Looking for an easy way to enjoy tallow benefits for skincare? This tallow lotion bar recipe makes using tallow to moisturize skin so convenient.
Tallow lotion bar recipe
Tallow balm is one of my favorite ways to use tallow on skin. Sometimes, though, you want a really handy way to quickly moisturize, and be on your way. I do have a light tallow lotion recipe, but it does require some extra ingredients, like emulsifying wax.
Tallow lotion bars combine simple, pure ingredients of tallow balm in a convenient bar shape that is quick and easy to use. Convenience without compromise: always a win win!
This tallow lotion bar recipe comes together quickly and easily. They make perfect gifst, too! I also have lots more tallow skincare recipes, like a sugar scrub, tallow soap, a tallow lip balm recipe, and more. I show how to render and purify tallow to make it odorless and white (ideal for skincare!) here.
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What’s so great about tallow?
When it comes to moisturizing and soothing skin, grass fed tallow is absolutely incredible. To get all the details, check out this post where I talk all about the amazing benefits of tallow for skin care here.
For a quick summary on tallow benefits, tallow from 100% grass fed cattle is:
- abundant in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which has powerful anti-inflammatory properties
- rich in minerals
- full of fall soluble vitamins A, D, E, K, and B12 (source)
Basically, tallow provides skin with everything it needs to nourish and repair itself. Many people who suffer from skin conditions like eczema say that tallow is the only thing that really stops the itching and soothes dry skin. Tallow balm or a tallow lotion bar can be the ultimate DIY eczema lotion.
In our house, we use tallow for all of our skin moisturizing and conditioning needs, from diaper cream to sunburn relief to leave in deep conditioner for our hair. We love having one super pure, nutrient dense cream that we can use for all of our skin care needs.
How to make tallow lotion bars
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup grass fed tallow
- 1/2 cup beeswax
- 1/4 cup shea butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 12-24 drops essential oil
Instructions:
- Melt tallow, beeswax, shea butter, and coconut oil in the top of a double boiler.
- Once everything is melted and combined, remove from heat.
- Add essential oils and stir to combine.
- Pour into silicone molds.
- Allow to solidify in freezer for about 30 minutes.
- Remove from molds and allow to come to room temperature before using.
Recipe notes
One of the things that is so much fun about DIY skincare is that you have complete control over all of the ingredients. I love trying different essential oil combinations, depending on the season and who I’m making the recipe for.
Certain essentials oils work beautifully on their own, like lavender or grapefruit. Creating blends is really fun, too. One of my favorite combinations is peppermint and lemon.
Plant Therapy has so many absolutely gorgeous essential oil blends, too. There are blends designed to help with skin conditions, or that have anti aging benefits. They also have wonderful seasonal blends, too.
Use 12 drops if you’re using stronger essenential oils, and use 24 drops if you’re using milder ones.
You can also make these tallow shampoo bars unscented by leaving the essential oils out completely. This is a great idea for young children or anyone with very sensitive skin.
How to use tallow lotion bars
To use a tallow lotion bar, simply hold the bar in your hand for a few seconds. The heat from your hands will start to gently warm the bar, which will release just the right amount of hydration.
Rub the bar gently around, sort of like using a soap bar. Once you’ve gotten enough of the bar on your hands, set it down and continue to run your hands around on one another to work the ingredients into your skin.
A little goes a long way! If you have too much on your hands, just wipe them on a dry towel. That’s it!
Tallow balm or lotion bar?
If you’re new to tallow lotion bars, you might wonder how to choose between lotion bars and tallow balm. I like to have both around, and here’s how I decide which one to use at any given time.
When I’m looking really deep hydration or soothing and specific skin benefits, I’ll reach for tallow balm. I stick with tallow balm for my face and hair and for baby skincare needs.
If I just want some quick moisturizing after washing my hands, for example, I’ll use a lotion bar. Lotion bars are also my favorite to take along for moisturizing on the go.
How to store a lotion bar
Lotion bars keep best if you keep them in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. The ingredinets are very shelf stable, so they don’t need to be refrigerated.
I like to keep the one I’m currently using in a little dish near the kitchen skin. If I make extras and need to store them for a while, I put them in a non airtight container and keep them in a dark closet or shelf in our basement, which tends to stay cooler.
How to make lotion bars harder
One of the ingredients that help make these lotion bars hard is beeswax. Also, the kind of tallow you use makes a difference. Tallow made from the leaf fat from around the kidneys and internal organs is nice and hard. Tallow from trim fat is much softer.
