Carrier oil chooser for tallow balm

How to read the table

The carrier softens the set so the balm melts at skin temperature instead of dragging, and it decides most of the shelf life. The table scores each oil's fatty acids for oxidizability (oleic 1, linoleic 10.3, linolenic 21.6) and shows what an 80:20 blend does to the clock compared with plain tallow. Stable oils sit at or below plain tallow; fragile ones double or triple the load. Density is there for anyone who insists on milliliters; the bench measures by weight.

Our own carriers are jojoba and meadowfoam in the sensitive-skin balm, squalane in the face balms, and cold-pressed oat oil as a minor oil beside squalane. The reasons are in squalane, meadowfoam and jojoba and our ingredients page.

Questions we hear

What is the best oil to mix with tallow?

For a first batch, jojoba: stable, light, and it behaves like skin's own sebum. Meadowfoam is the other stable classic; squalane is the lightest feel. Olive works from the kitchen shelf with a green note and a shorter window.

Can I use rosehip or sea buckthorn as the carrier?

Not as the whole carrier. They are fragile, high-linolenic oils that belong at a few percent inside a stable base, in small batches, with the antioxidant on.

Which oils are allergens?

Sweet almond and tamanu are nut oils; coconut counts as a tree nut on US labels; oat matters to some gluten-sensitive readers. Name the plant on the label and keep those oils off anyone with the allergy.