Hair Coloring Products?

[Teri Lou]

Hi All- I have been doing very well on my gluten free diet, but yesterday got my hair colored for the first time and became very ill- chills shaking rash nausea diarrhea.....I know gluten can be found in shampoos etc is it also present in hair coloring products?

Thanks in advance for any info/ help

Teri

[ravenwoodglass]

It is present in some. Do you color at home or at a salon? If at home Garneir labels gluten clearly, Herbatint (a natural product found in the health food stores or organic sections of some grocery stores) is safe as long as you don't use the conditioner packet that comes with it. There are others that are also safe but the Garneir is the one I use so I haven't checked others lately. Always make sure you do a patch test 48 hours before coloring as anyone can be allergic to one or more of the ingredients. If you did the color in a salon go back and ask to read the label of the ingredients and let them know you reacted. They need to be aware for next time and may refund what you paid for the coloring.

[Teri Lou]

Thanks for the information Raven- I think I may just try an at home one next time....it was a really horrible reaction...I will still call them to find out if it contained gluten, but based on my surprise response I would suspect that it is.

[ravenwoodglass]

Thanks for the information Raven- I think I may just try an at home one next time....it was a really horrible reaction...I will still call them to find out if it contained gluten, but based on my surprise response I would suspect that it is.

Please make sure that you do a patch test even if the color is gluten free. Your reaction sounds like it was severe. Are you covering grey? I ask because you mentioned it was the first time you had ever colored. If you wanted your hair to have some highlights or to be a bit blonder then some lemon juice and a bit of time in the sun might be a better way to go.

[ladymiss]

hi, wanted to share my experience. please be careful dying your hair again. you could just be allergic to the harsh hair dye chemicals-not necessarily a gluten response.

two months before i had my all out health crisis, which lead me to discover my intolerance to gluten, i had an allergic reaction to hair dye. it was severe- 'D', a panic attack feeling (this is from the rush of histamines), inability to speak, think much or stand up. a buzzing feeling in extremities. i went to the hospital. never did my throat close. whew. i later read that this type of response is called 'anaphylactoid' instead of anaphylactic - because it is serious and of the same variety, but not the dreaded anaphylaxis allergic reaction. PPD is the chemical that often causes hair dye allergy.

prior to having this sort of reaction to hair dye, i had a few warnings- where after dying my hair i would feel a little keyed up or have a slight burning sensation on my scalp. but i dismissed it....didn't want to believe it could/would get worse.

finally, i think my overall vitality was just going down hill- so had i been in a healthier state, perhaps i wouldn't have had the reaction? i'll never know for sure. afterward, i was not well for about a week until i flushed the 'poison' out of my scalp/skin/system. (epsom salt bath helped). and after this i began to have all sorts of sensitivities for a while including food and even new food allergies. then overall health crisis- chronic fatigue, brain fog, muscle aches, weight loss. all of this was later attributed to long term systemic irritation due to gluten intolerance.

so thanks for reading. just wanted to share in case it helps someone. be careful with hair dye. the allergy can be worse next time. best wishes...

[jeana]

I would love to hear more feedback about hair dyes. I have been gluten free about 6 weeks. At least once a week I end up being accidentally exposed. ( Learning curve) Tuesday, I had my hair dyed for the first time since I have been off gluten. During the process, I began sneezing. By that night, I had a severe headache and muscle aches all over my body. It is the same exact reaction I have to gluten. In addition to Celiac, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and Sjogrens. ( All autoimmune) Since I have gone gluten free, my other symptoms have been decreased by at least 50%.

What ingredients should I watch out for in hair dye? I know wheat protein is one. Unfortunately,the sun does not cover gray. :-(

Thanks in advance for any help!

[kareng]

I would love to hear more feedback about hair dyes. I have been gluten free about 6 weeks. At least once a week I end up being accidentally exposed. ( Learning curve) Tuesday, I had my hair dyed for the first time since I have been off gluten. During the process, I began sneezing. By that night, I had a severe headache and muscle aches all over my body. It is the same exact reaction I have to gluten. In addition to Celiac, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and Sjogrens. ( All autoimmune) Since I have gone gluten free, my other symptoms have been decreased by at least 50%.

What ingredients should I watch out for in hair dye? I know wheat protein is one. Unfortunately,the sun does not cover gray. :-(

Thanks in advance for any help!

I don't know about the hair dye, it doesn't bother me & it stays away from my mouth & hands. My stylist does like to spray de-tangler, body boosters, hair spray, etc. Some of them have Wheat germ oil listed.