To keep lotion bars hard, try to use tallow from leaf fat. If that’s not possible, tallow from trim fat will still work okay, it will just make tallow bars that are a little softer. Another way to make tallow lotion bars harder is to increase the beeswax a bit.
Where to buy tallow balm
If you’d like to try some organic, 100% grass fed tallow balm, check out the Bumblebee Apothecary shop here.
More tallow skincare recipes
Have you made lotion bars before?
What are your favorite ingredients to use? Share in the comments!
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Organic, 100% grass fed tallow
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Tallow Lotion Bar Recipe
Looking for an easy way to enjoy tallow benefits for skincare? This tallow lotion bar recipe makes using tallow to moisturize skin convenient.
Materials
- 1/2 cup grass fed tallow
- 1/2 cup beeswax
- 1/4 cup shea butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 12-24 drops essential oil
Instructions
- Melt tallow, beeswax, shea butter, and coconut oil in the top of a double boiler.
- Once everything is melted and combined, remove from heat.
- Add essential oils and stir to combine.
- Pour into silicone molds.
- Allow to solidify in freezer for about 30 minutes.
- Remove from molds and allow to come to room temperature before using.
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Please be careful about using citrus essential oils in skin care products. They can cause sunburn and other reactions because they are photosensitive.
Can I use this as a hair conditioner?
I’ve been searching for a recipe for a conditioner with tallow with no luck.
Can I substitute the shea butter with a bit more tallow?
Thanks
Can I use this as a hair conditioner bar?
I’ve been looking for a basic tallow conditioner recipe with no luck..
Made these and love them but I’m starting to see spots show up in the lotion bars. Any idea what could cause this?
How would I include Magnesium oil into the tallow recipe? Should I substitute the Coconut oil for the Magnesium oil? You’re awesome, thanks for sharing all your knowledge!
Magnesium oil is not actually an oil, so it wouldn’t mix with the oils.
If I don’t have she’s butter, what would be a good substitute? Could I increase the tallow and beeswax and coconut oil? Or should I add another oil? Thank you
The link to the beeswax your using appears to not be working. Can you let me know what one you use? Thanks!
Just made tallow, now I need to figure out what to do with it.
Hi Marisa!
– Can I only use tallow and beeswax if i don’t want to use the other ingredients?
– Does it smell tallow if i don’t add essential oils?
– Does the tallow easily penetrate the skin or does it leave stains on clothes etc?
Thanks for helping!
Best Elin from Sweden
Weights:
108 g tallow
70g beeswax
54g coconut oil
53g Shea
Oh I wish I had seen this last night!!
Marisa, I just made this recipe for the first time. I poured it into a large twist-up container to make a moisturizing stick for my kids’ chapped faces. I have learned so much from you! Thank you! <3
Hi Marisa,
I ran into your Youtube video on tallow shampoo bar recipe when I was searching for the recipes for shampoo bars. I became fascinated by beef tallow, thanks to you, and ordered about 8 lbs of organic suet and made purified tallow, following your instruction. BTW I live in Vienna, Austria (Europe). I made some shampoo bars and soaps according to your recipes. For two versions of shampoo bars, I mixed ACV, brewed coffee to distilled water. I hope they will work well. Will find out after 6 weeks.
Now I am going to make tallow lotion bar, balm, etc. My question to you is can I skip shea butter? Is it essential to include it in the recipe? Thank you for your dedicated uploading of valuable videos. Best wishes
Thank you! You may be able to substitute the shea butter for more tallow 🙂
I have an unlimited supply of lard from organic pastured pigs whose do receive grain supplementation unlike 100% grass fed cows. I have been making soap and using it as shampoo and for doing dishes. I am motivated by using what I have an abundance of and which would otherwise go to waste because we can’t use it all and not buying more ingredients if I don’t have to. What are your thoughts about this?
I would still use it! What a wonderful resource. Pigs do need to eat differently from cattle, such as having grain.
Is there a shampoo recipe for really dry hair
Here you go! https://bumblebeeapothecary.com/tallow-shampoo-bar-recipe/
Hi I I am sure my tallow is not the tallow you,use as it is very soft so how much should I increase the beeswax?
I’m happy to help! It sounds like you’re using trim fat tallow, which is softer. I would try doubling the beeswax. Hope that helps!
I want to make a lotion bar recipe but with lanolin and I am having the worst time trying to find information about proportions. Is it possible to use this recipe with lanolin instead of the tallow?
Yes I think that would be a great substitute! If the lanolin is pretty soft, you may want to increase the beeswax, but I would try it as written first. Let me know how it turns out!