Tallow balm recipe calculator

The recipe behind the calculator

A tallow balm is rendered suet tallow softened with a liquid carrier oil, by weight, with an antioxidant to slow the oils going stale. Our everyday ratio is four parts tallow to one part carrier (80:20). Firmer balms for travel and hot mailboxes run 85:15; a face balm that glides runs 75:25. Vitamin E at 1% is the antioxidant; arrowroot at 1 to 2% gives a matte finish and less shine under makeup. Essential oil is optional and capped: half a percent on a face, one percent on the body, none for babies, pregnancy, nursing or reactive skin.

The calculator scales that recipe to your jars. It adds a loss allowance for what stays on the pot, converts the tallow to cups for anyone measuring by volume, counts the essential oil in drops at 20 a milliliter, and reads the shelf window for your carrier off the same table the shelf-life estimator uses.

Dense or whipped

Whipping does not change the recipe; it changes the fill weight and the steps. A whipped 2 oz jar holds about 30 g of balm, a dense one 56 g, because up to half a whipped jar can be air. Whipped balm scoops easier from a cold jar and collapses in heat; dense balm ships through a hot mailbox and sets back when chilled. We pour dense. The full argument is in whipped tallow 101, and the four ways a batch goes wrong (grainy, beefy, weeping, stale) are in how to make tallow balm at home.

Questions we hear

What is the ratio of tallow to oil for a tallow balm?

Four to one by weight is the classic. Recipes online run anywhere from three to two up to eight to one, often in cups, which is why the balm comes out different every time. Weigh it.

How do I make tallow balm less greasy?

Less balm on damp skin, first. Then a firmer ratio (85:15), arrowroot at 2%, and a lighter carrier such as squalane or meadowfoam instead of olive or almond.

Does homemade tallow balm need a preservative?

No water, no preservative system. Vitamin E slows oxidation; it does not make water safe, so keep water out of the jar: dry fingers, lid on.

Can I use this for a tallow lotion or a tallow face cream?

The balm is the waterless version of both. A true lotion or cream holds water and needs an emulsifier and a preservative; this bench does not cover that.