If you have just opened your first jar: warm a pea-sized amount between your fingertips until it turns from a soft solid into an oil, then press it into slightly damp skin. That is the whole technique. Nearly every problem a beginner has with tallow comes from using too much, or from applying it to bone-dry skin.
Here is the rest of it, in the order you will actually need it.
What is in the jar
Unscented Whipped Tallow is two ingredients: grass-fed tallow and organic coconut oil. No water, no fillers, no preservatives, no fragrance. 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.
Because there is no water in it, nothing evaporates. What you put on your skin stays there until it absorbs, which is why a small amount goes further than you expect and why too much leaves you shiny.
How much to use
- Face: a rice-grain to pea-sized amount.
- Hands: a pea-sized amount, worked in after washing.
- Feet, elbows, knees: more, deliberately, usually at night and under socks or sleeves.
The test is simple. If your skin looks shiny ten minutes later, you used too much. Halve it next time.
The four steps
- Clean skin, patted almost dry. Leave it slightly damp. That residual water is part of what you are sealing in.
- Warm it first. Ten seconds between your fingertips turns it to an oil, and an oil spreads thin instead of sitting in a lump.
- Press, do not rub. Pressing works it into the surface. Rubbing mostly moves it sideways.
- Wait a few minutes before you dress. This is the step everyone skips, and it is the one that keeps a balm off your shirt.
Start with the plain jar
If you are new to this, Unscented Whipped Tallow is the one to begin with. Two ingredients, no fragrance, and it works on a face, a pair of hands and a set of heels out of the same jar.
Where it goes, and where it does not
Face. As a night step, or a thin morning layer under makeup. Our guide on wearing tallow balm under makeup goes through the pilling question.
Body. After a shower, on skin that is still slightly damp. Elbows, knees and shins are the usual suspects.
Hands and feet. These take the most and benefit the most. We wrote the overnight versions up separately for dry, cracked hands and for feet overnight.
Lips. A fingertip works, though Lip Relief in a tube is easier to carry.
Not on broken skin, and not on a baby without asking first. Ask your pediatrician before you put anything new on an infant. We are a small balm maker and not your child's doctor, so we will not tell you a product is safe for a baby. If you are managing a diagnosed skin condition, that is a conversation for your own provider, not a jar of balm.
Scented or unscented?
Unscented if your skin reacts to fragrance, or if you simply prefer to smell nothing. It is the only two-ingredient jar we make.
Scented if you enjoy the ritual. The base is identical and the only difference is pure essential oils, never fragrance oil. Vanilla + Mint is cool and slightly sweet; Lemon + Lavender is brighter. There is a longer walk-through in scented or unscented tallow balm.
What to expect in the first few weeks
Honestly: less drama than the internet promises. The change people describe first is that skin stops feeling tight between washes. Rough texture takes longer, because that is skin turning over on its own schedule, and a few weeks is a fair window before you decide anything.
Some people find a rich balm does not suit oily or acne-prone facial skin. If that is you, the balm may still earn its place on hands and feet, and Pure Glow Face Serum is the lighter option for a face. Patch test one small area for a few days before you commit either way. We have not had our jars tested for comedogenicity, so we are not going to claim they will not clog pores; there is more on that in does tallow clog pores.
Storing it
Somewhere cool and out of direct sun. Tallow firms up when it is cold and softens when it is warm, and both are normal. A jar that has melted and reset can go grainy, which is a texture change and not spoilage. Dry fingers only, so you are not introducing water.
We are Jeremie and Megan
We whip every batch by hand in Loomis, California, in runs small enough that Megan still labels them at the kitchen table. If a jar is not right for you, tell us and we will sort it out. The rest of the whipped tallow collection is built on the same base.
Want the 10% off code first? Pop your email in and we will send it over, along with the occasional note from the kitchen.
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.