More On Moisturizers

[plumbago]

2011

I'm a little bit picky when it comes to the moisturizing cream I put on my face. I tend to like the high end stuff, using the less 'boutique' brands the minority of the time. What I've been finding, though, is that there is a mid-level price range of moisturizers that are gluten free. These seem to nearly exclusively be available at health food stores and Whole Foods:

Desert Essence Daily Essential Moisturizer - not expensive at all. But the main difference I find between the high-end, boutique moisturizers and the less expensive ones is the way they are absorbed into your skin. This one kind of seems to lay over top, a bit stickily. Oh well. So therefore I don't use it as much. This is available at the Whole Foods in DC.

Shikai Borage Dry Skin Therapy Facial 24-hour repair cream - Despite an initial odor that I wasn't crazy about - doesn't last - this is a really good moisturizer that I like. The problem I'm finding is, it's not available at all Whole Foods stores. And not many health food stores either.

MyChelle Pumpkin Renew Cream - This is also a really good cream, that touts itself as gluten-free. I buy it at Whole Foods. It smells great. They have a whole system, including a cleanser, rinse, but I don't go for that.

There are a couple of Yonka products (creme 11 among them) I have used (and have been using pre-diagnosis) that the woman who sells them to me assures me are gluten free. My own research, though not conclusive, seems to bear this out.

For facial cleanser, I have been using Peter Thomas Roth, and Cetaphil. I think PTR is gluten-free. Does anyone know about cetaphil?

For hand lotion, I have recently discovered that Trader Joe's makes a huge barrel of the stuff that is gluten-free, called Midsummer Night's Cream. I called, left messages, etc. They called me back from TJ's and said yes, it is gluten-free. I really like it.

I have also heard Cera Ve is gluten-free. But I'm not sure if that is the whole line or not.

Plumbago

[Marilyn R]

Waa! I wish we had a Trader Joes here. Thanks for the good post! What are you using for make-up? I've struggled with make-up for over a year now.

I made a big purchase from one of the sponsors a year ago. The only thing I liked was the blush. But the brushes were nice. We have a local source of a nice facial cream that has royal jelly, aloe, vitamin e and a that I really like. It's creamy, not greasy and doesn't give me any problems. The only thing is that they don't show up where I expect them to (craft festivals, et.) and I'm out of it now! It ism't cheap, but like it better than anything I've tried.

I was shopping in a Jesus House of Hope Thrift Store and found a lotion for 50 cents by Grandma and Me Handmade Lotion. The ingredients were water, olive oil, mango and shea butter, emulsifying wax, fragrence oil. I'd like more of that, even though it has too much of a scent, and is best applied at night. I searched for a website and considered starting to try to make my own. Like that's gonna happen!

[eatmeat4good]

Here is some information on Cetaphil that was discussed here recently.

[plumbago]

Marilyn,

I don't wear makeup, only Mary Kay lipstick, which the dealer promises is gluten-free.

Eat Meat - thanks for the link to the discussion on Cetaphil (updated on the last post). Wow. Down to one for sure gluten-free product. So that must mean that the foaming cleanser that I sometimes also use contains gluten.

[T.H.]

Plumbago,

Do you know which of these companies test for gluten to ensure they are gluten free, by any chance? We've been looking for some good gluten free products, but I haven't had time yet to check out the lotions and see which ones might be testing as gluten free, you know?

Too often I'm finding companies that don't test and call their products gluten free anyway, sigh. Very frustrating!

[plumbago]

I do not. I have not drilled down to such detail (yet). I just know that the Shikai brand and the MyChelle brand kind of go out of their way to let you know they're gluten free.

SUNSCREEN and MOSQUITO REPELLANT

I left these out of my original posting. I have heard Coppertone (except for one variety) is gluten free. And something I got at WF (really thick though): Badger.

I purchased a tube of Coppertone sport 50 SPF ultra sweatproof. And I purchased Badger SPF 30 + unscented sunscreen.

On the Internet I read that both are gluten-free.

As for mosquito repellant, I've been using Repel, and I have no idea if that is gluten-free or not

I have called neither Coppertone nor Badger to see if they test for gluten.

Good question.

[FernW]

CeraVe is gluten free but not cheap. It was given to me by a gluten-free doctor. Its put out by Coria Laboratories Inc. in Fort Worth, TX WWW.CerVe.com I use the hydrating cleanser since my skin is so dry.

[shayre]

If you are looking for good high-end face cleanser, moisturizer, toner and the works...Arbonne International is great and gluten free. They are a swedish company. They also have make-up and vitamins/supplement lines that are gluten free. I use the whole line of face product and have been doing it for about 5 yrs or so, because it's works the best on my face...and no breaking out. I have very sensitive skin. It is also a "natural" product. They also have a men's line. I don't really wear much make up so I only tried a powder and eyeliner, and liked my usual brand better...Clinique and Lancome. I have not tried the supplements. I order my product online, but through a local salesperson. You could probably go online to see who lives by you that sells it. You can order it through that person, or asked to be signed up to order online like me. It is not cheap, but if you sign up for a special program...I think that you get a 30% discount. I have to say that I love it, and am not sure that I will ever be brave enough to switch...even though I'd love to spend less money!!!!!!!

[plumbago]

Great. Thank you for the recommendation! I will check it out.

Plumbago

Added: Actually after googling them, it seems that they are probably Swiss, not Swedish. The word "scam" sometimes with a question mark sometimes not, also came up fairly often. I guess I could still just buy the products, not become an actual salesperson, but still. Not sure now.

[organicmama]

I would make sure to look up Arbonne products you're considering in the "Skin Deep" toxicity database. I had someone trying to sell me their products, and although the marketing touts how natural and pure they were, many were more toxic than average.