I have my FAVORITE shampoo that I have been using for the last several months. I absolutely love it. It makes my hair smell so good and feel so soft. Today in the shower I just decided to read the ingredients for the first time and I saw that it has HYDROLYZED WHEAT PROTEIN in it. I am heart broken.

My question is, how bad can wheat protein in my shampoo really be and should I stop using it?

All of your thoughts on this matter would be appreciated.

IMO it's just not worth it for me. I freak out about a crumb on the countertop!! There are lots of other good ones out there.

The danger is in accidentally getting some in your mouth and swallowing. It would certainly be just a tiny amount but it could build up over time.

richard

I know how you feel--really! But it's so easy to get the shampoo in your mouth that, to me, it's not worth the risk. I didn't pay attention to my products the first 2 months or so gluten-free. I didn't know about the risk at the time. When I did finally go through my products and stopped using those with gluten in them, I felt better. Up until then, I was getting 'mystery glutenings' that I couldn't figure out.

I am in the same situation... I use John Frieda and they can not guarantee that there product is not gluten-free. I am really upset because I dont know what to do. I love the shampoo/conditioner it makes my hair look great. Does anyone know of the side affects to using a non gluten-free shampoo/conditioner

thanks

Amanda NY

I had a leave in conditioner that I LOVED! I used it for a long time and told myself that there was no way it would hurt me, but then after months of never REALLY getting better I finally gave in and gave up my conditioner (and my shampoo which turned out not to be gluten-free) It really did make a difference! I must have been being glutened from it, because I felt a lot better after I gave it up! I switched to suave shampoo first, just because I knew it was gluten free. I hated it. It really dryed out my hair. Then I started using Pantene, but then I read that the changed their formula and were no longer gluten-free, so I switched to Fructis (sp?). The Fructis is a good shampoo and it doesn't make me sick. Plus I found a new leave in conditioner that works pretty good. You just have to look around. There are good ones that are gluten-free, and at least for me it was worth it!

I had to switch shampoos becuase the wheat in it started giving me a rash of sorts on my scalp.

I try to avoid the shampoo with gluten in it if possible. Sometimes I end up feeling odd for the day (like slight glutening). Except the bad thing is most shampoos for dandruff have gluten in them

Thats why I swear by Cliniderm (http://www.canderm.com/page.asp?intNodeID=8041). Expensive, but good

~lisa~

I confess to using shampoo with wheat in them. There just aren't hardly any options without it and it doesn't seem to be bothering me. I know I might face some wrath for saying this. Anyway, I don't use lipstick with wheat. I do try and make sure the shampoo doesn't get in my mouth. It comes down to a personal decision I think.
Monica

I had this too. thought I was just strange, but apparently a lot us are!

I don't risk it either. Switched all my products--and found a new shampoo that makes my hair look even better! (And several other woman have switched to using it too What shampoo have you been using?

honestly, i use shampoos with wheat or oat in them. i've never had much of a problem. awhile back there was even a little test on here like putting baking soda in your shampoo and seeing how much you get in your mouth and i didn't get any....i think it's up to you to decide and see, obviously if you have DH you can't use it but if not, everyone makes their own choice i believe i'm one of the rare ones who doesn't use all gluten free products.....either way! good luck!

What kind do you use? I didn't know Pantene had changed their formula...nuts, now I'll have to find another shampoo. Rats.

I get that rash on my scalp too, and come to think of it I've had it lately. time for a new shampoo!

For me, it bothers my skin and scalp too much to use shampoo with gluten in it. I break out and get rashes. Plus, it wouldn't be good to get it in eyes.

I use Paul Mitchell (has wheat in it), and I haven't had a problem. Honestly, I haven't even got around to checking out my shampoos/cosmetic products yet. I guess I should do that when I run out of this one- I'll get something gluten free.

Think of how many times when you shower you have gotten shampoo in your mouth. Everytime you do this, you could be getting gluten posioning, slowly but surely. I would change it, but for me even a crumb send me into anaphalytic shock.

I'm just beginning to sort out if I'm gluten intolerant. But speaking of rashes, I've had one in my scalp, forehead, checks, neck, chest and upper back that my Dermatologist doesn't know what it is. Thought it was acne and I tolk Acutane. It went away but came back as soon as I went off it. Of course I didn't know about gluten at the time. I've been gluten free for about 2 weeks now and I think it's getting better. It doesn't itch, but I can scratch little grains of sand like "things" off my skin. Does this sound like the rashes you guys are talking about? I haven't checked my shampoo and conditioner but I will now. Please let me know...I have to get rid of this rash. Summer is comming and it looks nasty. Thanks for your comments.

that sounds a lot like a celiac reaction to skin products. you should check all your products, probably at least one of them has gluten.

