Hair-apy

There are a lot of things to think about when you have to be gluten free. You have to change the way you grocery shop, the way you cook, the way you dine out, and the way you...do your hair?

Yup. Your hair products might be a problem. Ever been bored and read the ingredients on your shampoo or conditioner bottle? No? Ok, that's just me then. *Cough* Moving on. One of the ingredients that makes your hair so silky and shiny is hydrolized wheat protein. Key word - wheat. As the forum thread above shows, there is something of a debate as to whether avoiding this is 100% necessary. But I'm with one of the commentors - why take the chance when there are so many products without it?

My mother (who is also one of the 5 people who read my blog - hi mom!) is a phenomenal hair dresser. And I can say with a great degree of certainty that if she hadn't been a hair dresser, I'd have had to choose between going to college OR getting my hair dyed the 8 million times that I have. The latest perk in having a beautician for a mom is that she's the one who pointed out to me that I might have to watch my beauty regimen. But she also offered a solution for anyone who wants to be sure they have the very best in hair care, while still taking care of their health.

Enter Surface Hair Care. Surface uses a variety of natural extracts that make your hair silky, shiny, smooth, and shampoo-commercial-worthy without using hydrolized wheat protein. I will admit, I've never used the products personally (unless Mom used them on me at the salon and I just wasn't paying attention), but according to Mom, they are amazing.

Some of you may be thinking "well sure, SHE can afford salon products - her mom can buy them for her. What about the rest of us?" Or maybe no one thinks that, but I'll answer anyway.

I don't often use salon products. I get them as a special treat sometimes for birthdays, Christmas, etc, but on a regular basis - especially now that my grocery shopping is more expensive - I stick with what's good, but super cheap. I can't speak for any of the major brands - VO5 (which I won't use except as body wash because it ruins your hair), White Rain, Suave, etc. I don't use any of those because my hair is particularly prone to breakage, so I prefer a shampoo and conditioner without sulfates and parabins.

Fortunately, my sister had told me awhile back about sulfate/parabin free products that cost about $5 for a 25 oz salon-style pump bottle at WalMart - Simply U.  To be fair, I only have the moisturizing formula to check the label on right now. But it uses hydrolized rice protein, so it's safe. And it's amazing, especially for something so cheap.

So whether you have to have your salon products, or you just want  to pick something up while you're grocery shopping, there are plenty of good options out there. And if you find another - let me know!