Am I the only one that fell in love with a new product line during Celiac Awareness Month back in May?!? I had the privilege of trying out both Avalon Organics hair and body washes and Jason skincare and hand soaps. While I was not a fan of Avalon Organics haircare (my insanely thick hair that my stylist comments on EVERY time I come in could have something to do with that), I fell in love with Jason's skincare. (Read my husband's review Avalon Organics here)


 Jason launched their new line of certified gluten free personal care products a few months ago and they are rockin'! I was initially going to write this post two weeks in to using the products, but I wanted to give a more accurate review. Then life with a teething, growing one year old got in the way and now it's August.

 BUT, I'm so glad I waited. And here's why. It's been almost four months and I am still using and loving these products! They're lasting forever!!

My two favorites are the face wash and face lotion.

My skin has never been more consistently clear as it's been since using these. Even through summertime heat and (tmi, gentlemen, sorry) my periods my skin had been clearer, which is saying something HUGE! I wash my face at night and then rise it off in the am before using the lotion. I've loved both! No greasy face throughout the day and clearer skin overall! Woohoo!!! I'm sold!

Now as far as the face scrub, I'm just not a big user of those, so I tried it out here and there but it's a bit abrasive for my sensitive skin. However, judging by their other products, I would imagine if you're a face scrub kind of person, you'd like this one.

So, there you have it, Jason skincare for the win! My skin has been clear, smooth, clean, and not irritated by any nasty, unknown ingredients.

And we've enjoyed the hand soap too. No foo-foo smell, which is a win for the hubby, and we don't mind using it on the little one since it's not full of nasty unknown stuff.

 This gluten free line also has a shampoo and conditioner. Has anyone tried it? I'm curious if it could stand up to my uber thick hair?!

~ Rachel

Father's Day is Sunday!

So, in honor of dad, today's Food Free Friday post is all about MEN!

Also, in honor of men, this post will be short and straight to the point! :)  They are the hunters, after all, not the gatherers (shoot...already a tiny rabbit trail...this is going to be tough!). :)

First the products, then the company information (translation, men read the product list, then let your wives read all about the companies and their gfree policies!).

This is just a short list to get your started.

Products Shown in Order as Listed Below (the razor..."naturally" gluten free?!)

Deodorant:
Neal's Yard Remedies (NYR) Lemon & Coriander Deodorant
Axe Phoenix Deodorant

Shave Cream:
NYR Men Close Shave Cream

Body Wash & Lotion:
Bath and Body Works Citron for Men

Now, to highlight the companies.

1. AXE!

From deodorant to body sprays to body wash, Axe has a bunch of "man friendly" products!  A favorite for my hubby is their Phoenix deodorant.

The awesome thing about this company is they have a FAQ section on their site, which addresses gluten free.

This is what it says:
"We do not specifically test our products for the presence of gluten...gluten may be present in products that contain derivatives of wheat, oat, rye and barley.
In testing our products, our company follows the guidelines established by the International Nomenclature for Cosmetics Ingredients (INCI).  Therefore, if we use an ingredient derived from a grain such as wheat, oat, rye and/or barley, those names will appear on the label."

So, there you go.  If you're comfortable using this product, just check out the label, as the ingredients are CLEARLY labeled!  Love that!


2. Bath and Body Works

This company (from what I understand) also clearly labels the sources of their ingredients (i.e., oat, wheat, barley, rye), so please make sure you read them carefully.  The only ingredient that I've ever seen on any products I considered purchasing was "oats."

Also, I once heard that all body creams, body washes, and hand soaps are free of gluten-derived ingredients.  BUT...that was what I read once on another blog, not information I heard from the company itself (it was about 2 years ago, so I'm guessing the company has changed how they worded their "gluten free" information, but not necessarily the ingredients).


3. Neal's Yard Remedies

This company offers much more natural products for both men and women.  The ingredients of their products are also clearly labeled.



Lastly, as always, a word of caution.

• Choose wisely when searching for gluten free products.  
• It is up to you if you use gluten free topical products (I like the peace of mind and the lack of itchiness on my skin...my hubby's super sweet and buys himself gluten free products for me!  Or he's just avoiding me freaking out from a "gluten" item being in our house!  Sweet/smart man?!?!).  
• It is also up to you if you'd prefer products that are clearly labeled gluten free (none of the above) or are just free of gluten derived ingredients (all of the above).
• Check product labels yourself to insure they're gluten free (what's gluten free today could, sadly, not be gluten free tomorrow as ingredients can easily change for any given product).

Question of the Day:

I've realized something about myself today.  I am a woman on a mission!  This mission, to find as many gluten free cosmetic options as I can!  Whether make-up, lotion, deodorant or toothpaste, I want to know that my "non-food" products are gluten free. 


For this Food Free Friday post, I'm looking into Cover FX Makeup.  I recently came across this new makeup line (at least new to me) on Sephora's website and saw that it was paraben free!  I love that, so I emailed them to inquire about whether or not their makeup is gluten free.