I was using Pantene Volumizing Shampoo and Lever 2000 body soap. I didn't have a rash, but started itching all over my stomach and sides. I figured it had to be either the shampoo or the soap causing this. I switched to Suave BioBasics shampoo and Suave Naturals Ocean Breeze soap. After about 3 days, no more itching. It's a lot cheaper too!.

Cindy

I have always used Pantene and I just read the ingredients on the bottle, no wheat. Maybe the newer products have wheat, the Pantene for different colors of hair, for brunettes, redheads, or blondes--I stick to my old favorites. I do not find any wheat in the ingredients. Fruitis is made by the makers of Pantene. Now Tressemme has wheat in it and I do react to it. Pantene is one of the only conditioners I can find that work with my hair--it's very thick and waist length. Aussie products work too. I am not giving up my old Pantene until I have further proof. Deb

I am in the process of trying to use all wheat/gluten free shampoos and bath gels. I thought I was the only one feeling that way. I was using Druide lavender bath gel, it contains wheat protein, which I only realized after I experienced increased itching and dryness all over, after my showers.

I also share the feeling that it's better to eliminate all gluten, even in soaps.
Anyone have a suggestion for organic, chemical-free shampoo?

Have you tried the Giovanni brand? Even thier 'golden wheat' shampoo is Gluten free. I find their products in the health food section of my regular grocery store and in my health food store.

The pantene I bought had Oats in it. I was specifically trying to give up the wheat one's.
Monica

California Baby and Aubrey Organics (only certain scents I think) are both pretty good.

I've been using California Baby Super Sensitive lately, and I really like it. It also contains no sodium laurel sulfate--which I like.

Thx for the tips. good to know that Giovanni is gluten-free, I'll had that one to my list. California Baby , didn't think of using baby shampoo, good idea. I love the Aubrey skin care line, shampoos look good too.

A general question: I find that my skin was particularly dry, before going gluten-free. Did anyone else find that?

I used to get itchy bumps on my head and my scalp itched really bad! My hair also was starting to fall out. I then noticed that there were 3 wheat ingredients in my shampoo! Once I stopped using it it all went away!

my mother and i have just got rid of the skin products.

I get a rash on my scalp from shampoos with wheat. I also get blisters near my hair and on my neck. They're not quite blisters, but not pimples either. I don't know whether they're DH, but since being gluten-free and switching shampoos, they've gone away.

I also get those little bumps that can be scratched off, separately from the rash and blisters. Some are deep under my skin on my chin and I don't know how to get rid of them. Sometimes they're there for months before they finally surface.

I know what you mean! You should really try the new shampoo and conditioner that comes in the bright green bottles and is called something related to sugar....... nope still can not remember he name. But it is awesome stuff. If you have a Sam's card they sell it at most Sam's.

Thor

Do you mean FRUCITSE maybe?

Ditto! I am glad I am not the only one! I was feeling weird because I know the big concern is if you get it in your mouth, but I had a rash-like spot at the base of my neck that my dermatologist couldn't figure out. I changed shampoos and it is gone (went from a gluten-containing to gluten-free one).

YOU PROBABLY SHOULD STOP USING IT BECAUSE MY MOM USED BED HEAD SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER AND GOT A LITTLE SICK BUT NOT MUCH. SORRY, BUT I DO HAVE SUGGESTION THAT ALSO MAKES YOUR HAIR SMELL GOOD SUAVE SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER!

I too wonder how bad wheat is in shampoo. What if I just keep my mouth shut and carefully wash off my face and hands afterwards? When I went gluten free summer 2006, I chucked all the gluten-containing personal care items. I had used Frieda Brilliant Brunette conditioner, Alterna Hemp damage repair leave in treatment, and Aveeno body wash. I switched to Dove everything because it seemed safe. I was confident I wasn't being glutened, but now my hair looks terrible. It became hopelessly dry, limp, and dull.

I've begun to do something about it, starting with cutting about 5 inches off my mane. I have a very thick head of fine straight dark brunette hair. I get frizzies when I blow my hair dry, when it's humid, and on most days ending in "y." I find that nearly every volumizing hair product has hdryolyzed wheat protein or oat protein in it. So do many "restructuring" and "repairing" products.

