The combination of tallow and calendula make this a soothing whipped balm for irritated, upset, red, itchy, patchy, and dry skin, but also a deeply moisturizing, nurturing, and healing tallow balm for all skin types. This one will make your cheeks happy, glowy happy.
This is a two step process, the first step is similar to making an infused herbal oil using a crock pot. The important thing to remember is to keep the crock pot on low, you don’t want the mixture to get too hot. More of the medicinal properties of the calendula are kept viable when the heat is kept low and slow.
Measure a cup of tallow and place into the crock pot. Turn the crock pot on low. SInce it is such a small amount I use a mini crocpot for this. You could also place the tallow in a clean mason jar and place the jar in the crock pot with a few inches of water. Once the tallow has melted, add in a half cup of dried and packed down calendula.
Infuse this for 4-6 hours on low heat. I use the “keep warm” setting on my own crock pot after things have heated up initially.
While its still warm, strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean and heat proof jar. It's ready to use right now. Or place a lid on the jar and save for future use.
You could stop here and use the calendula infused tallow just as it is and it would be soothing and healing for super sensitive skin, or skin that needs the gentlest of ingredients.
Or use in the recipe below to make a whipped tallow balm. Again it is not necessary to whip it, but whipping it with a few added ingredients does deliver more nutrients to the skin and the whipping helps for a lighter application when using.
Fluffy things are fun too.
Whipped Calendula Tallow Balm
½ cup Tallow Infused Calendula (3.3oz)
2 tbs Rosehip Oil (0.6oz)
2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil (0.6oz)
5 drops Chamomile or Calendula Essential Oil
Glass Measuring Cup
Mixing Bowl
Hand held or immersion blender
This recipe makes 4.5 oz and fills a 6 ounce glass jar.
Directions to Make
First melt the tallow in a double boiler. Once it has melted pour into the mixing bowl you will be using to whip the tallow balm in.
When the tallow is cooled slightly add in the rest of the ingredients, except the essential oils. Those will be added last, after the tallow has solidified.
Once the tallow has solidified, add in the essential oils. Stir a bit to combine.
Then using a hand held immersion blender or a hand held mixer, whip the tallow until it is smooth and silky.
This recipe fills a 6 ounce jar and stored in a clean, glass jar out of direct heat, it will last for months, but you’ll use it up way before then.
A few notes on this recipe…..
If you have very sensitive skin or are working with rosacea type skin or eczema sorts of conditions, you may want to skip the essential oils entirely. Sometimes even the gentlest of essential oils can be triggering for certain skin conditions and skin types.
The essential oils listed in the recipe are at a less than 1% solution, but you could add up to 20 drops total if you want more.
You will have a bit of tallow left from the original infused calendula tallow. Store this with a lid and label in the fridge and it will last for months and be ready to be used in other recipes later.
If you want a thicker whipped tallow balm, cut the amount of carrier oils in half. So instead of using a total of 4tbs, use a total of 2tbs of carrier oil (one tablespoon each of the olive oil and rosehip oil).
The links are affiliate links, meaning I earn a little bit of coin if you purchase through that link, thank you :)
And let me know questions and typos in the comments,
Enjoy!
