nice and feeling good for MONTHS.
Store them at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.
Like any lip balm, try not to leave these in your pocket and run them through the washer/dryer. If you do accidentally put them in your dryer, check out this easy trick for getting grease stains out of clothes.
Lip Balm Containers
I prefer to use tubes for my lip balm instead of metal. I usually prefer to avoid using plastic since it is everywhere, but I also don’t want to be out and about dipping my finger into something and smearing it on my lips.
A tube seems more hygienic and easier to deal with. By all means though, please use whatever container makes sense for you!
Variations on the Recipe
Changing the Scent
I am a big fan of Candle Science when it comes to using fragrance oils in place of essential oils. They have a Clean Scents line that they have worked hard to provide fragrances that are free from the toxins you find in a lot of other fragrances.
If you’d like to try different essential oils, make sure you are using pure essential oils or absolutes.
Please don’t buy the cheapest ones out there, as there is little oversight into how these are produced worldwide. Choose a reputable brand you trust. I like Wyndmere – or NOW’s organic line.
I would stay away from citrus oils as they can react negatively with sunlight and cause burns or blisters.
Trying Different Oils
I find the texture, firmness, and moisturizing qualities of this work really well for me.
If you’d like to add even deeper moisturizing and richness you could add in shea butter.
You might try coconut oil if you want a firmer texture.
Jojoba oil or grapeseed oil are other good options in place of almond oil. For a goopier textured lip balm (more of an ointment consistency) try adding in lanolin or castor oil.
