(I know it’s actually Monday but I had every intention of posting this yesterday so I’m just gonna let it slide. It’s totally ok to make up the rules as you go)

Since having kids I’ve been slowly trying to change everything in our home over to all natural products. It was easy with the girls, there are so many fantastic bath products for them right at the grocery store but for me however it’s been a bit trickier. Not so much because there aren’t products out there, it’s more that I’ve been using certain products for years & I love them. I have it in my head that there’s no way the all-natural brand could be as good. (because let’s face it, sometimes it’s just not when it comes to beauty products)

I thought it might be fun to do a series on here about what is really in your beauty products & which natural alternatives might actually be worth your time. (& money, that stuff can be expensive!)

I’m sure you didn’t pop by today with the hope of getting a chemistry lesson but bear with me, I think you’ll be glad you did.

Before I tell you my new absolute favorite natural beauty product here are the ingredients I’ve been trying to avoid. I don’t know exactly what the guidelines are for something being “all natural” verses “organic” but what I do know is I don’t want the following three things…

Parabens: A class of chemicals widely used as preservatives by cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. They can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, personal lubricants, topical/parenteral pharmaceuticals, spray tanning solution, makeup and toothpaste.

Why they’re nasty: There is new evidence that raises major concerns that parabens when absorbed by your skin can have carcinogenic properties, particularly parabens in deodorant being absorbed under your arms & possibly having a link with breast cancer. I don’t need concrete evidence, there are enough awesome paraben-free alternatives that I say why take the chance?

Phthalates: are esters of phthalic acid and are mainly used as plasticizers. Basically they use them to make plastic soft & pliable for containers. Phthalates are being phased out of many products however they are still being used in products such as adhesives and glues, personal-care products, medical devices, detergents, packaging, children’s toys, modelling clay, waxes, paints, printing inks and coatings, pharmaceuticals, food products, and textiles. Phthalates are used in a variety of household items such as shower curtains, vinyl upholstery, adhesives, floor tiles, food containers and wrappers, and cleaning materials. Personal-care items containing phthalates include perfume, eye shadow, moisturizer, nail polish, liquid soap, and hair spray.

Why they’re nasty: Phthalates were recently banned from baby bottles & many children’s products because of their ability to transfer from the plastic to the food & drinks they hold but new research is showing women may be at higher risk for potential adverse health effects from phthalates due to increased cosmetic use. According to in vivo and observational studies by Davis et al. (1994) and Lopez-Carillo et al. (2010), there is an association between phthalate exposure and endocrine disruption leading to development of breast cancer. Yikes.

Harsh Sulfates: I have to admit sulfates first came on my radar because I learned that the sulfates in my shampoo & conditioner were really bad for my hair color. They’re a major contributor in making brunette colored hair brassy. Brassy makes me angry. It’s sad but this actually made me a lot more proactive in finding sulfate free alternatives than the cancer info! My priorities might be off. Whatever the reason I’m determined to find harsh sulfate free shampoos & body wash. In particular I  want to avoid Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & ALS.

Why they’re nasty: Sulfates are what make cleansers foam up, they’re the bubble makers. SLS & ALS are really popular among manufactuer’s because they make lots of bubbles & are super cheap. New studies however are starting to link SLS & ALS sulfates with hair loss. If it’s strong enough to make my hair fall out then I don’t know want to know what else it could be doing. Buh-bye.

I heard about Pattern products from a friend & knew they made paraben, phthalate & harsh sulfate free products so I emailed the company & asked if they wouldn’t mind sending me more information as well as few samples. (doesn’t hurt to ask right?) You can imagine my surprise when I got an almost immediate reply from a man named Jim saying he was sending a package my way! (He was so nice you guys, my first impression was definitely that this was a company of good people who actually cared about what they were making)

A week later I received a goodie box with the cucumber, nutmeg & citrus body wash as well as the sage body lotion. I had heard pretty amazing things about the cucumber so I grabbed that one first. Let me just say that if you’re really into the sweet Bath & Body Works or Victoria’s Secret cucumber scents then this my friend, is so not for you. The texture was thick, soft & silky but the scent, ohhhh the scent. It was like a little bite of Earth. I seriously pictured myself throwing on my sunshine yellow clogs & stepping into my non-existent garden to pull up a bright green dewy cucumber. I have these thoughts people, I swear.

It was just so clean & earthy. But not hippie, dirty earthy…fresh outside earthy. It was really quite lovely.

The citrus & nutmeg were also very nice but I have to say they are probably going to spend their soap retirement in the guest bathroom. I want to use cucumber every. single. day. I’m in love with a soap and am not afraid to tell you.

The sage lotion is actually really nice too. It’s very very light. Which I prefer. I HATE putting lotion on after a shower & then trying to shimmy into a pair of leggings. Greasy lotions that stay on the surface & I are not friends. The Pattern Sage lotion absorbs quickly but is still very moisturizing & the scent while nice, is light enough that it won’t conflict with any perfume you might want to wear. Just don’t expect to smell it on your skin all day.

The only downside I’d say to Pattern products is they’re a bit expensive. This is actually the issue I have with a lot of natural products but I guess that’s the price you pay when a company doesn’t use super cheap crazy chemicals. The body wash retails for $20 which honestly, if I were in a store I probably wouldn’t have taken the chance on not liking it at that price point. Lucky you I tried it, & I’m not going to lie, when this bottle runs out I’m absolutely going to buy a second. It’s worth it in my opinion, but I also like to splurge on stuff like that for myself.

Another bonus is Jim was sweet enough to offer LPM readers a promo code for a free full size Sage Lotion ($26 value) with the purchase of any body wash. The code is FSL111 & it’s good until 3/31 so hop to it! http://patternbodywash.com/home.html

Next in this series I want to go into what’s in face moisturizers & the great natural one I’ve been using for years! Please, try to contain yourself.

PS- if you have a natural product you love please leave it in the comments section below!