Hydrating and Nourishing Tallow Lip Balm Recipe

Tallow lip balm is a luxurious and nourishing product you can easily make at home. If you’re a skincare junkie like me, finding amazing lip products is practically a hobby by now. I have dry skin so I’m always looking for ways to hydrate my lips and save a ton of money with the best possible ingredients. The hydrating properties of tallow plus beeswax and a few favorite skin oils make this the best customizable lip balm. You can add a little peppermint oil, rose powder, or lemon oil to make an even more delicious experience. I like to make a really thick batch of unflavored tallow lip balm to use as a lip mask before bed. 

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Tallow

Tallow is rendered beef fat. It is full of vitamins and minerals like A, D, E, K, and CLA, all of which can be found at their highest potency in animal-based skincare. These vitamins and minerals are a powerful tool to heal your skin because tallow is very similar to the chemistry of the human epidermis. This means it absorbs into the skin, moisturizing and nourishing it, without clogging pores or causing oil. Because it contains the same lipids and fats found in healthy, youthful skin, it replenishes the skin’s elasticity which naturally declines with age. Beef tallow also creates a protective barrier on the skin that helps to lock in moisture while still allowing the skin to breathe. 

You can make your own tallow from grassfed, pastured beef fat. To do this, check out my blog on how to make your own tallow. If you don’t have access to pastured beef, you can buy pre rendered tallow online. 

Beeswax

Beeswax is used in this recipe to keep the lip balm hard at room temperature and for its antimicrobial properties. If you can’t get your hands on some, feel free to omit it and continue with the recipe. Without beeswax, your concoction will become a softer lotion, which you will need to pour into a glass jar to cool instead of a mold. 

Shea butter

This ingredient hardly needs an introduction! Shea Butter, created from the nuts of the shea tree, is antioxidant and anti-inflammatory for the skin. Because it is so moisturizing, it promotes cell regeneration and soothes skin conditions such as dermatitis, eczema, and psoriasis.  

Mango butter

A naturally non-comedogenic substance, mango butter is made from the oils of the mango seed. Mango butter also protects skin from UV rays and is antibacterial and antimicrobial. All these qualities make mango butter very soothing and nourishing for the skin. 

Skin oils 

Nourishing and hydrating skin oils make this tallow lip balm even more effective. My favorites are jojoba, rosehip seed oil, marula oil, and argan oil

Variations: scents and tints 

You can add different natural ingredients to make tinted or scented tallow lip balm:

• Rosehip powder
• Hibiscus flower powder
• Elderberry powder
• Beetroot powder
• Irish moss powder
• Rose powder
• Seabuckthorn powder 
• A few drops of Essential oils for scent

Supplies and Ingredients You will need:

• Double Boiler
• Small glass jars-I like to reuse small glass candle jars, jam jars, or skin care tubs. Be sure to wash thoroughly!
• Lip balm tubes or tins 
• If you don’t have any jars to reuse, you can find beautiful amber glass jars here
• 100% pure rendered beef tallow
• Raw, organic Shea Butter and Cocoa butter
• Skin oils-my favorites are jojoba, rosehip seed oil, marula oil, and argan oil