What About Gluten On Stamps, Envelopes, In Cosmetics, Etc.

[tex]

Here's what the British Coeliac association, Coeliac UK, has to say about this topic:

Gluten in non-edible items

Gluten often ends up in the most surprising products and Coeliac UK has investigated several items.

Gum on postage stamps and envelopes
Extensive enquiries with the Post Office and the manufacturers of envelopes have shown that the gum used in these products is gluten-free and perfectly safe for coeliacs.

Face cream
For gluten to affect you, it needs to be digested. Any products you apply to your hair or skin, like face cream that contain wheat germ oil, will not affect your coeliac disease.

Cosmetics
The only cosmetics you need to be wary of are those you apply to your lips as these could be digested. If the ingredients are not listed on the packaging you should speak to the manufacturer. However, the amount of gluten that is likely to be in a product such as a lipstick is small, so you would need to digest a large amount to cause a reaction.

You may still be sensitive to ingredients in cosmetics, but this has nothing to do with coeliac disease.

This is from:

http://www.coeliac.co.uk/other/TextOnly ... FontSize=4

So, it would appear that if you react to products of this type, the reactions are likely to be some sort of classic allergic reactions, rather than coeliac reactions to the gluten that they contain.

Tex

[tcorbett]

Tex,

I agree that if you react on your skin it could be an allergic reaction. There is a form of Celiac that some folks have skin reactions. But, I feel that anything you use on your body should be GF. I don't eat my shampoo, but there are times it gets on my lips, if my hand lotion has gluten in it and I prepare food or eat food with my hands, then it gets on my food. So, I don't use any gluten containing products in my house. my dish detergent is even GF. I touch enough gluten with having my family non-GF that I don't need it on my body!!! lol! Those are just my thoughts, my dietician also suggested going completely GF. Maybe it's different for me since I have MC and Celiac disease, so I am more sensitive.

Thanks for all you do Tex!

T

[tex]

Theresa,

You are correct. Another form of celiac disease is the skin disease known as dermatitis herpetiformis, and anyone who has dermatitis herpetiformis, (DH), should definitely avoid skin contact with gluten. And yes, if you use skin care products that contain gluten, (even if you aren't subject to DH), you definitely have to be careful about getting it into your food or your mouth. And some of us are indeed more sensitive than others. We have one member who even had a severe reaction following intimate contact with her partner, who had just showered and used a soap that contained gluten. She figured out the connection, and suggested he change soap, and that resolved the problem.

Tex

[TooManyHats]

I've ordered g/f s/f skin care products and makeup. I recently emailed Seventh Generation and this is what they told me:

While I am happy to say we do not employ the use of any gluten or wheat (outside of our feminine care pads) we do employ the use of soy derivatives in about 90% of our products. We've got you all set on one hand but the soy may be an issue.

Can anyone recommend a fragrance free dish and dishwasher detergent that is g/f and s/f? I'm not sure if I should look for a different laundry detergent as well.

[tex]

I use plain old Joy, but it does contain an unnamed fragrance:

Water , Sodium Lauryl Sulfate , Sodium Pareth-23 , C12-14-16 Dimethyl Amine Oxide , SD Alcohol 40-B , Undeceth-9 , PPG-26 , Sodium Chloride , Cyclohexanediamine , Polyacetate , Fragrance , FD&C Yellow #5 , D&C Red No. 33

Tex

[MBombardier]

Well, I don't know how crafty you are, but in the homeschooling community, where there are lots of big families including tiny babies with sensitive skin , many make their own laundry soap and other soaps out of necessity because it is so much less expensive, and also better for you. Here are a number of recipes for both laundry and dishwasher detergent.

I will say that on the dishwasher detergent I have gone back to Kirkland brand from Costco because the natural soaps tend to leave stains on the dishes, and in my particular dishwasher, I also started to have a mold problem, probably because of the lack of bleach combined with junk in the drain that needs to be cleaned out.

http://tipnut.com/homemade-dishwasher-detergent-recipes

http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-s ... nt-recipes

Also, here is a list of the difference in ingredients between Dr. Bronner's castile soap and other organic liquid soaps. We use Dr. Bronner's for hand and bath soap. Campers use it for just about everything from shampoo to laundry to dish soap. The nice thing about Dr. Bronner's is that it is concentrated so a few drops goes a very long way.

http://www.drbronner.com/pdf/soapstemplatepdf.pdf

[TooManyHats]

Well, I don't know how crafty you are, but in the homeschooling community, where there are lots of big families including tiny babies with sensitive skin , many make their own laundry soap and other soaps out of necessity because it is so much less expensive, and also better for you. Here are a number of recipes for both laundry and dishwasher detergent.

I will say that on the dishwasher detergent I have gone back to Kirkland brand from Costco because the natural soaps tend to leave stains on the dishes, and in my particular dishwasher, I also started to have a mold problem, probably because of the lack of bleach combined with junk in the drain that needs to be cleaned out.

http://tipnut.com/homemade-dishwasher-detergent-recipes

http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-s ... nt-recipes

Also, here is a list of the difference in ingredients between Dr. Bronner's castile soap and other organic liquid soaps. We use Dr. Bronner's for hand and bath soap. Campers use it for just about everything from shampoo to laundry to dish soap. The nice thing about Dr. Bronner's is that it is concentrated so a few drops goes a very long way.

http://www.drbronner.com/pdf/soapstemplatepdf.pdf

I have Dr. Bonner's. Unfortunately, it has soy (isn't that the vitamin E?). I know I read the label on my bottle and saw the soy. This is much harder than the gluten issue.

