Homemade Tallow Salve
I love using homemade products when I can and have really enjoyed experimenting with salves and skincare products. A few years ago I tried making my own tallow from beef fat and had a lot of learnings before I really had a recipe that I could reproduce with exact measurements. Today I’m ready to share with you how to make your own homemade tallow salve. When done right, this salve is a smooth cream that goes on with absolutely no beefy smell and feels absolutely feel amazing! Next time you’re at my house, make sure you ask to try a sample. I think you’ll love it too!
This post includes affiliate links. Some products were received to facilitate this post.
How to Make Homemade Tallow Salve
Materials
Directions
Slowly melt the tallow and beeswax over low heat.
A word of caution when you decide to make your own tallow salve – heat it very gently! If you cook it at all, you will end up with a beefy smell and I guarantee you that nobody wants to rub the smell of roast beef on their hands or feet. The key is to let it melt very slowly on the stove at the lowest temperature possible and then remove it as soon as the oils have combined and formed a clear liquid.
When the beeswax and tallow have melted completely, add the olive oil and eseential oils of your choice. I have tried peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, and orange in different batches. There is no right or wrong essential oil to include in your tallow salve. Just choose what you have and the scent that you find the most calming or pleasant.
Pour the liquid carefully into small containers and let them cool. It will take about an hour and you will notice that the salve has hardened and darkened.
Because tallow has a different hardness level depending on what part of the cow you get the fat from, you may have to try a second time to get a perfect consistency. If you’re not sold on the finished product, just scoop it out, melt it back down, and either add a little more tallow and olive oil (to soften) or beeswax (to harden).
I ordered small tins from Amazon a few years ago and often fill them with samples so I can share them with friends and family when they visit. This is a fun way to share some of your homemade goodies and let them try out your projects and experiments.
Do I need to use an added oil like Olive Oil? Can I use just tallow and Beeswax? I am trying to avoid store bought ingredients as much as I can for my balm.
Hi Alisha,
Just play around with the two ingredients till you get the consistency you want. There’s no reason I know of that I use olive oil except for getting the consistency right. Let me know how it turns out.