I researched until blue in the face and then bought Alterna Life volumizing shampoo ($18) and conditioner ($20) in green bottles that look like bamboo shoots. Both use hydrolyzed pearl and silk amino acids instead of wheat, oat, or mysterious "vegetable" protein. After two weeks, my hair is starting to come back. My hair is shiny again and the frizzies are taming down, but not all the way. Unfortunately, most of the other Alterna volumizing products (life mousse and caviar volume shampoo) have wheat (and oats) in them. Ick! Instead, I'm using Cibu non-aerosol mousse ($12), which, being very light, is perfect on my fine lifeless hair. What a godsend! I've also added Alterna Caviar Treatment Conditioner ($25) once a week, but the jury is still out on its effectiveness. It uses hydrolyzed soy protein.

I also noticed that Matrix Amplify gel is gluten free. I haven't tried it yet; I don't use gel much.

Maybe I'll get up the courage to branch out and try a gluten-containing product soon, but it's taken 6 months for my body to come back. I don't want to sabotage my progress, and I don't want the enemy on my head! I'm gonna try to silk and soy my hair back to life.

I as well take no chances after almost a year of still having slight symptoms I quit using my favorite shampoo as well Biolage. The symptoms went away immedietly same for my lotions,massage oils especially. I am now three years Wheat and gluten free...I posted a new one about great shampoo.

to tell the truth i don't care if my shampoo has conditioner in it... seriously..... iv never had broblems, so..... ya.
i love paul mitchel hair conditioner to, i didn't know it had weat in it.. oh well. If it gives me problems ill let you know....
lol

When you say you "never had problems" then that rather depends on a lot of other things.
Lots of people eat out, share toasters and lots of other things and say they never have problems.
They could be correct but equally they may not see the problems because they are masking them.

The problem is how you define problems....

What I know for myself but also share with many many people here is there is gluten-free and gluten-free....
Before diagnosis I was already pretty gluten-free.... I identified for myself that if I ate wheat I was ill. I was rather lucky in that I was living in Africa at the time in a place where eating gluten was pretty much eating bread/pasta or not... and 99% of my diet was fresh vegetables and meat anyway just because of what was available...

Anyway .... I noticed a very big improvement to my health just by cutting out large sources of gluten, even though I still on occaision got glutened by CC or soy sauce or whatever...
When I was diagnosed I figured I was essentially gluten-free, so I removed obvious gluten sources and felt better again...

I continued happy with my new found health.... I still had some episodes but I was so used to feeling this way I thought everyone felt like that from time to time..... just as I had with the whole thing...

Then as others have said, I hit a plateau. I got challenged by someone on a board like this (actually a UK one) about CC and stuff.
I was sure I was gluten-free.... I convinced myself I wasn't THAT intolerant... but I WAS WRONG.....

This is back pre-labelling days.... I cut out all gluten totally ... I ate ONLY 100% guaranteed stuff for 3 months and my health was fantastic.... I didn't eat anything I didn't prepare myself from fresh fruits, vegetables and meats ...

After a while I started to add back supposedly safe foods, tortilla chips (100%) corn were one of these... my health dropped back to pre-100% days.... In this way I identified several hundred products which were "gluten-free" that made me ill.

This wouldn't mean much in the wider scheme of things but then when the labelling laws changed I started to see the products I had previously identified as making me ill now said things like "trace of gluten" and "glucose syrop from wheat" or "modified food starch may have traces of gluten" .... This even included some Asprin I had identified as making me ill.

My list overlapped this so much I cannot think its coincidence.... the tortilla chips in question said "made in the same factory as" ...

Anyway, I then cut all these out.... changed my toiletries etc. and went back to the best heatlh ever for 20 yrs.
One day I ran out of shampoo, I had some way at the back of the bathroom cabinet that had been a part of a Christmas present ... so I got it out and washed my hair.
That week I got progressively weirder.... I just felt weirder and weirded but it wsn't for 3-4 days until it hit me... I still had no idea what but the incident was in public and very embarassing.... it involved me having to shower when I got home...

As I was showering feeling like crap I read the label "Enriched with pure wheat protein" ....

I don't want to trivialise what you said but if you have been using this shampoo all the time and/or you have some traces of gluten in your diet then my question is "how would you know you never had problems?"

Many of us have had symptoms we didn't realise were symptoms, quite simply we thought everyone felt like that from time to time.
In most cases when people take the final step ... they discover they had masked symptoms....

I can't say in your case you do but I'd encourage you to find out if you haven't been 100% zero tolerance strict before...

hmmm.... maby ill try going 100 % gluten-free for a while.... thnx

I know someone that got this weird rash on her feet after changing her shampoo to an 'organic' one. When the red pustules appeared she immed thought of DH and changed her shampoo. Within weeks her rash disappeared.