How To Make Frankincense Whipped Tallow Face & Body Balm

If you’re looking for a natural way to soothe and deeply nourish your skin, this frankincense tallow balm is an easy DIY you’ll love. Made with nutrient-rich grass-fed beef tallow and infused with calming frankincense essential oil, this balm melts beautifully into dry, sensitive, or mature skin to provide lasting moisture and healing.

Whether you prefer a light, whipped texture or a firmer, traditional balm, this recipe shows you both methods so you can choose what works best for your skincare routine.

Using tallow in skincare is a time-tested tradition, packed with fat-soluble vitamins that help restore and protect your skin barrier naturally.

For more simple and effective skin-supporting recipes, visit our Salves and Balms Page.

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At a Glance: How to Make It

• Step 1: Gently melt tallow and carrier oil in a double boiler.
• Step 2: Let cool slightly, then add frankincense essential oil.
• Step 3: For whipped balm, whip the mixture until light and fluffy.
• Step 4: For unwhipped balm, pour it into a jar and let it solidify.
• Step 5: Store in a clean jar away from heat and light.

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Ingredients and Supplies for Frankincense Tallow Balm

• Tallow – I prefer to render my own tallow using grass-fed suet that I get from a local farmer or butcher. Learn how to render tallow yourself, or you can purchase it online. Using tallow rendered from grass-fed and finished suet is best for skincare. Be picky when choosing a tallow to purchase online; you want to make sure it is from suet, so it has all the skincare benefits that you’re looking for.
• Organic Jojoba Oil (jojoba oil option from Amazon or jojoba oil from Mountain Rose Herbs – Actually not an oil, but a wax, jojoba balances the skin’s natural oils and adds a smooth, silky texture to the balm without making it greasy.
• Organic Frankincense Essential Oil (Frankincense essential oil from Amazon or Frankincense essential oil from Mountain Rose Herbs – Frankincense essential oil helps reduce inflammation, supports skin healing, and promotes a more even, youthful-looking complexion.
• Glass Jars with Lids and Tags – These glass jars hold about 4.5-5oz of whipped balm and are perfect for gift-giving or storing for yourself. 4-oz mason jars also work well.
• Kitchen Scale – When creating DIY skincare products, it is important to have precise measurements, especially when you’re using essential oils, which may be harsh on your skin if you use too much. Grab a simple kitchen scale so you can measure by weight.
• Thermometer Gun – Not totally necessary, but it does come in handy when measuring the temperature of the oil, so you know when to add your essential oil. You can always use another thermometer if you already have one.

Why Tallow, Jojoba + Frankincense is a Skin-Loving Combo

This trio combines some of the most nourishing ingredients for soft, healthy skin.

• Tallow deeply moisturizes with skin-compatible fats and vitamins A, D, E, and K—perfect for repairing the skin barrier and soothing dryness.
• Jojoba Oil closely mimics your skin’s natural oils, helping balance moisture without clogging pores.
• Frankincense Essential Oil calms irritation, promotes skin regeneration, and supports an even, youthful-looking complexion.

Together, they create a gentle yet powerful balm that’s perfect for dry, sensitive, or mature skin. You’ll find two versions below—a whipped and an unwhipped version—so you can choose the texture you love most.

Benefits of Using Tallow in Skincare

1. Deeply Nourishing
Rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K, tallow provides intense moisture and essential nutrients for skin health.

2. Bioavailable
Its fatty acid profile closely matches human skin, making it highly absorbable and non-greasy.

3. Supports Skin Barrier
Helps repair and protect the skin’s natural barrier, reducing dryness, flakiness, and irritation.

4. Gentle & Natural
Ideal for sensitive skin and free of synthetic ingredients, especially when sourced from grass-fed animals.

5. Long Shelf Life
Naturally stable without added preservatives, making it perfect for DIY balms and moisturizers.

Skin Benefits of Frankincense Essential Oil

1. Supports Skin Cell Regeneration
Frankincense helps encourage healthy skin turnover, which may reduce the appearance of fine lines and scars over time.

