Short answer: yes, and plenty of us do. A jar of whipped tallow is not a body lotion, though, and if you treat it like one you will go through it fast and spend a long time rubbing it in. Used the way it is actually built to be used, a small amount goes further than you would expect. Our Unscented Whipped Tallow is the jar we reach for in the evening, from the collarbone down.
We're Jeremie and Megan Hannon, and we make whipped tallow by hand in Loomis, California. One of our customers left a review asking us to make a body lotion. We have not made one, and rather than dodge the question we would rather tell you honestly how the jar you can already buy behaves on arms, legs and everything else.
A balm is not a lotion, and the difference is water
Lotion is mostly water, held together with emulsifiers so it spreads thin and disappears quickly. That is what makes it easy to use on a whole body in thirty seconds, and it is also why it can feel like it stopped working by mid-morning.
Whipped tallow has no water in it at all. It is fat, whipped with air so it scoops soft instead of sitting in the jar like a candle. It melts at skin temperature, so it goes from solid to liquid between your fingers and then stays where you put it. On a body that means three practical differences: you need far less of it, you need to warm it first, and it takes longer to work in over a large area.
None of that makes it better or worse than lotion in the abstract. It makes it better for some jobs and more effort than it is worth for others. We wrote the full comparison in tallow balm vs. lotion.
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For dry arms, shins and elbows Unscented Whipped Tallow Grass-fed tallow and organic coconut oil. No water, no fragrance, nothing to get used to. |
Where a tallow jar earns its place on the body
The places worth the effort are the ones where skin is thick, dry and often ignored:
- Shins and forearms. They get the worst of dry indoor heat and nobody moisturizes them until they are flaking.
- Elbows and knees. Thick skin, constant friction, very little of its own oil. We have a routine for those in dry elbows and knees.
- Heels and the tops of feet. This is where a water-free balm clearly beats a lotion, because it survives socks and a night's sleep.
- Hands, over and over. Washing strips them a dozen times a day, and a balm reapplies in five seconds.
- The back of the neck and the collarbone in winter, where a scarf and cold air meet.
Where we would not bother: a whole back, the morning before you get dressed, or anywhere you need to be in clothes within a couple of minutes. A balm needs a minute to settle, and on a big surface that adds up.
How much do you actually need?
Less than your instincts say. Start with an amount the size of a pea for one limb, warm it between your palms until it turns from white to clear, and then spread it like you are smoothing something rather than scrubbing it in. If your skin looks shiny after two minutes, you used too much.
The warming step is the one people skip, and it is the one that matters. Cold balm drags and sits on the surface. Warm balm spreads to a thin film and sinks in. Doing it straight after a shower, while your skin is still warm, makes the whole thing easier.
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"It is a wonderful product and my face and hands love it. Would love to see a body lotion!" hilde schweitzer, 5 stars, verified buyer, on Lemon + Lavender Whipped Tallow Quoted from the second half of her review. Her request is the reason this article exists, and the honest answer is that we have not made a body lotion. The jar is what we have. |
What is actually in the jar
Our Unscented is two ingredients, tallow and organic coconut oil, and it is the only one of our balms we describe that way. The scented blends are the same base with third-party-tested essential oils added, never fragrance oil. If you are putting something on a large area of skin, that short list is the part worth knowing.
Our tallow comes from grass-fed, grass-finished cattle raised on 150-plus acres of regeneratively farmed land, with no herbicides, pesticides or vaccines, and we render it in small batches ourselves. That is a statement about the raw material, not a promise about what it will do for you.
Two things we are not going to tell you. We have not had our jars tested for comedogenicity, so we do not describe them as non-comedogenic and we are not going to put a number on it. And we are not going to claim a balm does anything to your skin beyond supporting the look and feel of comfortable, well-moisturized skin. If you want the longer version of the pore question, it is in does tallow clog pores.
When a tallow balm is the wrong call for your body
It is not for everyone, and we would rather say so here than have you find out after you have bought a jar.
- Oily or breakout-prone skin on the chest and back. A rich balm over a large area may not agree with you. Try a small patch for a few days before committing to the whole torso.
- A coconut oil sensitivity. It is in every balm we make, so check with your provider first.
- Vegan households. Tallow is beef fat, and our Lip Relief contains beeswax, so neither is an option. The full answer is in is tallow vegan.
- Broken, cracked or painful skin. That is a conversation for your own healthcare provider, not for a jar of balm.
- Speed. If you want to be moisturized and dressed in one minute, use a lotion. We are not going to pretend a balm is faster.
Common questions
Will it stain my sheets or clothes? A thin, properly warmed layer does not, but a thick one can leave a mark. We went through it in detail in does tallow balm stain.
Can I use the same jar on my face and my body? Yes. It is the same balm either way, and a lot of us keep one jar by the bed for both.
Should I use it on damp skin or dry skin? Either works. We find it spreads more easily when skin is still warm from a shower and patted, not fully dry.
Is unscented better for the body than a scented blend? Not better, just different. Unscented is the plain choice for large areas and for anyone who does not want to smell like anything. The scented blends are lovely on hands and shoulders where you notice them. The reasoning is in scented or unscented.
How long will a jar last at body-sized doses? Longer than you would guess, because the dose is small, but faster than face-only use. We did the arithmetic in how long a jar lasts.
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Where to start
Pick one dry area you already know about, usually shins or elbows, and give the Unscented jar a week there before you decide anything. If you would rather have a scent you can live with on a larger area, Patchouli, Palo Santo and Cardamom is warm rather than sweet. Everything we currently have, seasonal batches included, is in the whipped tallow collection. A batch is a batch, so the seasonal scents come and go.
We are a real family in Loomis, California, our name is on every jar, and if a jar is not right for you we will make it right.
This article is educational and not medical advice. Pure Lifestyle products are cosmetics made to support the look and feel of healthy, comfortable skin. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent eczema, psoriasis, or any medical condition. If you're managing a skin condition, we recommend working with your healthcare provider.