Whipped Tallow Body Butter

whipped tallow body butter-01

Just look at that amazing body butter in the picture above. Doesn’t it look heavenly?? Just 3 simple ingredients and less than 5 minutes is all it took to create this super luxurious and non-toxic body butter!

Now, don’t panic as I tell you the secret ingredient …. Tallow

Yes.

Are you panicking?

Stop

Please, let me explain…

That’s right, beef fat. Why would I slather my body with beef fat, you ask? First and foremost, because I don’t like to put anything on my skin that I wouldn’t eat. After all, 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed into the bloodstream. Pasture raised beef fat is nourishing to eat and nourishing to the skin.

Next, tallow is compatible with the molecular structure of our skin cells. It is 50-55% saturated fat, the same percentage that makes up our cell membranes. Additionally, tallow is very similar to the protective sebum naturally produced by our skin. In my experience, tallow does not clog my pores (I have switched my whipped facial oil cleanser from coconut oil based to tallow based with amazing results) and I believe it is because of its similarity to sebum (source).

Finally, tallow is a time-honored skincare ingredient. And while I am sure that animal fats have been used as protective skin balms since the beginning of humanity, I don’t think we have proof of that. We do, however, have records that show tallow was a main ingredients in skin balms during the 1800′s (here are some examples).

However, there is one downside. If you just whip up tallow it still smells like, well, Tallow. Although it’s not offensive, it’s not what I want to smell like either! By blending in a natural fragrance or essential oil you can customize your whipped tallow body butter to your own favorite smell!

As always it’s best to support your local farmer.. However, if you don’t have a local pastured beef farmer you can purchase pre-rendered tallow online (click HERE) or you can buy beef suet online (click HERE) to render at home (click HERE for my instructions on Rendering Beef Suet into Tallow).

Now, I’m sure you’re wondering HOW on EARTH do you turn Tallow into Whipped Body Butter, right??

You’re not going to believe how easy it is. You just literally WHIP it.

Yep, you heard me right. You just WHIP up your Tallow into body butter using your hand or stand mixer! After your tallow is whipped fluffy, I whip in some additional healthy oil and/or essential oil for scent.

You may find other recipes for whipped tallow lotions, however they all want you to melt your tallow, combine ingredients and the let them harden together… I find that step to be completely unnecessary.

Here’s How I make my Whipped Tallow Body Butter:

  1. In your mixer, whip 1 cup of Rendered Tallow (room temperature) for about 1-2 minutes until all the lumps are removed and fluffy.
  2. Add in 1/4c cup of Oil, I use this all natural body oil because I LOVE the scent of it (click HERE) You can also use Olive Oil, Jojoba Oil or Sweet Almond Oil.
  3. If you used an unscented oil like olive or Jojoba, add in essential oil of your choice for scent. I recommend peppermint, patchouli, or grapefruit essential oil. Also, I keep a small jar blended with Breath Easy Essential Oil blend in our medicine cabinet as a natural alternative to toxic menthol rub (aka vicks vapor rub).
  4. Store your Whipped Tallow Body Butter in a glass jar with a lid. If you make more than you can use up in a few weeks or it’s very warm in your house (which may cause it to liquify) feel free to store it in the freezer – I like to make up several batches and keep jars in the freezer, this also makes amazing holiday gifts when presented in decorative glass jars like THESE as I have in my picture above 🙂

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41 Comments

  1. Hi! Can you tell me the name of that favorite body oil that you list? Amazon doesn’t have it anymore or the link is broken and I’m DYING to know! Thank you so much for all that you do, Meredith

  2. Curious as to why shelf life is a few weeks? I have read a few other recepies, same or similar ingredients, that state up to a year at room temperature.

  3. After reading your article I purchased some tallow. I just put it straight on my feet bc my heals very very dry. And I’m so in love with tallow! Eager to make this whipped Body Butter! But I have a few questions before I get going: so this doesn’t need to be refrigerated if my house isn’t warm enough to melt it? and it’s ok on my bedside table for a few weeks? or up to 6 months? Will the smell be off if it goes bad?
    Thanks so much for sharing with us Hayley,
    Penny

    1. tallow is very stable and stable saturated fats don’t ‘rot or spoil’ like you’d think. however if you add bacteria to it in your container or use, there is a possibility that it could go bad I guess.. I always use up what I make fairly fast so I don’t worry. Using Eos will help too.

  4. Hey there ! Just finished making my body butter and I love the consistency and the way it feels on my skin, however I’m not in love with the smell! It still smells pretty beefy to me… any suggestions? I used quite a bit of essential oils…

  5. My name is Yommy, I resides in Nigeria and I produce grass feld cow tallow. I only sell for soap makers for now. I would like to produce body cream with the tallow but I don’t know how I can go about it. Further more I need tallow buyers. Thanks

  6. So excited to hear about this. I just rendered my own tallow for the first time last week for soap making. I am wondering if you could share how much essential oil you used?

