Guest Post: Gluten Free Beauty

I was super excited when I received an email from Crafty Little Gnome reader, Elva offering to write a guest post on gluten free beauty. I have several family members who suffer from celiac disease and it seems that I am meeting people all the time who are gluten intolerant. Celiac disease is a condition that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients. People with celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and sometimes oats.
People who suffer from celiac disease must be very diligent about checking the labels on all food products to make sure they do not contain gluten. Unfortunately, in many cases the gluten ingredients in food are disguised under different names which can make it extremely difficult to recognize and avoid them. Something I think many people with celiac disease forget about is ingredients containing gluten in their make up and personal care products.  I’ll let Elva take over from here with her thoughts on the subject.

It’s no secret women worldwide love make up and skin care products. We love to look our best and put our best face forward out to the world. It’s not  possible for some women to imagine life without makeup or taking a step out of their homes without wearing lipstick, mascara, lip gloss, eye liner or even nail polish. There maybe instances where a  woman is not able to wear makeup or use the same skincare products as her peers. The reasons may vary from skin sensitivities and allergies to disorders like celiac. But what happens in a case where a woman is not able to wear makeup due to allergy concerns? She could loose her self confidence or suffer from low self esteem.

 Individuals suffering from celiac can aggravate their symptoms by wearing  makeup and using skin care products that are filled with gluten rich ingredients. Ingredients containing gluten are used as binding agents  in make up and skincare products. These gluten laden makeup items may not directly  aggravate the symptoms of celiac but research has proven that they can indirectly have an effect on the digestive system of the gluten intolerant individuals.

There are split views about the use of gluten laden products and their effects on the health of individuals suffering from celiac. There is evidence that has been proven beyond a doubt that makeup products that include  gluten can cause the symptoms of celiac to be aggravated. The gluten ingredients in these  products  get absorbed into the skin and can cause skin rashes and allergic reactions. There is also the risk of food contamination as the gluten will get on your hands and if you don’t wash your hands before you eat or prepare your food you could accidentally contaminate your food with gluten.

There are alternatives for those who cannot use products containing gluten. Many companies have started making gluten free beauty products that don’t use  gluten laden ingredients to bind the chemicals in cosmetics together. People with celiac have the option of switching to these products before their problems aggravate and their health is compromised. Cases have been reported where people taking all precautions in terms of eating habits have suffered from symptoms of celiac due to the use of gluten laden makeup products.

If you suffer from celiac disease or are gluten intolerant it’s time to take care of your health and switch to beauty products that are gluten free, vegan and organic in nature.  There maybe a price difference but think about the price that you would be paying for ill health and low self esteem especially among women who are gluten intolerant, but have a penchant for using the best makeup skin care products available.

Author Bio:

Elva Lamont is an expert in writing on topics like food, health and medical issues. She is a fitness freak and believes that nutritious food and good health are the essential elements that lead to a quality life. Being gluten intolerant she is a big time advocate of a gluten free food and gluten free recipes.

Thanks Elva, for bringing this subject to our attention. Elva wanted to share a great website that has a lot of information and resources for those with celiac disease. Simplygluten-free.com. Be sure to check it out if you want to learn more about living life with celiac disease or if you have a loved one who suffers.

Some may feel that assuming a  woman who is not able to wear make up or keep up with her physical appearance will have low confidence or self esteem  is sexist. Personally, for me, when I know I look good, it makes me feel better emotionally. Of course if a woman doesn’t want to wear makeup or use beauty products there is nothing wrong with that but for a lot of women, suddenly not being able to make yourself  up in the morning because of a new found food allergy can actually be quite a shock.  I know if I suddenly wasn’t able to use all of the make up and skin care items I love it would be difficult for me and I would need to find alternative products instead of going out into the world “bare faced”.
I wanted to dig a little deeper on the subject and provide some more resources for  readers who want to avoid gluten in their beauty products.
When looking at the ingredients on the packaging  it can be difficult to determine if they contain gluten. Here is a list of ingredients that contain gluten that you will want to avoid.:

Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour
Cyclodextrin
Dextrin
Dextrin Palmitate
Hydrolyzed Malt Extract
Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Hydrolyzed Wheat Flour
Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein/PVP Crosspolymer
Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch
Maltodextrin
Secale Cereale (Rye) Seed Flour
Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract
Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil
Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Gluten
Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Starch
Wheat Amino Acids
Wheat Germ Glycerides
Wheat Germ amidopropalkonium Chloride
Wheat Protein
Wheat germ amidopropyl Ethyldimonium Ethosulfate
Yeast Extract

I also wanted to link to some companies that offer gluten free  products. Although I haven’t tested them out myself,  here is a list of beauty brands to check out:

juicebeauty.com
aunaturalebotanicals.com
afterglowcosmetics.com

What do you think? Do you have any gluten free products or beauty tips that you would like to share? Let us know about them in the comments.

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