Chemical Reactions

Methylisothiazolinone. Methychloroisothiazolinone. Polyquaternium-6. These challenging pronunciations are just a few of the ingredients in my basic shampoo. Like most folks, the furthest I read on a shampoo, conditioner or any beauty product bottle label is what it will do for my looks and how to apply it. So long as it does what it's supposed to (voluminous hair, reduces oiliness, clears up skin, etc.) I never give it a second thought. But then it was brought to my attention of what else your beauty products might be doing to you, not for you.

Every day, we douse our bodies in chemicals like those listed above. They're seeping into our pores and into our system, and we have no idea what they are or if there are any health repercussions.

Two Tulsans discovered what these chemicals do to the body and, realizing how grim it could be, created Beaute Purpose, a company of natural beauty products with a mission to educate others about what their unnatural products are really doing.

Like so many other natural skin care, personal care and home products lines, Beaute Purpose started when its creators were frustrated that they couldn't find what they were looking for in the market. And it was at a time when frustration is the last thing you want.

Beaute Purpose CEO Regina Collins learned from her doctor that she was at risk of developing cancer. As a preventative measure, she was instructed to get rid of all her unnatural skin care, cosmetics, personal care and household cleaning products. She also did her research and discovered that many unnatural products and their ingredients had the potential to be deadly. Collins said that 1,100 ingredients being used in personal and household products in the United States have been banned in the European Union for five years.

Collins' partner Tonya Williams had just experienced a friend going through cancer treatment, so together the two women began working on finding natural personal products.

Their goal was to find products that released the chemical burdens on the body. Instead they found products, Collins said, that didn't effectively serve the whole family and were outrageously priced. Already armed with loads of research, Collins and Williams began Beaute Purpose.

The Beaute Purpose line offers more than your average personal care and household product line. Not only in the amount of products to choose from, which includes product lines for men, women, baby and home (Collins said there's around 100 products in the Beaute Purpose line) but also in information.

Collins said the most important thing to her is providing consumers with the knowledge to make informed decisions. She doesn't want consumers to think that just because a product is on the store shelf that it is necessarily safe. When informed, if people don't care, that's fine, but she still wants people to be educated in their decisions.

The second aspect of the Beaute Purpose mission is to continually research, develop and offer affordable, high-quality natural products. Collins said that initially starting a natural personal care line was challenging, but she said that the company has met its every need because the right people have come along.

Having recently seen a need for gluten-free products (Collins said that more than five million people need to reduce or eliminate gluten from their diets), the company created a gluten-free line. Like the rest of the Beaute Purpose line, these products are free of sodium lauryl, sodium laureth sulfates, parabens, phthalates and are cruelty free.

The gluten-free line features a variety of head and body shampoos, cleansers and toners. All the gluten-free products are touted as being vegan or more than 85 percent organic. The gluten-free line's ingredients are not written by chemists, instead listed first in their proper Latin name and then in laymen's terms. And the Beaute Purpose Web site tells you why the main ingredients are included. French clay, an ingredient in a cleanser, stimulates skin and removes impurities among other attributes; shea oil, included in the Softening Shea Head and Body Shampoo not only softens hair and skin but also can relieve eczema and psoriasis.

The entire Beaute Purpose line, which includes moisturizers, serums, traveling products, toners and more, also provides information about the physical changes the product will have on users.

The household products include a castile soap that seems all-purpose. Beaute Purpose lists a single soap for "facial cleansing, body wash, shampoo, hand soap, general household cleaning, dish soap, dishwasher soap, and laundry detergent."

Save Our Planet

More than just providing yourself a natural, safe product for your body, using these natural products is likely good for the environment, too.

Collins noted that Williams imagines if the chemicals in other personal products are toxic to the body, when it flushes down the drain, what is it doing to the earth? More than just your personal health could be affected by these products but nature, too. And while other steps of getting healthy might be unappealing, changing your shampoo or facial cleanser is easy. You're going to wash up anyways, so no new routines have to be added to your day to adjust your well being.

The Beaute Purpose products have certainly made a difference in the lives of their creators. After using the products, Collins' test results looked great and Williams, who once suffered weekly migraines, no longer suffers from the headaches. Her only life change? She stopped using any product other than Beaute Purpose products. And they aren't the only ones reaping the benefits of natural products.

Available for a year now, Beaute Purpose is already becoming known throughout the state (the line is widely successful in Oklahoma City) and across the nation. Having discovered the company through Twitter and Facebook, people in New York and California have contacted Collins and Williams to possibly work with and promote Beaute Purpose.

The company is also continuing to expand what it offers. Collins said they are in the process of creating a natural line that would serve the needs of ethnic skin and hair. They're in the process of researching the need, and from there they'll go into testing. The testing period will continue until the products meet the need and do what the benefits say.

The other big development is Beaute Purpose moving forward with its non-profit, Beaute Purpose Charitable Foundation. Beginning in January, the foundation will take on the event that started the company-cancer. Collins said they would be taking Beaute Purpose to local cancer centers and doctors' offices to help pamper patients. Bringing along Beaute Purpose goodies as well as massage therapists, makeup artists, acupuncturists and reflexologists, the outcome is to help patients escape from what Collins calls "survivor mode."

Collins said when she was in her own battle, she didn't care about anything. Not putting on makeup. Not doing her hair. She was just in survival mode. She discovered that when she acted more positive and felt better about herself, she did feel better. The non-profit's goal is to give that moment of escapism and help other patients going through the ordeal.

Tulsans interested in picking up the Beaute Purpose line can visit Natural Farms, 6560 E. 91st St., open Monday through Friday 10am to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 5:30pm. Collins said the company is really close to having the line carried in other retailers throughout the city.

The full line of Beaute Purpose products are also available through the company's Web site, www.beautepurpose.com. In addition to picking up products, you can further educate yourself on their community site. Collins said it provides more information about caring for the whole body. While the information might not be able to fully assist you in saying the names of those concoctions in unnatural shampoo or body wash, it might give you a better clue as to what it's doing other than cleaning.