Receta How I Glutened Myself Two Days Ago

by Marlow

This summer I will celebrate FIVE YEARS as a gluten free gal.

Crazy right?! It seems like it’s been WAY longer. Sort of like…forever. Seriously, I barely remember what gluten-y things taste like.

Since it’s been nearly five years, you’d think that being gluten free would be easy for me.

And in a lot of ways it is. I never think about eating gluten. I rarely feel sorry for myself about what I’m missing. Gluten-y foods don’t make me angry anymore….usually.

But lately it’s been a little bit harder. Specifically, I have been making it hard on myself by being LAZY.

Yes. Seriously.

Several times in the past few months, I have bought a product that I had known was gluten free – without checking for the Gluten Free label on the box or reading the ingredients.

Then I would get a few bites in to said product, and realize that I hadn’t read the box. I would then scan the ingredients quickly and thank my lucky stars that I hadn’t just glutened myself.

I was betting that the “recipe” hadn’t changed, when we all know how quickly they can! But I was lucky. I hadn’t been glutened.

And then I took a shower on Saturday.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a long time, then you know that I am a strong believer in using gluten free shampoo.

I have been using gluten free shampoo for over a year, and Desert Essence is my favorite brand. If you shop on their website, then you can view their shampoos just by gluten free.

I know that not all of their shampoos are gluten free…well, at least I think I used to know that…but it seems I forgot.

I buy all my shampoos on Vitacost, and a few weeks ago I decided to try a new Desert Essence shampoo: Jojoba Strengthening.

And being LAZY…or complacent…or just plain absent minded, I didn’t read the ingredients. Not on Vitacost’s website or on the bottle once it arrived.

Within minutes of getting out of the shower I had a huge rash on my neck.

And I knew. I knew that it was the shampoo.

I grabbed the bottle only to get halfway through the ingredients. I didn’t need to read any further. There it was:

Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein and Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch

Yep. Gluten.

Gosh darn gluten in my shampoo!

I hopped back in the shower and rewashed with my Desert Essence Red Raspberry shampoo. My gluten free old standby, and kicked myself for being so blind.

A few days later and my scalp is back to being itchy. At least I know it will pass.

So what’s the lesson in my story?

Don’t be like me.

And I am certainly going to go back to being a vigilant ingredient checker. I deserve to feel good – inside and out.

Even if I get tired of being vigilant, I have to be!

Note to self: Being lazy gets you glutened.