For many individuals with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, malabsorption causes dry, brittle hair. Since manufacturers add hydrolyzed wheat protein, wheat germ oil, or fragrance with possible hidden gluten to most hair conditioners, fixing dry hair is harder than defining hair type and buying into an advertiser’s claims.
Not everyone believes gluten-free personal health care products are necessary, but for those who do, finding gluten-free hair conditioners that work is challenging. Once you understand what dries hair out and what conditioners do, you can take the necessary steps to solve the problem.
Dry Hair Problems are Different When Gluten Intolerant
While hair problems when gluten intolerant are different, the general recommendation to avoid over-shampooing, never brush wet hair, avoid blow dryers when possible, and eat a nutritious diet still applies. However, in a celiac individual, wheat ingestion has damaged the villi of the small intestines. The resulting inflammation interferes with absorption of vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, and the fatty acids needed to prevent dry hair. While a celiac can use a conditioner that doesn’t contain wheat, barley extract, oats, or fragrance, conditioners without gluten don’t work as well.
How Does Shampoo and Conditioners Work?
Conditioner plays a restorative and protective role in hair care. When you wash your hair, shampoo removes some of the natural oils the body uses to coat and protect it from drying out. These oils keep hair from absorbing toxins and other substances from the air. Hair conditioners work by replacing these missing oils.
Most hair conditioners contain fatty acids that adhere to the hair and make it feel soft. Oil-free conditioners use synthetic compounds to mimic the missing fats. Regardless of hair type, all
conditioners work the same way. Under normal conditions, a hair shaft is smooth; but once damaged, it’s rough and scaly. This damage can occur anywhere along the hair length.
Hair conditioners use amino acids and proteins like keratin, milk, eggs, and wheat to repair this damage. According to Ethel Sloane, former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, in her book Biology of Women, conditioners work by gluing the scales back down. They can fill in some of the missing cuticle like using spackle to fill in a nail hole, or they can glue split ends back together for awhile, but that’s it. The rest of the claims and promises made by manufacturers are gimmicks designed to sell products.
List of Gluten-free Fragrance-free Hair Conditioners
If searching for a gluten-free list of hair care products, pop into any gluten-free forum and ask about gluten-free shampoo and conditioner. Often, forum members will tell you that Dove, Garnier Fructis, Pantene, and Suave are gluten free. However, a phone call to each manufacturer reveals that while they don’t add gluten themselves, their fragrances are produced by someone else. These companies can’t verify the fragrance is gluten free.
Unless guaranteed gluten free, it’s safer to stick with fragrance-free shampoo and conditioners. The following fragrance-free hair products are 100% gluten free:
- Alba Botanica Leave-in Conditioner, Fragrance Free
- Burt’s Bees Super Shiny Grapefruit & Sugar Beet Conditioner (citrus oils)
- Desert Essence Organics Fragrance-free Conditioner
- Earth Science Pure Essentials Fragrance-free Conditioner
- Gluten-free Savonnerie Conditioner
- Magick Botanicals Conditioner for Thinning Hair
- Magick Botanicals Oil-free Fragrance-free Conditioner
- Magick Botanicals Spray-on Detangler and Conditioner
- Morocco Method conditioners, all types
- Tate’s Natural Miracle Conditioner (leave in or wash out)
Additional Hair Treatment for Dry Hair
For some gluten-intolerant individuals, hair conditioner isn’t enough to repair the damage. Especially if an oil-free, chemical-free, all natural or organic hair conditioner is used. While these natural, organic products are celiac safe, their ability to condition is limited. Without gluten’s stickiness, chemical softeners, or the waxy protection of parabens, you’ll need an additional hair treatment to get a softer, more manageable result.
The treatment that works best for dry hair is an easy oil treatment:
- Start by brushing your hair.
- Pour a tablespoon of olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil, or other high-quality oil into a small bowl.
- Drape a towel around your shoulders.
- Dip your fingers into the oil, and then gently comb your fingers through your hair. Do one small section at a time, making sure to coat the hair underneath and throughout as well.
The idea is to totally saturate your hair with oil, but slowly. When the oil is used up, sit back and relax for about an hour. You need to give the oil time to penetrate the hair. Then shampoo and condition with a good gluten-free shampoo and conditioner, as usual.
Revitalizing Dry Damaged Hair Takes Time
The market is saturated with hair care products, but all shampoos and conditioners work alike. Finding one that fulfills its claim to repair and revitalize dry, damaged hair takes time and patience. For an individual with gluten intolerance it’s difficult to find a good gluten-free fragrance-free conditioner that works well since wheat gluten is used by manufacturers for its stickiness. To achieve success, try out different brands until you discover one that works for you.
If you need a list of alternate names for wheat, barley, rye, and oats, you won’t want to miss reading How to Choose True Gluten-free Shampoo. This article explains FDA laws concerning fragrances, why scent-free products can be unsafe, and gives you a list of gluten-free fragrance-free shampoos.
Sources:
- Blumer, Ian, MD and Shiela Crowe, MD, Celiac Disease for Dummies, For Dummies, March 2010
- Sloane, Ethel, Biology of Women, Delmar Cengage Learning, November 2001
Vickie Ewell - Vickie has worked with autistic individuals for 9 years. She has celiac disease and specializes in gfcf living.
