59 replies to this topic

[irish daveyboy]

I have read umpteen accounts about wheat in topical products (creams, shampoos etc) and about being glutened from licking envelopes, the latter was totally disproved and verified by envelope manufacturers and postage stamp printers.

Can one get 'Glutened' from applying cream etc containing wheat/gluten.

How does one define glutening ?? ( Villious Atrophy)

Very rarely people can have a severe reaction to topical products that contain gluten/wheat, these include gluten like symptoms of cramps, bloating, diarrhea etc, this is known as Contact Urticaria Syndrome.

I wonder is the whole thing about wheat in creams, shampoo etc blown out of all proportion just to make those that don't know, pay extra for products that say they contain no gluten ingredients.

Has anyone checked exactly what percentage the wheat ingredient accounts for against the weight/volume of the product, .00005 percent or 20PPM is considered gluten free (ie. it will not cause the villi to be damaged)

Immediate contact allergy from hydrolyzed wheat in a cosmetic cream:
http://onlinelibrary...00.00516.x/full

[shadowicewolf]

If they have DH or some sort of skin condition, its not a far strech.

[IrishHeart]

If they have DH or some sort of skin condition, its not a far strech.

This is incorrect, actually, sorry.

DH is not triggered by topical gluten-containing products.

It is triggered by the autoimmune response from digesting gluten.

Dr. Green's book Celiac Disease:The Hidden Epidemic:

"DH is very erratic. Since the skin may not be rid of IgA deposits for more than 2 years after starting a gluten-free diet, flare- ups occur without obvious gluten ingestion. It may take patients a substantial amount of time to erase years of IgA buildup in the skin.

A flare could also be due to inadvertent gluten ingestion, iodine, NSAIDS. If the patient has DH, it may take years for it to get better."


No mention whatsoever of topical applications.

Do people have IgE allergies as well? yes. Urticaria? yes.

But, DH is triggered by ingestion of gluten.

[kareng]

In the US, we have some hair products with wheat germ oil as a main ingredient.. I don't use them because I know I get shampoo, etc in my mouth. I choose to use creams that are gluten-free because I tend to get them on my lips or they stay on my hands. I don't worry about eye shadow or mascara. I have seen oats in some powders. I don't worry about them because the amount of accidental wheat that could, unlikely, be in the tiny tiny bit of oats in the product, doesn't worry me. Of course, lip products should be gluten-free.

I'm sure plenty of people will want to argue with you and I on this. In the US, there are plenty of main stream beauty products, shampoos & lotions that are gluten-free without added cost.

[mushroom]

I have no idea if any topical products containing gluten would harm me, but it is just one less thing to worry about At this stage of my life, that's one of my basic premises

[shadowicewolf]

oh? What about open sores then?

[IrishHeart]

I choose to use creams that are gluten-free because I tend to get them on my lips or they stay on my hands. I don't worry about eye shadow or mascara. I have seen oats in some powders. I don't worry about them because the amount of accidental wheat that could, unlikely, be in the tiny tiny bit of oats in the product, doesn't worry me. Of course, lip products should be gluten-free.

This is pretty much how I choose "beauty" products as well.

Lipstick --and sunscreen or something I may perspire through and have it run in my mouth-- are my main concerns as well.

[come dance with me]

I've just had a quick look at our shampoos, soaps, sunscreens, etc and none of them contain gluten. I actually don't think I've heard of any that do. We don't use make up, I have worn lipstick 3 times in my life, and had full makeup done once at 17, so make up isn't something we would keep in the house at any time. But the other products do not contain gluten and I can't see why they would.

[mushroom]

Manufacturers (and food processors) seem to find a reason to put gluten into thousands of things that we would never anticipate finding them in. Hydrolyzed wheat protein is a big one in personal care products.

[come dance with me]

All of ours are from organic vegan places and nope, they don't contain anything gluten. Not the soaps, not the shampoos, not the sunscreens, not the cleaning products, none of it. I wonder why they would do that.