Here was their reply:

"We do not use any gluten ingredients in our products but the maufacturing facilities which produce our products are not certified as a gluten free facility.  We are confirming if they intend on becoming a certified gluten free facility."

Your preferences on what products to use are your choice.  Please use your own discretion before purchasing any products.  For me, knowing I have the option of certified gluten free cosmetics & skin care, I lean towards choosing those, but that's my preference. 

Our friends over at Red Apple Lipstick (yep, the ones featured in this weeks giveaway!) wrote up an awesome post about why we should stear clear of cosmetics that contain gluten.  They were even so kind as to feature a write up from ME as to why I know gluten free is the way to go for everything!!

Here's an excerpt for this SUPER informative post:

Why Gluten Free Cosmetics?

Time for Food Free Friday! 

Today I wanted to take some time and highlight some gluten-free beauty products that I am loving.  I don't know about you, but I spend maybe fifteen minutes getting ready for work. For me, the longer I can sleep in the better.  My typical morning goes as such:  alarm goes off, hit snooze 2-3 times, fly out of bed, brush my teeth, do my make-up, do something with my hair, throw on some clothes (ok, I do have to pause and say I am one of those crazies who spends 10-15 minutes picking out my outfit the night before!), grab breakfast and lunch (again, night before packing is a MUST for this gluten-free gal) and run out the door!  That being said, I am always excited for ways I can shorten my beauty routine.

Enter in these two gems.  I came across both in just the last two weeks and they have already trasformed my day! :)  Don't you just love a good product that you can trust and that seems to make your life easier?  I do!

Nars Eyeshadow base

Eyeshadow base-This smudge-proof eyeshadow base from Nars is amazing!  Seriously, since using this primer it seems like my eye shadow has just improved dramatically.  I'm just obsessed with how much longer my eye shadow stays on.  Usually, by the end of the day my eyes are a bit irritated and my eye shadow is creased and wearing off.  Well, no more!  I was impressed when Love, my trusty Sephora employee, recommended it as the one thing in Sephora she would most DEFINITELY buy (can I just say though, that comment leads me to believe she recieves free products...summer job at Sephora!?!?Hmm...not a bad idea!).  Now, after two weeks of use, I would have to agree.

RAL Nude Peppermint Lipgloss

Lipgloss-I know I've spoken a lot about my friends at Red Apple Lipstick and how amazing their products are.  Well, I'm here to do it again because I just can't get enough!  I recently got my hands on their Nude Peppermint Lipgloss (thanks for the recommendation Jay!) and I'm hooked.  This stuff is incredible and again, going with today's theme, shortens my beauty routine.  This lipgloss has the perfect hint of color to make you feel like your look is "done," AND because it's a lipgloss you've got that awesome lipstick/lipgloss look acheived in one easy step.  To add to that, this stuff is peppermint flavored...added bonus baby!

So, now that you knows what's got me tickled this week, what beauty products make you happy?  I love learning for others and trying out what they like (that's how I came across the above, people!). 

Also, if you're curious about certain products, let me know.  I'm always down for an excuse to try something new! :)

Oh my goodness!  Have the last two months been crazy, or what?  It just seems like I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off...

I have to say, as a teacher, I am very much looking forward to Easter Break this year.  While I've already got a few appointments scheduled and I'm sure I'll pick up some projects to work on around the house, I cannot wait to be able to sleep in! :)

Anyways, enough of that.


I am SO excited to have found Organix hair products.  As you probably have learned by now, in our house are slowly incorporating more and more organic food and products into our lives.  We strive to be healthy, and for us organic just seems to be the way to go.

After eating predominantly organic food for over a year, I began to think about household and beauty products.  Why not go organic there too?  I mean, shouldn't it matter what I put on my body? 

I started with lotion and face products, trying out Dessert Essence lotion, face wash, and toothpaste.  I didn't care much for their hair products though.  I have extremely thick, wavy hair (as much hair as at least two "normal" people according to my hair stylist, ha!), so I need a shampoo that's ready to work extra hard and be sudsy enough to clean ALL my hair! 

Have any of you had a similar experience with organic hair care?

Brazilian Keratin Therapy

Well, after trying a few different brands, I finally looked into Organix shampoo.  I've used their Brazilian Keratin flat iron spray for at least a year now (not sure why I never tried their shampoo before?), so I finally looked into their other products.

And guess what I found on their site? 

Are Organix® products gluten free?Yes, our entire Organix® line is gluten-free

OHH YEAH!!!!!!  Can you believe it?  This product is sold at Target and Walmart too!  Not only a "specialty store," like so many other organic hair care products.  That makes the price of this gem about 50% cheaper (I found it at Walmart for about $5)! 

Moroccan Argan Oil

I've been using the Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo for a few weeks now and it seems to work really well for my hair.  The site also said that these products are safe for color treated hair.  Added bonus! 

You can read their complete list of FAQ here!

So what are your thoughts?  Have you tried Organix hair care?  Is there another gluten free shampoo that you like better?  Please share.

I got on a crazy whim yesterday.  Not sure why, just wanted to try something different.