I respectfully disagree with the notion that what we put on our skin has no effect on our digestion. Our skin is the largest "organ" in our body. It definitely absorbs what we put on it. If it didn't those medication patches such as the nicotine patch and the Ritalin patches would not work. Many other medications come in patch form as well. I'm not taking any chances, I'm feeling well and he**-bent on staying that way!

Still stuck for dish liquid and dishwasher liquid--especially due to the fact that Seventh Generation has soy in it and I eat out of those dishes. The fragrances make me break out in an itchy rash from an allergy to Balsam of Peru--cinnamon, ginger, cloves, vanilla, and fragrances in EVERYTHING. No perfume for me.

[tex]

I respectfully disagree with the notion that what we put on our skin has no effect on our digestion. Our skin is the largest "organ" in our body. It definitely absorbs what we put on it. If it didn't those medication patches such as the nicotine patch and the Ritalin patches would not work. Many other medications come in patch form as well. I'm not taking any chances, I'm feeling well and he**-bent on staying that way!

I hear you. I used to feel the same way, but research shows that unless one has actual skin allergies, (such as DH, or eczema, etc.), it doesn't matter. True, we can absorb many chemicals and hormones through our skin, but remember that the skin is not part of the digestive system, and anything absorbed through the skin becomes systemic, (not specifically targeted to the GI system).

I am very sensitive to gluten, and I own a seed cleaning plant. I have cleaned many truckloads of wheat, (for planting seed, feed, and for flour), and during the unloading process, (and sometimes during the cleaning process), I always end up breathing a fair amount of wheat dust, (including wheat flour), and it inevitably gets on my my skin. It's impossible to avoid it, if you are around it enough. I am careful not to get any in my mouth, of course, and I wash my hands and face before taking a drink, etc., and I have never had a reaction because of skin contact.

That said, obviously, the less contact one has with wheat, (or rye, or barley, or oats, for that matter), the better one's chances of not accidentally becoming "glutened". We are not likely to get into trouble because of being "too careful", whereas obviously, the opposite is not true. If we take enough chances, sooner or later, we will regret it.

I have to avoid scented soaps also, including detergents and hand soaps, and I have to wear long-sleeve shirts, because my skin is allergic to grass, (the leaves, not the seeds), and possibly a few other things. That includes the leaves of wheat and corn, (they are both members of the grass family), and I have grown many, many acres of both wheat and corn, over the decades. Unscented Tide, and Kirk's Castile Soap works for me.

http://www.kirksnatural.com/

Tex

[Bifcus16]

Well, I have been trying to get hold of some GF skin care products lately, since something has been getting me and I don't know what it is.

I noticed that when I used moisturiser, it didn't seem to wash off easily. Which makes sense, as it would be a waste if it washed off too easily. So that means when I handle food to cook or eat, there will be traces on my hands.

I also know that shampoo and conditioner will get onto my hands in the shower and I know it gets onto my face. So therefore it gets onto my lips. And what gets on my lips...

Agree, it won't be much. But I have definitely been reacting to something and want to eliminate this if I can.

Of course, it could be something completely new I react to.

Lyn

[TooManyHats]

Here's where I ordered my skin care products from. http://www.gfsoap.com/ (Fragrance-Free Casein-Free Gluten-Free Corn-Free Soy-Free Dye-Free Peanut-Free)

I use Free and Clear shampoo and conditioner, not because it's such great stuff, but because it's also fragrance free, g/f and s/f and MUCH less expensive. I order that from drugstore.com I started using Free and Clear when I was diagnosed with the allergy to Balsam of Peru. Now it's an added bonus that it's also g/f and s/f.

I'm still stuck with Seventh Generation for dish detergent and dishwasher detergent. So far it doesn't seem to be a problem. I'll have to get much stricter if it seems to be a problem.

[tex]

I noticed that when I used moisturiser, it didn't seem to wash off easily. Which makes sense, as it would be a waste if it washed off too easily. So that means when I handle food to cook or eat, there will be traces on my hands.

That's exactly why I use Kirk's Castile hand soap - it actually cleans my hands - completely, but it's not abrasive, like Lava soap, and other "industrial grade" handsoaps. Most beauty soaps leave a residue to "protect the skin". In fact, since Kirk's actually cleans my hands all the way down to the skin, during the winter season, I have to follow it with a hand conditioner every time, or my hands will be too dry, and the skin will crack. I use a product called "Hand Medic", which was originally developed for use by professional meat cutters, and for a few years, it was available through wholesale channels, only. During the last couple of years, though, Gojo has been packaging it in smaller containers, and selling it on the retail market, and I've even seen it at Wally-World. It is superior to anything that I have ever been able to find for the purpose. The only ingredient on the label that I recognize as a potential problem for a few people, is cyamopsis tetragonoloba, which is made from quar gum, but guar gum is not a significant issue for most of us.

Tex

[MBombardier]

Hi Arlene,

No, Dr. Bronner's does not have soy. Vitamin E is tocopherol. The only problem with it is that it can be natural or artificial.

Also, coconut oil is a good skin moisturizer, but you have to be careful what you touch after using it, lol.

[TooManyHats]

Hi Arlene,

No, Dr. Bronner's does not have soy. Vitamin E is tocopherol. The only problem with it is that it can be natural or artificial.

Also, coconut oil is a good skin moisturizer, but you have to be careful what you touch after using it, lol.

You know, I don't what I read that made me think that, but I read it again and don't see it now. Maybe gluten withdrawal at the time??? LOL! Thanks for making me go back and read it again! I love Dr. Bonner's!

[MBombardier]

You're welcome, Arlene! Now, if you can tell me why the heck I'm flaring today we'll be even. Clearly, I'm getting cross-contamination from somewhere.

[TooManyHats]

You're not storing food in older Tupperware containers, are you? They among the first things I threw out.