Whatever the jar size, its net weight in grams sets how long it lasts, and ours is 2 oz (56 g). At about a quarter of a gram per pea, that's roughly 150 to 220 face applications, or about a month of face and hands.
The jar I'd start you on is Bare Silk ($34 as of October 6, 2026). Our dose and jar calendar runs the exact math for your jobs and suggests a new jar every 30 days.
Is a 4 oz tallow balm twice as much as 2 oz?
It is when both labels give net weight, which FDA rules ask of a semisolid like a balm. A fluid ounce measures space. Up to half of a whipped jar can be air. That's how a whipped tub sold as 4 fluid ounces can hold about as much balm as a dense 2 oz jar. We start where whipped ends up, so the 56 g on our label is all balm.
How long does each tallow balm size last?
A fingertip unit, the dermatologist's measure for prescribed creams, is 0.4 to 0.5 g by DermNet's count, and a pea of balm is about half of one. Here's the planning math: a pea on the face morning and night is half a gram a day, and hands after each wash bring it to 2 g.
| Jar | Net weight | Face, twice a day | Face and hands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 28 g | 8 weeks | 2 weeks |
| 2 oz, ours | 56 g | 3 to 4 months | 1 month |
| 4 oz | 113 g | 7 months | 2 months |
| 8 oz | 227 g | Over a year | 4 months |
Hands are what empty a jar, since the American Academy of Dermatology tells people with dry skin to moisturize after each hand wash. For a family of four, I'd put a jar at each sink instead of one big tub.
Why do we pour only one size?
Freshness, mostly. Our shelf life post gives an opened jar about a year, and an 8 oz face jar's still going after that. A 2 oz jar also fits the renewal clock, which you set in your account to 30 days, or 45 or 60 for a lighter hand. Our sets are the bigger size, 4 to 10 oz in 2 oz jars: the Starter Pair ($69), the Premium Pair ($163), the Premium Trio ($232) and the Five Jar Flight ($308).
For a first jar, I'd pick Bare Silk Unscented, the five-ingredient recipe our whole family shares, from the baby's cheeks to Brian's hands. It's cosmetic care for intact skin, not a treatment, and your provider's plan comes first.
The jar for this job is Bare Silk ($34). Subscribe to two jars and a third rides free, and every subscription takes 25% off the first delivery.
Questions we hear
How long does a 2 oz tallow balm last?
About a month if it goes on your face morning and night and your hands after each wash. On a face alone, it's three to four months. Those figures assume a pea of about a quarter gram, and a heavy hand empties a jar faster.
Does a 4 oz tallow balm last twice as long as 2 oz?
It does when both labels give net weight, 113 g against 56 g, about two months of face and hands against one. Up to half of a whipped jar can be air. So if a tub's sold by the fluid ounce, check its label for net weight in grams first.
Is an 8 oz tallow balm worth it?
It's worth it if the balm goes on your whole body after every shower, where a 2 oz jar lasts about a week. On a face alone, it's too much. At a pea twice a day, it runs past the year we'd give an opened jar.
Is a 2 oz tallow balm travel size?
Yes. TSA allows creams in your carry-on in containers of 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less, packed in a quart-sized bag, so a 1 or 2 oz jar's fine. A 4 or 8 oz jar is bigger, so TSA says to pack it in checked baggage.
Go deeper
The beef tallow for skin guide is where I'd start. How to use a tallow balm shows you the pea, and flying with a tallow balm covers the security bag. WELCOME17 vs subscribing runs the actual math once you know how long a jar lasts.
Sources
- Oakley A (2001). Fingertip unit, last reviewed March 2023. DermNet.
- American Academy of Dermatology Association (2026). Dermatologists' top tips for relieving dry skin, last updated January 2, 2026. AAD.
- US Food and Drug Administration (2026). Code of Federal Regulations, title 21, section 701.13: declaration of net quantity of contents. eCFR.
- Transportation Security Administration (n.d.). Liquids, aerosols, and gels rule, read October 6, 2026. TSA.
Aspen is the co-founder of Craft Tallow and runs the wear tests: every recipe goes on her skin and the family's for weeks before it gets a label. Questions? Reply to any email from us; it lands with one of us.