Homemade Calendula Tallow Balm

This recipe for homemade Calendula tallow balm recipe is easy to make and results in a deeply moisturizing and natural skin product.

Tallow is rich in skin-loving nutrients like vitamins A, D, E, and K, which are essential for skin repair and health.

Beef tallow is rendered beef fat. Render just means to cook fat down so that it is melted. At room temperature tallow is solid, and it melts to a liquid when you heat it.

Rendering tallow is the process of melting out the impurities found in suet or beef fat in its natural state. After straining out the impurities, you are left with tallow that is filled with nutrients and can be used to make several skin and personal care products such as face cream, lip balm, sunscreen, soap and shampoo. See my lip balm recipe, whipped body butter recipe and face cream recipe here. Tallow is also excellent to cook with. See my article on an easy way to make your own tallow.

You can also purchase tallow.

By making your own Calendula tallow balm at home, you’ll know exactly what’s going into it, all natural products with no harmful chemicals. Plus you can add your light natural scent with a minor amount of essential oil or vanilla-infused oil. The result is a gentle, long-lasting body butter that’s perfect for keeping your skin moisturized and hydrated. The homemade tallow balm will support dry skin, protect the skin barrier and lock in moisture without fillers or unnecessary additives.

Unlike many modern moisturizers, it relies on fat and oil rather than water, which helps reduce the need for preservatives.

Tallow balm’s wonderful soothing and healing properties is great for a variety of skin issues, such as dry skin, itchy skin, rashes, eczema, diaper rash, sunburn and more.

This tallow balm is made with Calendula infused oil which provides the benefits of Calendula.

Calendula

The calendula flower has many medicinal uses, is easy to grow, attracts pollinators, is edible and is a beautiful flower!

Calendula is a type of marigold, but not the same marigold that is commonly grown in flower and vegetable gardens. Calendula is an annual or short-lived perennial herb in the daisy family and originates from southern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean area.

I grew calendula in my raised garden this summer. I bought the seeds and raised gardens from amazon. They were very easy to grow! I made my first batch of calendula oil, salve and lotion bars before I had time to grow my own and used this dried calendula from Amazon. See my post about the uses for Calendula including recipes for salve, oil, salt scrub and whipped body butter.

Benefits of Calendula

According to this article, calendula petals are rich in naturally occurring compounds called flavonoids. These compounds are said to have anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombogenic, antidiabetic, anticancer, and neuroprotective effects. The article also states that calendula has been used to treat a variety of skin conditions, such as diaper rash, wounds and other conditions.

If you look at skin care product labels, you’ll probably notice calendula as a key ingredient in many natural skin care products, and for a good reason!

To deliver the healing benefits of calendula to your skin, use a calendula oil, salve or this tallow balm! Calendula oil is oil that has been infused with dry calendula flowers. The dry flowers are steeped in a carrier oil such as olive, almond or jojoba oil using one of the infusion processes included below. Infusing allows the natural active resins within the calendula flowers to be extracted and drawn into the oil. 

Ingredients for Making Homemade Calendula Tallow Balm

• 1/2 cup Beef Tallow – Liquid or Solid
• 3 tsp Calendula Infused Oil – See my recipe for how to make  Calendula Infused Oil (Option is just to use plain oil without infusing such as  Jojobo Oil,  Sweet Almond Oil, Coconut Oil and Olive Oil)
• 1 tsp Beeswax
• Optional: 4-5 drops skin-safe essential oil (peppermint, lavender, frankincense or vanilla-infused oil)

1/2 cup of solid, rendered beef tallow will melt down into approximately 1/2 cup of liquid tallow. Tallow does not significantly shrink or expand when transitioning between solid and liquid states, unlike raw suet which reduces during rendering. Basically solid to liquid is 1:1 ratio because you are starting with already rendered tallow.

Detailed Steps on How to Make Homemade Calendula Tallow Balm

Add 1/2 cup liquid or solid tallow, Calendula infused oil and beeswax to double boiler, with a small saucepan. Allow the tallow and beeswax to melt completely.

If using essential oils, can add them at this time.

Pour into glass jar or tin. I use these 2- ounce tins. The recipe fills 2 of them.

Let it harden.

Pure tallow is naturally shelf-stable, so this Calendula tallow balm typically lasts 6–12 months at room temperature. You can store it in the fridge to help keep for a longer time.

Enjoy!

Enjoy your homemade Calendula tallow balm that has so many benefits and uses. It is wonderful to make your own skincare items that do not have preservatives and chemicals. Plus it saves money!

More Great Recipes and Simple Homestead Information

For more of my DIY skin care recipes, favorite recipes and canning recipes, plus posts about other homestead-type activities, such as gardening and raising chickens, go to my website at www.HawkPointHomestead.com. For updates, please follow my Facebook page at Hawk Point Hobby Homestead.

More Great Recipes and Simple Homestead Information

For more of my DIY skin care recipes, favorite recipes and canning recipes, plus posts about other homestead-type activities, such as gardening and raising chickens, go to my website at www.HawkPointHomestead.com. For updates, please follow my Facebook page at Hawk Point Hobby Homestead.