2. Reduces Redness and Inflammation
Its natural anti-inflammatory properties make it great for calming irritated or sensitive skin.

3. Promotes Even Skin Tone
Frankincense is often used to help fade dark spots, sun damage, and uneven skin tone—giving your skin a smoother appearance.

4. Antibacterial & Astringent
It gently cleanses the skin and tightens pores, making it helpful for acne-prone or oily skin types.

5. Soothing and Aromatherapeutic
The calming scent of frankincense also promotes relaxation, making it a great addition to balms and facial oils used at bedtime or for stress relief.

Instructions for Two Ways to Make Frankincense Tallow Balm

Step 1: Using a kitchen scale, weigh the tallow and jojoba oil and combine them in a heat-safe bowl. Melt using a double boiler or in the oven on the lowest temperature setting. You don’t want to scorch the tallow or kill any nutrients. When melted, stir until fully combined.

Step 2: Weigh the frankincense essential oil into a small container. It is important to measure weight instead of counting drops because different droppers will give you slightly different amounts of essential oil. Add the essential oil when the tallow/jojoba oil mixture is at about 100ºF. Adding it when the mixture is too hot can damage the essential oil’s beneficial properties.

If you’re making nonwhipped tallow, pour your melted balm into jars now. Then put your jars in the refrigerator so they can cool quickly. If you’re making whipped balm, move on to the next step.

Step 3: Put the bowl in the refrigerator so it will solidify quickly. Cooling the balm quicker helps its texture remain soft and prevents it from turning grainy.

Step 4: Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, start on low and whip the tallow balm. As it softens, you can speed up the mixer. Scrape down the sides as needed.

Step 5: Using an icing bag or ziplock bag, pipe the whipped balm into glass jars for storage. You can scoop it in with a spoon or use another method to get the balm into the jars. Put lids on and don’t forget to label them.

Solid Frankincense Tallow Balm

Solid tallow balm is a firm and more traditional balm and doesn’t require the extra step of whipping. If you’re making solid tallow balm, pour it directly into jars before it cools. Don’t skip the refrigerator cooling step, though; it helps with texture and avoids grainy tallow.

Solid balm travels more easily than whipped because if it happens to melt, when it cools, it will go right back to normal when it cools.

Whipped Frankincense Tallow Balm

Whipped balm is lighter and creamier. It is easier to spread because it is fluffier. It doesn’t travel quite as well, and if it gets too warm, it will not go back to the light and whipped texture. You can still use it, but it will be solid.

Whipped balm is easy to make. Cool the melted balm in the bowl in the refrigerator. Then whip it using a mixer to get that light and fluffy texture. Put it in the jars and store them in a cool place, away from anything that would make it melt.

How to Use Your Tallow Balm

Frankincense tallow balm can be used on your face, body, hands, scars, and even stretch marks! Put a small amount on your hands and rub to warm it so it is spreadable, then apply it to the area you want. A little tallow balm goes a long way, so don’t use too much.

Shelf Life and Storage Tip

Store your whipped frankincense tallow balm in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight and heat. It will last about 12 months thanks to the naturally long shelf life of tallow and jojoba oil.

For even longer freshness, you can store it in the fridge, especially if your home is warm or humid. This slows oxidation and helps preserve the scent of the essential oils. The balm will become firmer when chilled, but will soften again at room temperature.

Store your whipped balm in a glass jar to avoid plastic getting into your skincare. Amber or other dark glass jars will help protect the essential oils from UV light, so if your balm will be stored somewhere that is exposed to light, these jars are best. If not using amber, just store the balm out of sunlight.

Always use clean, dry hands when scooping to prevent contamination. Scooping balm with even slightly wet hands will introduce moisture into your balm and will cause it to mold.

More Tallow Recipes to Try

• Lavender Tallow Balm– Similar to this tallow balm, with a different essential oil and benefits
• Mom and Baby Calendula Balm– a gentle infused balm safe for breastfeeding and diaper rash
• Dandelion Tallow Sugar Scrub– a fun dandelion infusion mixed with a tallow sugar scrub

FAQs About Tallow Balm