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Frizzy, Dry Hair After Year gluten-free

sreese68

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sreese68 Enthusiast
sreese68
Posted

Help! I'm trying to figure out what's going on with my hair and how to fix it. Nutritional supplement or new hair products… It's gotten very frizzy and dry. My bangs haven't needed to be cut lately because the hairs seem to break off at the end! My hair stylist said that she heard people who go gluten free for awhile end up with this problem. I would think hair quality would improve, though??

[edited to add: dehydration couldn't cause, this could it? I've been thirsty a LOT, and salty foods make it much worse. Also dry in other parts of my body. Plan to see a doc soon about it.]

On the one hand, I have multiple food intolerances, so my diet is very restricted. I do take a multivitamin, but maybe my diet is missing something? On the other hand, maybe I'm mistreating it? My hair has always been thin and fine. It has a wave to it, but I've been straightening it with a hot iron for years without damaging it. I have recently been getting it dyed about every 6 weeks (2 shades of red and 1 of blonde) where in the past it'd be more like every 3 months. So not sure if I'm damaging it with getting it colored?

I've tried a moisturizing treatment and a moisturizing shampoo by Carol's Daughter. It's only a temporary fix to the frizzy look, and if I use them too much, my hair starts to look oily.

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Mom23boys Contributor
Mom23boys
Posted

It sounds like your body is missing healthy oils -- olive oils, avocado, salmon, flax seeds...

sreese68 Enthusiast
sreese68
Posted
  • Author

It sounds like your body is missing healthy oils -- olive oils, avocado, salmon, flax seeds...

Thanks for your suggestion! I do have olive oil on grits every morning and on potatoes every night. Would that be enough?

1974girl Enthusiast
1974girl
Posted

I am not gluten free and my hair is very dry from coloring every 6 weeks. That may be the problem. I found some Organix shampoo that is free from sulfates and gluten (my dd has to use it for celiac). It is at Walgreens in a red bottle. ONLY the red. I love how one they advertise is GLUTEN FREE. The others they advertise as WHEAT PROTEIN! Sorry- rant. Anyway, that shampoo helped alot.

Takala Enthusiast
Takala
Posted

It could be a combination of things. What you are doing to your hair already (the multiple dyes and the hot iron) is very challenging, especially past the age of 30. And it takes hair a while to grow out, it only grows at most a 1/2" a month.

The hairdresser is wrong. Going gluten free in of itself will not cause hair to become dry and brittle, as long as the diet is balanced. A lot of people find their hair improved (myself included). But there are other physical conditions that may occur, which go along with being gluten intolerant or celiac which affect the health of hair, such as thyroid problems. You mentioned dryness... this could be the auto immune condition Sjogren's syndrome. Open Original Shared Link

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

Help! I'm trying to figure out what's going on with my hair and how to fix it. Nutritional supplement or new hair products… It's gotten very frizzy and dry. My bangs haven't needed to be cut lately because the hairs seem to break off at the end! My hair stylist said that she heard people who go gluten free for awhile end up with this problem. I would think hair quality would improve, though??

[edited to add: dehydration couldn't cause, this could it? I've been thirsty a LOT, and salty foods make it much worse. Also dry in other parts of my body. Plan to see a doc soon about it.]

On the one hand, I have multiple food intolerances, so my diet is very restricted. I do take a multivitamin, but maybe my diet is missing something? On the other hand, maybe I'm mistreating it? My hair has always been thin and fine. It has a wave to it, but I've been straightening it with a hot iron for years without damaging it. I have recently been getting it dyed about every 6 weeks (2 shades of red and 1 of blonde) where in the past it'd be more like every 3 months. So not sure if I'm damaging it with getting it colored?

I've tried a moisturizing treatment and a moisturizing shampoo by Carol's Daughter. It's only a temporary fix to the frizzy look, and if I use them too much, my hair starts to look oily.

You may want to get your thyroid checked as that is one of the symptoms of hypothyroid. My hair improved dramatically once my thyroid was treated.

Coloring your hair should not dry it out unless you use cheaper products. OTC color is not as good as salon color. I color my hair every 4 weeks as my hair grows very fast. I use Framesi hair color, which is applied with a creme peroxide base....deep conditioning. My hair is shiny and full. I also trim it every 4 weeks, at the same time as my color. If you trim your hair often, it results in faster growth and you constantly have newer growth, which should make hair healthier. You are constantly cutting off the dryer ends so they don't end up breaking.

The other ideas presented here are good ones also. You could have a vitamin deficiency or be lacking in essential oils. But, please, get your thyroid checked as that is a major symptom....dry, brittle hair with slow growth.

On more thing.....I have Sjogren's Syndrome and yes, that should be checked out too. It can cause all sorts of dryness problems with skin and hair. That's another reason I trim my hair often, to prevent dryness. If I can make my hair healthy, anyone can!

GFreeMO Proficient
GFreeMO
Posted

This stuff is a miracle hair rescue. Original Sprout Miracle Detangler leave in conditioner. Check it out. It's all gluten free..the entire line and this one is full of good things for your hair.

Open Original Shared Link

I just use Suave shampoo and conditioner and then I spray it with this. I have really long hair and this stuff really works.

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    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

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    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

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    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

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      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
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      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

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      Contact them.
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