  7. Quick question?

    I skim and save all the fat from my bone broths, fill ice cube trays with them and use them for cooking. Is that tallow or suet? It’s solid at room temp.

    1. Suet is the solid fat directly from the animal, tallow is rendered suet. Your bone broth fat would be tallow.

  8. I did not see this posted – but I can say from personal experience that the only fat from a steer that I would use is the kidney fat – it does not have the “beefy” smell to it and is a much cleaner fat in general – like the leaf lard from pastured hogs that chefs value for pastry making – although pig fat is not suitable for the face and body creams. I can get this because I harvest my own steers and know others that do as well – probably more difficult to get for the average consumer – However in my opinion it is far superior to using regular fat/tallow.

  9. I will make this for the first time on Tuesday. Do you find tallow cream to have an “odor” that may be unpleasant. Does it go rancid being a meat fat unrefrigerated? thanks!

    1. MaryAnn – tallow cream? Tallow itself has a slight aroma, but when paired with a scented lotion or adding essential oils helps to cover it. There is no need to worry about solid, saturated animal fats going rancid. That’s why they are so safe to cook with, unlike their vegetable oils counterparts.

  10. How long does this tallow butter last? I want to make it for someone with skin problems but I don’t know what to tell them for shelf life… Also do you think this would be good for someone with eczema? Is it greasy when you apply it? Thank you so much!

    1. Skin condition, like eczema, are an external symptom of an underlying internal issue. Lotions can only sooth the symptom and not work in any way to cure it. Tallow, like mentioned in my most, is very similar in chemical structure to our human skin’s natural oils so it is very hydrating. I can be felt until absorbed or rubbed in, but it’s just temporary. I would use it within 6 months.

    1. all animals fat has a different chemical make-up, I personally wouldn’t use venison fat because it has a stronger odor.

  11. Hi I really want to make this and I tried. I bought epic brand beef tallow and did as you said but it never really got beautifully whipped and at room temp and it is not hot in my house it just separates…could it by the brand of tallow I used?

    1. how is it separating? Once the coconut oil and tallow are combined (even if not completely whipped like whip cream) the fats won’t separate. What is the temperature in your home, like from your thermostat?
      This process is very similar to creaming butter for baking, only your letting it go longer. If your butter is melted it won’t cream the same a truly room temperature butter, if that makes sense.

      Did you watch my video where I show how mine whips? are you using a stand mixer or hand mixer?

  12. This was so helpful. Mine turned out great. Thank you so much for the instructions. I think it makes the best anti-aging cream! It also keeps the ends on my hair shiny

  13. Just a little tip, My beef tallow has a granular fatty texture and no amount of whipping seemed to fix. Its not a very good feel to lotion to have to melt away little balls of fat. So I melted a bit to see if when it cooled the texture came back, it didn’t now Im melting down my finished batch, cooling it off and whipping it again. Didn’t realy whip the 1st time, but its kinda like a lotion right now. Ill keep working on it.

    1. NVM i just wasnt whipping it long enough, now im alternating putting it in the fridge ( cus its warm in my apt) and whipping more and more and it actually looking like yours now. I am so excited

    2. Hi! I’m having the same problem…it gritty and it randomly has little chunks of tallow that didn’t smootg out….how hot did u have to get it to melt down? Did u melt it until liquid? How long do u leave it on what? Should I do it on a double boiler or direct is ok? Sorry I just don’t want to over heat it….thank you!

      1. tallow – aka rendered beef fat – is a liquid when heated and a smooth solid fat when chilled. Is the tallow you are starting with a texture similar to butter?

        1. you do not want to heat your tallow prior to whipping. Are you using a stand mixer? Just turn it on and let it whip just like I show in my video.

  14. Hayley: Are you selling your “Whipped Tallow Butter” for improving skin? I am unable to procure or purchase the individual ingredients to make the “W-T-B.” If you are selling it, how much is the price? Thanx. ~ Anita K-C

    1. Hey Anita –
      I’m not comfortable making/selling/shipping my whipped tallow body butter – since if the weather is too warm when it ships it will be melted & messy 🙁 I’ve included links in the post so that you can purchase the supplies to make it yourself.. are you outside of the US?

  15. Hi Hayley, Just found your blog today and must say I like it so hopefully I keep coming.
    I wanted to ask if the tallow butter stayed whipped? I have made a use one but only with melting it with olive oil. Would love to try the whipped version.

    1. Tallow, just like coconut oil will soften or melt at temps over 70 so it’s best to keep it in a cooler location just incase.

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