I noticed a few herbalists I admire incorporating tallow into their apothecaries and I instantly became intrigued and began researching how I could make my own body care products from it.
Tallow is rendered beef fat and beneficial because of its high vitamin, mineral, and fat content. For centuries, tallow has been used by many cultures as a cooking agent and for body care.
I acquired a few pounds of grass fed beef fat from our local diary farm and experiemented with my first bath of tallow.
The method I use for rendering and purifying the tallow is slow cooking the tallow in water and salt. The salt extracts the impurities of the tallow into the water which is easily separated from the final product. This purification method leaves the tallow with all of its beneficial properties and odorless.
I like to incorporate herbs like calendula, lavender, chamomile, and yarrow into my tallow balm for added healing properties. I've also experimented with adding infused oils such as hemp seed, rose hip, and olive oil. Tallow balms that are whipped with added oil are smoother and have more of a buttery texture. Tallow balms without oil have a harder texture but become soft and easy to apply to the skin when warmed up in your hands.
The three tallow balms that were born from my kitchen witching are:
Whipped tallow infused in calendula, lavender, and chamomile
Whipped tallow with olive oil infused in white pine needles
Whipped tallow with hemp seed and rosehip oil infused in yarrow, chamomile, and calendula
If you are interested in purchasing a tallow balm, please email me!
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