What Is Tallow Balm? A Simple Guide to Natural Tallow Skincare

What Is Tallow Balm?

Tallow balm is a simple type of skincare made using tallow as one of its main ingredients.

At Hog & Tallow, we make our balms using grass-fed tallow and MCT oil as the base, then create different varieties by adding ingredients such as beeswax, honey, lavender or botanicals.

We like keeping things simple. Rather than starting with a long list of synthetic ingredients, our balms are built around a small number of carefully chosen ingredients.

But what exactly is tallow and why use it in a balm?

What is tallow?

Tallow is rendered beef fat. Traditionally, it has been used for cooking, candles, soap making and other household staples.

For our balms, we use grass-fed tallow from Cornish farms which we hand render and turn into smooth, nourishing skincare products.

Tallow is naturally rich in skin loving fatty acids, which is one reason it has a long history of use in traditional soap making and skincare. In fact it has a very simular make up to the fat layer under our skin.

What is tallow balm made from?

There isn't one single recipe for tallow balm.

Some balms contain tallow on its own, while others combine it with oils, waxes, essential oils or botanical ingredients.

Our basic balm recipe starts with two ingredients:

Grass-fed tallow + MCT oil (coconut) - It's a seed oil free balm!

MCT oil (fractionated coconut oil)helps give the balm a smoother, lighter consistency and makes it easier to spread and absorb than using solid tallow alone. MCT stands for 'medium chain triglycerides' which is just fractionated coconut oil. This means the fat chains have been chopped up and therefor makes the oil really fast absorbing on the skin.

From that base, we create different balms with different ingredients and scents.

Our Bare Balm

Tallow Balm : Bare is our unscented option.

It's made with grass-fed tallow and MCT oil, without essential oils. It's the simplest version of our balm and is designed for people who prefer their skincare without added fragrance. Great for sensitive skin or eczema prone skin.

Our Bee Balm

Our Tallow Balm : Bee balm combines our tallow and MCT oil base with honey and beeswax.

Our Calm Balm

Tallow Balm : Calm is our lavender tallow balm, made with our tallow and MCT oil base and lavender essential oil.

It's a good choice if you prefer a scented balm rather than an unscented one. It's lovely and calming before bedtime

Our Botanical Balm

Our Tallow Balm : Botanical balm contains tallow and MCT oil infused with home grown organic calendula, rosemary, yarrow and rosehips.(blog on these botanical coming soon)

The botanicals lend their beautiful skin loving properties while keeping the underlying recipe simple. It has a mild, herby scent.

Our Tallow Balm Set

If you're not sure which variety you'd prefer, our Tallow Balm Set brings together the different balms in the range so you can try them for yourself.

Why do we use grass-fed tallow?

For us, it's about the ingredient itself and where it comes from.

We use Cornish grass-fed tallow rather than highly processed plant-based oils as the foundation of our balms. We collect from Cornish farms and hand render the raw suet ourselves to ensure quality and consistency of our products.

Tallow is also a traditional ingredient and we like the idea of putting something, that would otherwise be treated as a by-product, to good use - as well as it being fantastic for our skin

We're not trying to make skincare complicated. We simply want to make good products from straightforward ingredients.

Why MCT oil?

Tallow is naturally solid at room temperature, so using it on its own can produce a balm that feels quite firm.

We combine it with Coconut MCT oil to create a softer, smoother balm that spreads more easily over the skin. Its also fast absorbing - so alongside the tallow, we think it makes the perfect partner.

This gives us a the perfect base that we can then adapt with different ingredients to create each of our balms.

Is tallow balm the same as moisturiser?

Not exactly.

“Moisturiser” is a broad term covering many different types of skincare products.

A traditional moisturising cream may contain water, oils, emulsifiers and other ingredients. A tallow balm like ours is an oil-and-fat-based product, rather than a water-based cream.

That means the texture and feel can be quite different.

Some people prefer a traditional cream, while others enjoy the simplicity and richer texture of a balm. It's really a matter of personal preference and what works well for your skin.

How do you use tallow balm?

A little can go a long way.

Take a small amount of balm between your fingers and allow it to soften with your body heat. Then gently smooth it onto clean skin. A good tip is to have your skin slightly damp!

Our balms are rich so it's usually better to start with a small amount and add more if you need it.

Our balms can be used on areas such as hands, elbows and other areas of dry-feeling skin, depending on your personal preference.

As with any skincare product, if you're trying a new ingredient for the first time, it's sensible to test a small amount first and stop using it if irritation occurs. Also our skin takes 30 days to renew - so give your skin a chance to get used to new products.

Why we keep our balms simple

There are an enormous number of skincare products available today, often containing long lists of ingredients.

That's not necessarily a bad thing — different ingredients have different purposes, and sophisticated formulations can be very useful.

But it's not how we wanted to make our balms. We collect and process the fat ourselves rather than buying it ready rendered. It is so much cheaper to buy the raw tallow rather than source it rendered by someone else. This means we can sell our products at a more reasonable price. Buying ready rendered tallow is hugely expensive in comparison, which is why some balms on the market have a higher price tag. It also means we always can ensure the high quality of the tallow we collect and make amazing connection (and friends) with the local farming community here in Cornwall.

simple ingredients, thoughtfully made.

About Hog & Tallow

We make our tallow soaps and balms in the UK using ingredients we genuinely believe in.

Our balms start with grass-fed tallow and MCT oil, with different ingredients added to create each variety.

If you'd like to explore the range, shop our tallow balms.