Question about allergies to Gluten?

Question

I'm allergic to gluten and iwas woundering if body products such as creams and shampoos can effect you if they have wheat in it? I have been shampoo/conditioning my hair with a product that has wheat in it, and i have been feeling real sick, i hadn't relised it had wheat anyway i had been getting quite sick and knew i wasn't eating things with wheat in it, then i checked the bottle and thaught maybe it has sumthing to do with that?

What do you guys think?

Answer 1

Yes they can absolutely affect you.Because our skin absorbs everything we put on it,its a porous living surface not a dead plastic tissue,everything you put on the skin is absorbed into the system.So shampoos,conditioners and other personal care products should be free of gluten for all celiacs and those sensitive to gluten.Check labels before purchasing products and avoid those with gluten.I too must avoid my allergens in personal care products and have spent allot of time researching the ones that didn't contain any.Here are a few recommendations

California baby
shampoo,soap,body wash etc
(free of gluten,soy,nuts) company makes everything
without gluten there website
http://www.californiababy.com


Gluten free Savonnerie
gluten free personal care product company
shampoo,soap,lotion etc
http://gfsoap.com

Answer 2

GLUTEN CANNOT BE ABSORBED THROUGH THE SKIN. The molecule is too large. Think about it...our skin is a barrier. If it let in whole gluten protein, even those without Celiac Disease or a gluten allergy would react to it. Also those with Celiac Disease (not the same as a gluten allergy) must actually INGEST gluten to have a reaction. If you simply have a gluten allergy though, you may have a TOPICAL reaction from a topical product.

However, what is probably happening is that you are touching your hair and then your food and/or putting your fingers in your mouth. You may also be getting a small amount in your mouth when you shampoo. You may also want to re-check your diet, and make sure you are really having a gluten reaction and not just a plain old virus. I would be suspicious to blame the shampoo if you have been using it for awhile and you are only sick now.

You may want to look for a shampoo without gluten if you are concerned.

P.S. Celiac Disease happens when the body absorbs WHOLE gluten protein before it can be broken down into harmless amino acids. This is thought to be due to a "leaky gut". The reason why gluten does not affect non-Celiacs is that is is broken down before it is absorbed. If a non-Celiac could absorb a whole gluten protein, their immune response would be the same as a Celiac. This is why Celiac is not really an allergy. It is an autoimmune response to the improper ingestion of a *whole gluten molecule*, which is abnormal. If gluten was absorbed THROUGH the skin, everyone would react to it. Although, it's believed gluten must enter through the intestine to cause the intestinal damage seen in Celiac Disease.

Answer 3

Yes, it's very possible to have some products such as shampoos to possibly have wheat, rye, oats, spelt (yes these other ones I mentioned have gluten in them).

Check out Celiac lists at Yahoogroups for additional info.

Answer 4

Hi if you are allergic to gluten it is in many other products like rye , barley and many other products being allergic to gluten is different to being allergic to wheat , try changing your shampoo and conditioner to a more natural product like natural instinct look up the net to find where you can purchase their products its not really expensive and very good , its very gentle to your hair and skin, but i would look up the gluten products more i would say you are getting gluten from other products, good luck

Answer 5

Simply stop the shampoo for a week or two to see if it helps--if not that isn't it.