How to Make Beef Tallow for Skincare
How to Make Beef Tallow for Skincare
Use this recipe for the purest render of beef tallow with no odor. This is the best for my nourishing whipped tallow balm recipe.
Beef tallow is well-known for its incredible skin healing properties. With loads of bio-available nutrients that your skin will drink up. Nourishing beef tallow contains similar oils to our own skin and is a remedy for dry skin, diaper rash, chapped lips, scars, sunburn, and so much more. I've even used it as a make up remover.
I spent YEARS fighting acne, all through my teen years and through my 20's. I tried anything and everything to get rid of it - from prescriptions to water and everything in between. Nothing ever worked. Then I switched to goat milk soap and tallow balm, that's it. My skin has been better than ever for over a year now.
Ditch your toxic skin care products that are making your skin worse and swap them for nourishing beef tallow.
How to Make Beef Tallow for Skincare
Ingredients
- 5lbs cold beef fat, cut into small pieces
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons salt
- Crockpot
- Strainer
- Mixing bowl
Instructions
- Place cut beef fat into the food proccessor
- Mix water and salt, until dissolved
- Put tallow and salt water into crockpot
- Simmer on low for 6-8 hours until most of the fat has liquified
- Let cool for several minutes
- Place cheesecloth in strainer over the mixing bowl and strain liquid to separate solids. Liquid will appear cloudy at this stage.
- Remove cheesecloth and strainer and place bowl into fridge until tallow solidifies and separates from the water
- Once tallow is completely solid, this may take several hours depending on the size/depth of your bowl. Remove the tallow cake from the bowl and scrape off any bits of impurities from the bottom.
- Place tallow cake back into your crockpot and repeat the process two more times for the purest tallow.
- Your tallow is now ready to be made into a nourishing balm.
Homemade Elderberry Syrup
Homemade Elderberry Syrup
Cue the angels singing. Elderberry syrup has skyrocketed in popularity over the last several years as more folks are turning toward home healing and learning what they can do on their own to support their family's bodies. This homemade elderberry syrup is very easy to put together and can last for up to three months.
We take elderberry syrup during sick season and if we've been exposed to someone who was sick as a standard does of 1-2 teaspoons for kids and 1 tablespoon for adults, once a day. If we are sick, we take the same dose every 2-3 hours until symptoms disappear.
Elderberry Benefits
Elderberry has traditionally been considered a medicinal plant. It can support a strong immune system and may even alleviate respiratory conditions such as cold and cough. High in flavonoids, elderberries are thought to reduce the risk of heart disease and are beneficial in lowering blood pressure and managing diabetes. Add in my homemade fire cider and have the double whammy of natural immune support - there's even a kid-friendly fire cider version!
It is recommended that children under one year of age avoid honey due to the risk of infant botulism. Be sure to do your own research, discover the actual risk, and make an informed decision if it's right for your family. As always, this is not medical advice. 
Homemade Elderberry Syrup
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Sourcing quality ingredients: Be sure that you are sourcing quality elderberries. Ideally, your honey should come from close to home for you in order to receive the seasonal allergy relief that local honey offers.
Be sure to never eat raw dried elderberries, as they are toxic when dried.
How to Make an Herbal Tincture
How to Make Herbal Tincture
An herbal tincture is essentially herb-infused alcohol. While herbs and oil will eventually get you essential oils, herbs and alcohol will get you tinctures.
Herbal tinctures are an excellent way to benefit from medicinal herbs. They are easy to put together and are shelf-stable for years. The easiest way to make an herbal tincture is through the process of maceration. Maceration is the process of soaking herbs in liquid (water or alcohol) for several weeks; it is the go-to tincture method for at-home herbalists.
What is Menstrum?
Menstrum is the liquid portion of a tincture. The menstrum will extract the properties from the herb. It can be water, alcohol, vinegar, or, sometimes, glycerine. Most folks use vodka or everclear.
Calculating the amount and ratio of menstrum to herb can be as easy or as complicated as you'd like to make it. However, most herbalists use a 50% water and 50% alcohol as their menstrum and that will get you an effective tincture with no issues.
While there are plenty of resources for getting very specific with your menstrum ratios depending on the types of herbs and accounting for loss, we are going to keep it simple in this guide and use dependable ratios to get us a solid product each time.
Menstrum to Herb Ratio
Most herbalists will use the following ratios:
- Fresh Plant Tinctures 1:2 ratio, with 95% ABV menstrum
- Dry Plant Tinctures 1:5 ratio, with 50-65% ABV mentrum
When making fresh plant tinctures, each 1 gram of fresh herb is macerated (soaked) in 2 milliliters of almost pure alcohol (Everclear) for optimal extraction.
For tinctures made from dry plant materials, each 1 gram of herb is macerated in 5 milliliters of menstruum with an alcohol content of between 50 and 65% (double-proof vodka).
Herb Preparation
Dried Herbs
Chop your dried herbs into small pieces, they do not need to be powdered.
Kitchen shears are the best tool for this. When using barks, roots, berries, or mushrooms that are difficult to cut with shears, put them into the blender for a few seconds, just enough to break them up.
Fresh Herbs
Typically, you'll only need the leaves. Be sure to wash and dry them before use. Roughly chop the herbs. Refer to ratios above.
How to Make an Herbal Tincture - Lemon Balm
In this guide we will make a lemon balm tincture. Lemon balm is incredibly easy to grow, as it is in the mint family. It calms anxiety, promotes sleep, and aids in digestion.
Lemon balm is an incredible tincture to have on hand postpartum. It eases the night-scaries and mild anxious feelings and belly discomfort that come with postpartum. Lord knows we need help with in the sleep department, too.
How to Make an Herbal Tincture
Ingredients
- Half pint jar with lid
- Measuring cups
- Metal strainer
- Cheesecloth
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon balm leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 cup everclear
Instructions
- Fill jar with herbs
- Pour in everclear, be sure alcohol is covering herbs completely
- That's it, put the lid on.
- Put in a cool dark place for four weeks, give a gentle shake once a week.
- Place cheesecloth inside metal strainer on top of a clean empty jar and strain out herb leaves.
- Label clearly and take one dropper as needed.
Disclaimer: This information is intended only as education and is not a replacement for professional health advice.
Homemade Magnesium Spray
Homemade Magnesium Spray
Magnesium is a staple for relaxation. While folks usually go for a bath or foot bath, this homemade magnesium spray is easy to absorb and apply when you're in a pinch. Magnesium has been shown to reduce stress and enhance sleep. It's also shown to support hormone function and provide energy support. These magnesium chloride bath flakes are the best.
During pregnancy, my feet (along with the rest of me) were very swollen during the third trimester, IYKYK. I was also sleeping terribly, as expected. Magnesium foot baths gave my feet incredible relief, helped set up a relaxing environment, and I slept as good as someone good when they have a pumpkin-sized gymnast attached to them.
Once the baby came, I definitely needed all the support I could get with hormones, sleep, and reduced stress. Between the cluster-feeding and contact naps, I didn't have the time to continue with my evening foot soaks. Sure, I could steal away for a bath every now and then, but I felt like I needed support each night. That's where this homemade magnesium spray really came in handy. Now, I use it on myself and my one-year old during out bedtime routine.
Homemade Magnesium Spray Recipe
Homemade Magnesium Spray
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup magnesium flakes
- Spray bottle
Instructions
- Boil water
- Add Magnesium flakes
- Stir until fully dissolved
- Wait until cooled
- Pour into spray bottle
Apply 2-3 sprays on the soles of your feet before bed.