Easy Homemade Whipped Beef Tallow Skin Frosting
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If you have a pulse, you probably know that slathering yourself in rendered beef fat is all the rage right now, and for good reason! I’ve actually been using it before it was cool and started out with lard before discovering the magnificent beef fat. Coming from a family that raises hogs and marrying a fella that has cattle really gave me some options! This whipped tallow is fluffy and light on the skin and my skin just soaks it right up. Slather on and prepare for some soft, hydrated, and glowy skin! I refer to this whipped tallow as skin frosting because in jars it looks like a really fluffy forbidden buttercream!
Tallow skin care is the perfect choice for all skin types, from dry skin to oily to sensitive skin and everything in between. It contains essential fatty acids, like linoleic acid, that your skin loves and possibly even some anti-inflammatory properties from the bio-available antioxidants and vitamins it provides; just research and find all the benefits for yourself! Obviously, if you have an allergy, this isn’t for you.
That’s a sad day, but you can sub another fat in or just not do it at all. You do want to use a good source for your beef fat. Grass fed tallow is always preferred is you’re purchasing it already rendered, but we all know how gimmicky that label can be as grass fed beef could be from a crowded feed lot. A local farmer, like me, that raises and sells custom beef is a great start. Our beef is grass and grain fed and I use the tallow for cooking and skin care without issue. Don’t get hung up on the whole grass fed thing that much, ok?! Ask the processor/butcher for the kidney fat/”suet” and all the fat trimmings. Use the suet to make your moisturizer and the trimmings for frying and cooking.
The suet, or kidney fat, seems to be the most mild and clean fat on the animal and renders into a beautiful white to light yellow, depending on what the animal ate. If you do decide to purchase beef tallow, try and find out if the seller hand renders their tallow or not. A lot of the big companies jumped on the tallow bandwagon when everyone became obsessed with it and plenty of it is chemical rendered now instead of the traditional process. You’d have more luck with a local farm/business or a butcher shop than anything you’ll find on Amazon.
Homemade skincare products are the highest quality because you can control the ingredients and how they’re made. I can also add my own essential oil blends tailored to what I personally need and make it work perfectly for me. This whipped tallow is simple because it only contains 2-3 simple ingredients, easily whips to perfection, and then you have a lovely whipped tallow moisturizer at your fingertips.
I affectionately refer to this whipped tallow as “body frosting” because my kids ALWAYS think I’m whipping up a frosting and want to lick the beaters when I’m making this. The light texture of whipped tallow is lovely, doesn’t leave a greasy residue, and it mimics the skin’s barrier function. How much more of a natural skincare product could you ask for?!
How to Render and Deodorize Beef Tallow
I am working on getting my step-by-step method of rendering tallow up with pictures onto my website. Once I do it will be linked here, but until then, bare with me! Rendering is very, very easy, so don’t be intimidated by it. Slap the fat in a pot chopped up, melt it, simmer ’til the cracklins are crispy, and strain. Salt those cracklins and eat those suckers because they’re delicious. Boom, done.
A while back, I came across a YouTube video on how to deodorize beef tallow from Bumblebee Apothercary that changed my game! When rendering beef tallow, it will take on a slight beefy smell, so you need to clean the fat to deodorize it. When I was first learning, I didn’t know deodorizing was a thing, so I went to bed slathered and smelling like a steak every night. While that’s not the worst smell in the world, it’s also not the greatest, so watch this video and do this.
Equipment You Will Need:
- hand mixer
- glass bowl
- Glass jars with lids
- spatula
Ingredients:
- rendered and deodorized beef tallow
- a liquid oil like jojoba oil or calendula infused olive oil, optional
- essential oil or blend of choice
Now, let’s make some whipped tallow!
Step 1: Measure Tallow
To a clean, glass mixing bowl, add about 1 cup grass-fed beef tallow, making sure it is room temperature if it was refrigerated. I store all of my rendered animal fats on the shelf where they belong.
Step 2: Whip
Using a hand mixer or even a hand blender / stick blender with a whisk attachment, turn on high speed and whip the tallow ’til it’s a fluffy consistency and about doubles in size.
Step 3: Add Oils
IF your tallow gets really hard at room temperature (or your house is chilly) you can whip in a couple tablespoons of jojoba or infused olive oil to help it stay a bit softer and get it to the right consistency for your preference. Err on the side of adding just a little bit at a time so you don’t make your tallow a runny mess. If you accidentally added too much oil and your tallow is runny, see my recipe for tallow balm recipe! You can save it. Simply melt the oil over low heat, add some beeswax, melt it all together, then allow to cool til it is a soft solid. Whip that mixture to perfection and now you have a whipped tallow BALM. I like a balm for the winter months for extra skin protection; beeswax and I are good pals.
Add in a few drops of your favorite essential oils or essential oil blend.
Using infused olive oils and essential oils are a great way to customize your skin care to what you personally need. Do some research and find something that will work for you. I personally love infusing olive oil with some of my homegrown calendula; it’s fabulous for my skin!
Step 4: Finish Whipping
Continue whipping the tallow and oils together until everything is combined and fluffy.
Step 5: Store
Transfer the whipped tallow to a glass jar fitted with a lid, like a mason jar, and store at room temperature out of direct sunlight. I rub this all over my face and neck twice a day, use it as a lip balm, slather it on my crusty elbows and hillbilly barefoot feet, and on any bump, bruise, or scrape the kids have. It’s the best! The shelf life of this product depends on what you add to it; properly rendered animal fat is shelf stable basically indefinitely. I would aim to use it within 6 months to 1 year, but I doubt it lasts that long!
Obviously, if you’ve never used tallow and are concerned about a skin allergy or reaction/sensitivity, test the tallow on a small area, like the back of your hand, before greasing yourself head to toe like a pig and runnin’ around. Ok?! Ok. If you’re reactive to it….. don’t use it.
