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Anyone Experienced Dry Itchy Skin After Using Shampoo With Wheat In It?

pellegrino

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pellegrino Apprentice
pellegrino
Posted

I just realized the Bumble and Bumble Thickening shampoo I've been using for at least the last nine months might have wheat in it. The ingredients on the bottle don't mention wheat. But I thought I'd check the website. The ingredients on the bottle are as follows.

Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera), Panthenol (Vitamin B5), Glycerin, Myristamine Oxide, Polyquaternium 10, Polyquaternium 11, Acetamide MEA, Sorbitol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Ext Violet 2 (CI 60730), Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Limonene, Fragrance (Parfum)

But when I check the website (Open Original Shared Link), they list the following as "key ingredients."

* Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

* Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract

* Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract

* HYDROLIZED WHEAT PROTEIN

* HYDROLIZED WHEAT STARCH

* Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5)

* Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil

* Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)

* WHEAT AMINO ACIDS

What gives? Are some of the crazy long words on the bottle code for wheat? Because "wheat" is certainly not printed anywhere on my bottle. Maybe they've changed the formula? But I just purchased my bottle a few weeks ago. I'll ask them about this.

When I first went gluten free (about a year and a half ago) I started becoming concerned about ingredients in personal products. Not just wheat, but chemicals I couldn't pronounce. I tried a couple natural shampoos I bought at Whole Foods, whose ingredients I know I checked for wheat. They didn't have any. I have short, fine, oily hair and these natural shampoos were just not working for me. When I asked my hair stylist about them, she said all the natural products in the shampoo can weigh down fine hair and make it feel even greasier. So I went back to my old on-and-off favorite Bumble and Bumble back in January, obviously not thinking much of it.

During the winter I started having problems with really really dry skin, which I'd never had before, even during Midwest winters. I was itchy and dry all over and I believe developed eczema. I've always had sensitive skin, but never eczema. My elbow pits were red and dry and itchy and raw. I stared getting itchy welts every so often (which I've since realized happened only when I was taking Freeda brand vitamins, so I stopped using those).

I tried coconut oil, shea butter, and unscented Badger balm, but nothing seemed to help much. A friend with eczema recommended using original Eucerin lotion. I began using it in the spring and it really seemed to help. The dry elbow pits disappeared. I also moved back to the Pacific Northwest in the spring and attributed the improvement to the increase in moisture.

But now my dry skin is back like it's never been before! My scalp has been real itchy the past few months and my skin is soooo dry it's flaking - especially near my stomach and on the sides of my hips - like I've gotten a bad sunburn. This is despite covering my body every morning after a shower with Eucerin. I did get a really bad sunburn back in August, that peeled for almost two weeks. I've never had a sunburn like that before and am wondering if I damaged my skin from that, if that has something to do with my dry skin now.

But now I find out the shampoo I've been using for months might have wheat in it! Could the dry skin be related?

I don't think it's the soap I'm using, as I switch between Kiss My Face olive oil soap and Whole Foods brand unscented soap, which I believe just has vegetable oils in it. The only medication I'm currently taking is Ziana, which is a topical acne gel I use on my face. I've used it before and I don't think it would be affecting the skin on my whole body like this. My face, maybe. But my whole body, that just isn't one of the side effects listed. I also use plain Seventh Generation laundry detergent, which I can't imagine would have anything to do with this.

Other than that I've been taking New Chapter Every Woman Once Daily vitamins. But only for a few weeks. The dry skin has been going on for longer than that. I haven't been to the doctor in a while, as I don't currently have insurance, so I'm sure my Vitamin D and Calcium levels might be low. Could that be causing the dry skin?

I have been eating more dairy than usual and was thinking maybe that could have something to do with the dry skin.

But now I find out this shampoo might have wheat in it. I know some celiacs are okay with using shampoo (or other personal products) with wheat in it, and others aren't. I'm just interested in hearing from anyone who might have noticed symptoms similar to mine as a result of using shampoo with wheat in it. Obviously I'm not swallowing the stuff. And I thought I read that your skin doesn't absorb wheat in shampoo. But I have to think maybe it is affecting my skin somehow. What have doctors said about this?

If you've switched to gluten free shampoo, can you recommend anything for fine hair, that isn't so filled with natural stuff that it'll weight my already oily hair down? I don't like the idea of using chemical filled shampoo, but I just don't think most of the natural stuff will work for me. I can't stand super strong artificially scented shampoos like Herbal Essences either. The Bumble and Bumble scent I don't mind though, it's subtle.

Alright, I've gone on for way too long. I'm just frustrated, my skin was never this dry before going gluten free, which is so frustrating!

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sansglutengrl Explorer
sansglutengrl
Posted

So I don't know if this helps, but WHENEVER I use ANY product with wheat - shampoo, mousse, body lotion, makeup, face cream - ANYTHING - I get these tiny little bumps all over my skin, sort of like pimples but smaller and they itch but don't pop.

I also have super fine hair that I have tried probably 3 million products on in my life so far - and honestly, the best stuff that I've found so far is Suave shampoo. They will always list wheat clearly on the label, and I've only seen a few of their professional line shampoos have wheat as an ingredient. I usually just pick which smell I like the best and go from there. :) They are really affordable and to be completely honest - and I have tried EVERYTHING - there's little to no difference between it and the fancy stuff.

Two extra products that you might try for the fine-ness and oily-ness of your hair: Organix coconut milk mousse (use one pump before you blow dry, adds all day volume and texture but is not heavy), and good ol' fashion Baby powder (puff some on your hairbrush mid-day to take out some of the oil).

Hope this helps!

MaryJones2 Enthusiast
MaryJones2
Posted

My skin goes nuts when it comes in contact with wheat. If it's shampoo I get a really bad itchy poision-ivy like rash on my scalp. If it's hand soap my skin gets really dry and flaky. I have very fine hair and use Garnier.

trcn Apprentice
trcn
Posted
But now I find out this shampoo might have wheat in it. I know some celiacs are okay with using shampoo (or other personal products) with wheat in it, and others aren't. I'm just interested in hearing from anyone who might have noticed symptoms similar to mine as a result of using shampoo with wheat in it. Obviously I'm not swallowing the stuff. And I thought I read that your skin doesn't absorb wheat in shampoo. But I have to think maybe it is affecting my skin somehow. What have doctors said about this?

If you've switched to gluten free shampoo, can you recommend anything for fine hair, that isn't so filled with natural stuff that it'll weight my already oily hair down? I don't like the idea of using chemical filled shampoo, but I just don't think most of the natural stuff will work for me. I can't stand super strong artificially scented shampoos like Herbal Essences either. The Bumble and Bumble scent I don't mind though, it's subtle.

Alright, I've gone on for way too long. I'm just frustrated, my skin was never this dry before going gluten free, which is so frustrating!

I haven't posted in a while, but I am compelled to respond to this one. I, for one, suffer horribly when I use any hair product with gluten in it. I itch for days on my scalp, face and hands. My major symptom is hair loss, whether I eat gluten (or casein, soy or yeast) or get it on my scalp. It's a different mechanism, but results in the same symptoms...

I am now trying Loreal Color Vive (red bottle for dry hair) and I'm not sure yet... there is soy in it and I might be having a slight contact reaction to that. Otherwise, they state it is gluten free.

Best wishes,

Tracy

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