[tarnalberry]

Why would it be used? Because it has properties that many people want in cosmetic products:

http://www.makingcos...otein-p193.html "Properties: Excellent tensor & film-forming properties (increases firmness of the skin), nourishes and smoothes skin & hair (improves skin feeling & softness), moisture retainer (protects skin & hair from drying out), decreases number and depth of wrinkles, volumizing effects."

http://www.specialch...nt.aspx?id=6057"HYDROLYZED WHEAT PROTEIN is classifed as: ANTISTATIC, HAIR CONDITIONING, SKIN CONDITIONING"

http://www.naturalwe...d_Wheat_Protein
"Modern Uses
Hydrolyzed wheat protein is used today throughout many different cultures and industries. Skin care products contain this type of protein in order to retain water or moisture on the skin. Various skin care products such as moisturizers, lotions, skin care serums and anti aging creams contain hydrolyzed wheat protein to effectively preserve or improve skin moisture. Anti aging creams also have this ingredient to minimize fine lines and wrinkles typical of skin exposed to ultra violet light and as a result of natural aging.
Hair care products on the other hand also improve their quality with hydrolyzed wheat protein as an ingredient. This increases the overall strength of the hair right up to the roots; it makes hair more manageable and can even benefit people who have thinning hair, premature baldness for women and male pattern baldness for men. It can also help repair damaged hair follicles making hair fuller and softer to the touch.
Hydrolyzed wheat protein is also an ingredient in cosmetic preparations such as concealers, face powders and other types of makeup that is used every day. There are lipsticks and lip glosses that also contain this type of protein to improve moisture quality of lips eliminating chaffing and cracking common to lips when they are exposed to dry environments."

[Lesx2]

There is no scientific evidence to back this but I find it interesting that when I have used products with gluten, they cause problems . Not typical problems found when ingesting gluten, but other issues... For example....

Suntan lotion w G = very red sun burn, gluten-free= nice tan
Hand and body lotion w G= sticky skin, gluten-free lotion= soft, silky skin
Shampoo w G= frizzy hair, GFshampoo =soft, silky hair
G mascara= red, itchy eyes, lash breakage, gluten-free mascara = long, lush eyelashes
G eye shadow = red eyes, loses color, gluten-free eyeshadow = clear eyes, longer lasting
Make up w G = pimples, gluten-free make up, clear skin
G soap = dry flaky skin or sticky residue, gluten-free soap normal skin
G laundry soap = itchy clothes or sheets

Does anyone else see weird reactions similar to these?

[pricklypear1971]

There is no scientific evidence to back this but I find it interesting that when I have used products with gluten, they cause problems . Not typical problems found when ingesting gluten, but other issues... For example....

Suntan lotion w G = very red sun burn, gluten-free= nice tan
Hand and body lotion w G= sticky skin, gluten-free lotion= soft, silky skin
Shampoo w G= frizzy hair, GFshampoo =soft, silky hair
G mascara= red, itchy eyes, lash breakage, gluten-free mascara = long, lush eyelashes
G eye shadow = red eyes, loses color, gluten-free eyeshadow = clear eyes, longer lasting
Make up w G = pimples, gluten-free make up, clear skin
G soap = dry flaky skin or sticky residue, gluten-free soap normal skin
G laundry soap = itchy clothes or sheets

Does anyone else see weird reactions similar to these?

Yep.

[irish daveyboy]

Thank you all for your input.

I'm aware that some products from the USA do contain Wheat protein etc (in Europe they don't).

I realise that people can suffer from contact urticaria with these products,
but is it not dangerous to make a blanket statement and say it causes a gluten reaction (defined as damage to the villi) ?

Gluten can only cause a Celiac reaction (villious Atrophy) when ingested, it can not pass trough the skin.

I'm not insinuating that anyone is 'scaremongering' but newly diagnosed Celiacs have enough to worry about with their diet, without having to change all their creams, household cleaners etc because in reality only a small portion of people have problems with contact urticaria.

[1desperateladysaved]

"Gluten can only cause a Celiac reaction (villious Atrophy) when ingested, it can not pass trough the skin."

I am trying to understand:

How do you know? Is Celiac reaction different from reaction? I could say that I react to something; (all of the while) I don't know what kind of reaction it is, right? Also, nobody can see a villious response in each case of glutening, right? So, how can we say this one is a gluten reaction and this one is not?

My skin reacts to pulling barley grass in the garden. This might be an allergy, or gluten, but I know I react to it.

I believe the skin can take in, but I think it mostly dumps out. Still, I would think the potential is there to let gluten in. Or Is it too big?