Herbal Whipped Tallow Face Cream

🌸🌿 Seasonal skincare 🌿🌸

This is how I make whipped tallow balm infused with seasonal herbs. It’s so easy to make and adapt for specific needs just by changing up which herbs you infuse and which liquid oil you choose for the infusion. Also, it costs me about $0.84 per 2oz container to make this. I use this balm all over, but this one was especially formulated as a face cream using seasonal skin allies like: yarrow, agastache, plantain, violet leaf, mugwort, calendula, and honeysuckle. I infused them into apricot kernel seed oil and then combined them with our own grass-fed tallow. 

These herbs protect cells from damage thorough their antioxidant content, they reduce inflammation, are antibacterial, antifungal, prevent and treat blemishes and sunburn, tighten and tone skin while also moistening and soothing, reduce redness, draw out toxins and impurities, increase collagen production, increase circulation, and promote cell regeneration. 

Grass-fed tallow is deeply nourishing and moisturizing and has many benefits for aging skin, it repairs and treats dry and irritated skin, eczema, psoriasis, reduces inflammation, repairs the skin barrier, stimulated circulation and collagen production, tones skin, and reduces wrinkles. For younger skin, it also helps with inflammation and irritation from acne and promotes healing. 

I use this cream every day for face, hands, body - and my teenagers have started using it as well and are raving about it! It is very versatile for many different ages and stages. If I still had little babies at home I’d use it for diaper rash too! 

Making an herbal infused oil:

There are many herbs that can be infused into oil for this recipe. Generally it is simpler to use dried herbs for oil infusions because there is less risk of mold growth, but I do sometimes use fresh or freshly wilted herbs if I need the mucilage from the plant, such as plantain. To mitigate mold growth I always add a small amount of vodka to my herbs, just about 1 tsp - 1 Tbsp depending on how much plant material I'm working with. Enough to dampen the herbs. I then shake them up and let them rehydrate for 24 hours. Then I pour over my carrier oil and let it infuse for at least a day and up to 4 weeks before straining out the plant material.

Here are the herbs I chose for this recipe and their skincare properties:

Yarrow - antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, tightens and tones, increases circulation

Plantain - draws out toxins, tightens and tones while still moisturizing and soothing

Violet leaf - Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, reduces blemishes and scars

Mugwort - anti-inflammatory, soothing, stimulates collagen production, antibacterial, heals itching, soothes sunburns, promotes cell regeneration

Honeysuckle - moistening, soothing, antioxidant, protects from sun damage, helps control blemishes and reduce inflammation 

Agastache - antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory

Calendula - nourishing, protects from sun damage, antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-fungal, soothing, heals blemishes, scars, sunburn, promotes cell regeneration, stimulates circulation 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup herbal infused oil

• 1 cup grass-fed tallow

• 1/2 cup shea butter

This makes eight 2oz jars. You can divide the recipe to make fewer jars if you’d like.

Method:

1. Melt the shea butter and tallow together

2. Pour into a stand mixer bowl and place in the refrigerator until they are mostly solidified again

3. Remove from the fridge and add the liquid oil

4. Whip on medium-high speed until a whipped cream consistency is reached

5. Spoon into containers

6. Allow to set up for a few hours before use