Does it Truly Matter if There’s Gluten, Casein, Dyes or Other Allergens in my Skincare and Bath Products?

By Christine Gillund
In The Potter’s Hand Inc.

Well, does it matter? Absolutely, and here’s why:

· Skincare products, along with any troublesome allergens they contain will easily transfer to your mouth from your hands, hair, face and lips. They also transfer from the skin or lips of anyone else that you kiss.

· Gluten, casein, dyes, chemicals and allergen proteins will absorb directly into your body through cracked skin, cuts, rashes or from shaven areas.

· If you use bath products with gluten, casein, dyes or any allergen to which a child is allergic, they remain in the bath water and will most likely ingested during the bath. For children, the unintentional transfer of these materials to their mouth is a daily problem as they put their hands in their mouth, lick their arm or chew on a strand of hair.

Bath and hair products that run down the face and lips, or are rinsed off into the tub water also pose a great problem; what mother has not caught their child sucking on a wash cloth, drinking bath water or putting tub toys and fingers in their mouth?

Adults find it easier to control the unintentional exposures from skin care and hair care products containing these unwanted particles, however It’s not always necessary to ingest gluten, casein, dyes or allergens for symptoms to occur. Chemical compounds applied to the skin in the form of lotion, soap or other skin care products can be absorbed through the skin and affect the body, just like medications that are administered through a patch. Larger molecules like proteins from allergens can make their way into your body if the skins protective barrier is damaged. Examples of this would be if you have dry cracked skin, scrapes or have recently shaved.

The best advice is to evaluate your specific situation; if things are going well, then this may be a non-issue for you. If you are struggling despite your best efforts, then a change to gluten-free, casein-free and dye-free skincare products may be the help you need.

You will want to consider making these changes for everyone in your household.

Conventional lotions, soap, shampoo, conditioner, lip products etc, normally contain gluten, casein or dyes and it’s not an easy task to identify those that do from those that don’t. It is difficult to even find companies that will give you a complete list of ingredients or even know what potential allergens their products contain.

In The Potter’s Hand offers three lines of gluten-free, casein-free, allergen specific skincare, bath, baby and spa products, with full disclosure of all ingredients to help the Autism, Celiac, Chemical Sensitivity and Allergy communities. The product lines are Dakota Free Products, Millennial Essentials and Gluten-Free Savonnerie.

More information can be found online at DakotaFree.com and GFSoap.com