Gluten Free and Tasty!

From their websites:

Does Aquafresh® contain any gluten?
Aquafresh® toothpaste does not contain gluten.


Do any Crest products contain gluten?
No current Crest products contain gluten. (Based on this, I plan to switch to Crest mouthwash. I use Colgate toothpaste, but their answer is too toothpaste-oriented for my preference.)


Does Colgate toothpaste contain gluten?
Gluten is not present in any of our toothpastes or raw materials.


Head & Shoulders
We know Celiac is a serious disease, so we want to give you clear information regarding the use of Head & Shoulders. All of our products are gluten free. (This is good to know, but I am still glad I switched to a shampoo that is also free of . But if those types of things don't bother you, and you're simply looking for an easy to find GF Shampoo/Conditioner, H&S may be a good choice for you!)

Bounce Fabric Softeners
No Fabric Softners products contain gluten. (Confirmed in e-mail this morning.)

Arm & Hammer
ARM & HAMMER® UltraMax® Deodorant Anti-Perspirant and ARM & HAMMER® Super Scoop Fragrance Free Cat Litter** do not contain gluten. We do not knowingly include gluten in our formulation for ARM & HAMMER® Liquid Laundry Detergent. However, we can not verify whether gluten may be present below reportable limits in the proprietary materials we obtain from our suppliers.

If you have any questions or concerns in the future, please feel free to contact our Consumer Relations Department at 1-800-248-8820 between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm ET or visit our corporate web site at: www.churchdwight.com. (Confirmed in email this morning.)

** I asked about their kitty litter for 2 reasons: 1, I don't want to touch it if there is gluten in it. 2, Our cat is also gluten intolerant! Soon, I'll cover some gluten free cat foods. I don't have a dog, but if this is something you'd like me to look into for YOUR dog, please drop me a line and I'll check it out and blog about it! :-)

Topcare (Topco Associates LLC
Allergy Chlorpheniramine Maleate Antihistamine
NDC 36800-463-62
4-Hour Relief
Relieves:
Runny Nose
Sneezing
Itchy, Watery Eyes
Itchy Throat

24 Tablets

Active ingredient in each tablet:
Chlorpheniramine Maleate, 4mg (Antihistamine)

Inactive ingredients: corn starch, D&C yellow no. 10, lactose, magnesium stearate

I called TopCo at 1-888-423-0139 two-three days ago to find out if it was gluten free. I was pretty sure it was safe, but wanted to verify it. They called back this morning to say there is NO GLUTEN in it! I am particularly happy about this because this is the only anti-histamine that works well for me, but until now, I've only been able to find it in Children's Chewable Triaminic ... where it has been sweetened by ASPARTAME! So, I've been dealing with having to take less anti-histamine then I would have liked due to my poor reaction to aspartame - for years now. I am so relieved to find this medication all by itself. I can't swallow pills, but I far prefer a bitter, unsweetened medication over aspartame, sucralose (splenda), etcetera. (Even better, we bought about 8 packs, on sale for $1.00 each!).

The anti-histamine not only helps my seasonal allergies, but also relieves the itching I get on my hands (and sometimes legs) when I come in physical, non-digestive contact with gluten.

* Please remember to check ingredients and company websites as ingredient/supplier information could change at any time.

As I have learned recently, some of us on the gluten-free diet must also abstain from touching gluten! Whole new ballgame now.

So over the last week, I set off to learn what I could about gluten in personal care products, and find out which were safe for me to use.

I had already determined that my shampoo made my hands burn, and they'd hurt more afterwards, but I had always thought - well, it's just because they are broken out/apart, and left it at that. Now I realize it was a gluten reaction - without even having to digest it (trace amounts swallowed when soapy water runs down your face not withstanding).

If you've ever read a shampoo bottle, you know how difficult it is to determine what exactly is in there to begin with; many names are listed by their chemical make-up, which tells the average consumer absolutely nothing.

Yesterday, we took a trip to Earth Fare, in Johnson City, TN, for a gluten free shopping trip. We only had food items on the list, but since it is a grocery store, I decided to check out their personal care items.

We came home with shampoo and conditioner from Desert Organics* which are labeled 100% wheat and gluten free! (Also free of many other things as well.) I got Lemon Tea Tree - which actually turned out to smell a bit like Pledge! I am pleased to report, however, that after the shower, as my hair dries, it has merely retained a "nice fruity smell".

Neither the shampoo nor conditioner made my hands hurt at all during use. Usually, the shampoo/conditioner makes my hands burn badly within seconds. As I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair, I loved the silky, smooth feeling my hair had -- and is retaining even as it (air) dries!

I opted not to put anything on my hands or take any medications that I usually do post-shower. I haven't needed them. It's an AMAZING difference!


* Please not that one of their shampoos we looked at (Coconut, I believe) was NOT Gluten Free - I believe it had wheat in it. I don't think the Coconut Lotion did though, so be sure you read your labels carefully!

Okay, so the other day, we received our weekly (or so) mailing from Proctor & Gamble. Usually, these are just coupons - some we can use, some we can't. But this most recent mailing was a product sample for a shampoo and conditioner called Fekkai. Apparently this is a "high class" hair product.

We already have a brand or two that we like, and more importantly, can afford, but hey, free shampoo is free shampoo, so I set it aside as I went through the rest of the mail.

A few days later, I peel the sample packets out of the mailer they came in and flip them over to take a look at the ingredients. Have you ever noticed that many low-end and high-end shampoos contain, more less, the same ingredients? And of course, most shampoo ingredients are chemicals that the average person cannot decipher sources for.

But this product has a lot of natural things - like grape seed extract, so I'm able to recognize what many things are....

And then I come to, HYDROLYZED WHEAT PROTEIN!

Great, just what I wanted in my gluten-free house! And hydrolyzed to boot (hydrolyzed, lipolyzed, autolyzed, etcetera, brings MSG into the picture on top of the already bad gluten).

Why, you may ask, do I care if gluten is in shampoo? Surely, you're not going to EAT the shampoo?

Well, no, of course I'm not going to eat it -- but just about everyone's had the experience of having soap dribble down your face and into your mouth. You'll spit it out, of course, but there's a chance you'll ingest some of it. And there goes all my careful diet planning, ruined by SHAMPOO.

Also, there are some people who have ALLERGIES to gluten, not just an intolerance, and will react to a topical gluten without ingesting anything.

Unfortunately, as a non-edible product, there is no "Allergen warning" on shampoo packages. At least, I've yet to see one.