Hi, I'm a new bee and My question is - Are gluten free skin, hair and body nessisary? I also wonder are Walmarts products that are marked gluten free always safe? do they have a testing policy? Because I've used their soy sauce in a veggie stir fry and I wonder if i was glutened. I'm just returning to the diet after being off for a month or so and i've been (trying) gulten free for about a week and a half. Alot of my symptoms are going away execpt a few times after eating I starting getting that dizzy, spacey, tired feeling and my dermatiss is still active.

F.y.i. my blood test was neg and my GI is a Quack so I have stopped persuing a diagnoses. THe diet has improved my life and body so Im living as a celiac and quite happy!
Thanks for any help you can offer, Tina

All my personal care products are gluten-free. It's a risk that I'm not willing to take. Even though most celiacs do not get skin reactions from gluten (although those with DH probably do), it's too likely to be ingested. I only get shampoo in my mouth once or twice a year, but that's one or two glutenings that are easily avoidable. I like that my house is a 100% gluten-free zone so when I'm home my celiac is never an issue. I can eat anything I want and touch anything I want free from worry. I figure the risk of having gluten personal care products is about equal to the risk of eating out a few times a year, and I'd much rather go out to eat than use wheat-based shampoo!

I have no idea about how Wal-Mart tests their products.

Many will disagree with me, but I believe that gluten-free personal care products are a must. Lotion, soaps, make-up, shampoo; all of these products are put on using your hands. What do you use to prepare and eat food? Right, your hands!so, if any of these products contain gluten you will be cross-contaminating everything you eat. Remember that even the tiniest microscopic bit of gluten can make you sick. Everything (except for an occassional loaf of bread for my husband) in my house is gluten free. I'm glad that when I wake up at 5 am to take a shower I don't have to worry about grabbing the wrong bottle of shampoo and being sick all day because of it.

This choice is a personal one and will be different depending upon each situation. I don't have DH and, except for lipstick or lip balm, none of my personal care products are gluten-free that I know of. I don't eat my make-up or shampoo
and practice good hygiene to prevent CC. I can't remember the last time I was glutened and to prove compliance, I have my blood tested regularly. My numbers are consistently very low so I know I am not getting glutened. This has worked for me so far but others may not be comfortable with that.

For people with negative blood work to begin with, you could try using your regular products and see how you feel. If it causes a problem, you may want to rethink changing products.

I do not have DH either, never did to my knowledge, yet I react to gluten on my skin. I didn't in the beginning. I have been gluten free now for over 7 yrs. At 4 yrs, I realized I could not have gluten on my skin either. It's true, it is a personal preference as to whether you use gluten free personal products--for me, it's a must. It's just so much safer. Shampoo can easily get into your mouth and eyes while rinsing in the shower, conditioner too! Hand lotion can get on your food--cross contamination alone is enough of a reason. My policy--better safe, than sorry!!!! Wheat in my soaps burn the minute it touches my skin--so, I am very careful.

As for you meal, did you use an old scratched pan, maybe you cross contaminated yourself that way--maybe it wasn't the Walmart soy sauce. Maybe another spice you may have used that wasn't gluten free, some aren't?

Last month I called L'Oreal about one of their skin lotion products and rep told me that anything with fragrance could have low level of gluten in it. I do gluten-free skin products because my celiac husband has this tendency to kiss my face and I don't want him to get any gluten on his lips.

Anyway,the L'Oreal rep said that unscented has "masking agents" which does not mean it's fragrance free & again could contain low level of gluten; unfragranced means that there should be no gluten in it as there is no fragrance.



So I didn't buy the L'Oreal product as it had fragrance in it....

I'm new to this forced gluten-free living and don't know how to find gluten-free non-food products. I note that shampoo, etc. never has ingredients labelled, and so I have no idea if its gluten free. Do I have to buy this stuff in a special store?

Can anyone recommend any brands of gluten-free products for:
- shampoo
- conditioner
- make-up
- toothpaste
- hairspray, gel, etc.

(I live in Toronto, Canada if that makes any difference - I don't think we always have the same products as in the U.S.)

Hi--I'm in the US, but I'll tell you what I use to give you an idea, and hopefully you can find some of the products where you are. Do note that sometimes formulas can vary depending on where it's made.

You can always call the manufacturer--I strongly suggest you do this--with any products you are considering.

Shampoo--I use Dove, who will clearly list any gluten on the label.

Conditioner--Dove

Makeup--Everyday Minerals for foundation, blush, concealer and lip gloss--

http://www.everydayminerals.com/

Also, Burt's Bees lip shimmers are gluten-free--the tocopherol in it is from soy.

I'm very sensitive, and have not had luck with body lotions found in stores, so I use Dakota Free Moisturizer

http://www.dakotafree.com/

For mascara and facial creams, I like Personal Basics--(her products are also salicylate free, for those who need to consider that)

http://www.andrearose.com/

I use Crest toothpaste--I spoke with them and was told that all of their products are gluten-free.

I don't use hairspray, but I use Garnier Smoothing Milk on my hair before I blow dry. Garnier has great customer service and will answer any questions you have about their products.

This is all recent news to me too, so I'm not sure what to do with it.

Does anyone know of a list that states all of the ingredient names in beauty products that might contain gluten? I can't understand half of the ingredients listed on my shampoo, so I have no idea. I saw my conditioner actually said "wheat protein," so that's fairly easy to rule out.

What do you do about soap when you're out of the house? Do you bring your own with you everywhere you go?

I am one of the celiacs whose skin reacts. So happy to find others because I get so frustrated when I buy products, think the labels read free of gluten and an hour after using them I have bumps on my face.

What I have found that is things in the products that are not listed cause me the most problems. For example alcohol in products gives me bumps. So frangrance is ok if it is soy based and contains no alcohol. Also witch hazel (in toners) contains about 40% alcohol but that is not on the label. We really are at companies mercy!!

I saw the woman who started Herbology Beauty speak in a health food store here in NYC. She is a celiac/cosmetic chemist and started her company because she was frustrated with what was available on the market. Said that companies have to make a committment to be gluten free and train all their employees on it. Talked about things like watching who is selling the company ingredients to make sure that they are consistenly gluten free, how to read labels etc. Also she brought up cross contamination. Really interesting.

Does anyone have problems at spas? I went for a facial, asked if the treatment was wheat free....two hours later all broken out.

My household consists of myself (gluten-free) and my hubby, 2 cats and 3 dogs...

other than the very tiny cupboard I allow my hubby to have for his "cant live without these gluten items" which ONLY come out when I am not home and he is restricted to certain pots and pans along with a very tiny excuse for a countertop... my house is gluten-free, the cats and dogs have gluten-free food as well as all shampoo's, lotions and vitamins