Tallow and oil did not mix; beeswax helped.

[SUP]

I warmed and mixed tallow and oil, equal quantities,  to make a lotion for dry weather. They did not mix. When I checked the next day, the tallow and oil stood in 2 layers. So I warmed both again with a little beeswax and now I have a nice, homogenous lotion. I wonder if that is one of the uses of beeswax in everything.

Edited January 27, 2024 by SUP

[dikman]

What type of tallow and oil? That is very curious.

[SUP]

Beef tallow, coconut oil. Gradually separated into two layers overnight. No idea why I thought of beeswax, but it helped. It is still a nice homogenous lotion. 

[dikman]

Is coconut oil classed as vegetable oil?

[SUP]

You mean versus a nut oil? No idea. 

[Littlef]

28 minutes ago, SUP said:

You mean versus a nut oil? No idea. 

I regularly mix lamb tallow and beeswax.  It's a traditional lubricant for black powder firearms.  I tweak the consistency with olive oil depending on outside temperatures, and how dense/hard I want it to set up.  

[SUP]

@Littlef exactly. Beeswax probably helps the miscibility, if olive oil and tallow don't mix. Anyway, I don't know why I did not remember earlier that all oils and fats do not necessarily mix just because they are all lipids. Anyway, two oils together without a chemical reaction.. probably an oil-in-oil emulsion. The beeswax probably helped to stabilize it. 

[dikman]

I once made a soft paste using beeswax and olive oil, worked well.

[Wepster]

Prompted me to dig a bit, saw this info from a supplier of lotion "stuff". Not dead on topic, but informative,  https://lotioncrafter.com/products/beeswax-white-nf

[SUP]

@Wepster Yes. It is. Thank you.

Similarly, when beeswax is melted with two other immiscible fats and warmed and stirred well, it is possible the fats form tiny droplets that get coated or mixed with the beeswax which, as the mixture cools, solidifies and prevents the other two fats from reforming larger and larger drops and ultimately separating. At least, I think that is probably what happens. If I am wrong, please correct me.

[Wepster]

Not really on topic, but related is a very distant way..... Watching a "Have Gun Will Travel" rerun.. one of the characters in the episode stated his occupation as a "tallow and leather buyer" (his family owned a tannery in New York).

[dikman]

I've only ever used tallow in combination with beeswax, it never occurred to me to try it just with some sort of oil so I have no idea if it would work. Maybe it will work with some oils and not others?