Wandering through the body care section of Lassen's I came across Desert Essence's toothpaste.  I'd read about it on their website before and saw that it had some good reviews.  I was skeptical though.  I mean, toothpaste with tea tree oil and neem?  It just sounds questionable.

But, I decided to try it.  The reviews explained how "happy" it made their mouth.  Ok, "happy" is my word, but it fits for their descriptions.  They wrote about how clean their mouths felt, the improvement of their gums, etc.  Plus, there's very few ingredients to it. 

So, I figured, might as well try a natural toothpaste.  I've never really thought about it before, but as I stood in the aisle at Lassen's I began to wonder if the regular Crest toothpaste I use could have any adverse affects on my health?  It's something I ingest, so why not try an all natural formula.

I tried it last night.  At first it just tasted funky.  I think that could have been mostly attributed to the fact that I expected it to taste funky.  Who puts tea tree oil in their mouth?  Wash your face with it, sure.  But ingest it?  Weird. 

However, as I continued brushing, the awkward taste became less awkward.  What I began to notice more than anything else was the baking soda.  It wasn't an overpowering taste, just a light ligering flavor as I brushed.  After, my mouth felt minty fresh! Ha!  Actually, it really had that normal, clean feeling after brushing with "regular" toothpaste, like Crest. 

I tried it again this morning, and it seems like it cleans pretty well.

My favorite thing about it...the words "GLUTEN FREE" plastered nicely on the front of the package.  You definitely don't get that on Crest (at least not yet...)!

Ready to moisturize your lips?

Seriously...amazing!

I was blessed with the opportunity to try Red Apple Lipstick's products and MAN was I impressed. They are a company dedicated to providing their customers with quality products.

Red Apple Lipstick...a recent make up find for me is fabulous!

I just received my first lipstick and lipgloss from them and MAN am I impressed!  You'll definitely be hearing more about this gluten free, paraben free, vitamin e enriched yummy goodness (just a heads up...the lipstick is like putting on chapstick and tastes delish!).

For now, I wanted to let you know about a new (limited time) lipgloss they have called Brandy Candy.  If you like it (it's the lips above!) and decide to buy it, make sure you enter this promo code at check out for $2 off!! :)

Promo code: gimmebrandycandy

Red Apple Lipstick Site

These guys are great and super friendly! :)  Ohh...I just checked out the site again and they've got ANOTHER special!  Wee...buy 2 get 1 free!  Awesome!

So, I had a revelation at Sephora this week!  I was in the store doing some Christmas shopping when I thought I'd ask around about gluten free products they sell.  I've searched on their website, but to no avail...nothing was clearly labeled. 

I've been wearing Clinique makeup for the past two years, since realizing that gluten free cosmetics are just as important as food.  It's simple, how "careful" are you to make sure your makeup, shampoo, lotions, soap, etc. don't end up somehow, possibly in your mouth.  It's also been argued that products absorb through your skin.  Either way, I'd rather be safe than sorry and with so much that a Celiac, like myself, has to pay attention to it's best to know for sure that you're not purposely coming in contact with gluten throughout your day. 

But anyways, back to Clinique.  As I said, I've been wearing their makeup for a few years, but it's started to irritate my skin.  I've wondered about that, and decided I'd try a different brand.  There's many guaranteed "gluten free" products that I'm interested in trying, but many of them are not available in my area and sadly aren't being sold at Sephora. 

Luckily, Lassen's, a local health food store, sells some gluten free cosmetics.  I've purchased Ecco Bella lipstick in Claret Rose and Cafe au Lait and love them!  I've also recently tried Mineral Fusion's eye shadow trio in Fragile.  However, I've still been in search of a face makeup.  I thought I was at a loss while perusing Sephora until a wonderful stranger told me that her sister was gluten free and purchased all Nars cosmetics because they were gluten free!  Can I just say that I LOVE people who interrupt stranger's conversations to tell them information.  This wonderful lady just saved the day for me! :)  Hehe...yeah yeah, it's only makeup, but I was so excited!  I immediately got on my trusty Iphone to check out Nars websited and check THIS link out!  On their website, under their "customer care" section they insure that all their products are without gluten...can you say love!?!?  I immediately had the sales lady (conveniently named Love!) color match me and I bought some new foundation.  A few days in and I'm liking this product a lot! 

I'd still love to try some of the more organic products I've seen, like Afterglow Cosmetics, just to see how they fare, but for now I'm so happy to have found Nars!

Lastly, the million dollar question...what's YOUR favorite gluten free cosmetic product??  I'll be contacting many companies in the next few months to learn as much info. as I can so as to share it with my lovely readers!  Maybe I'll come across something you love, or will grow to love!?!? 

Welcome to our new weekly post, Food Free Friday!  Every Friday we'll be featuring something non-food that is gluten free (and hopefully fabulous)!

Today, we're talking lip products.  Did you know that many cosmetics contain gluten?  It's a sad and annoying fact that us Celiacs have to deal with every day.  Now, many of you may be thinking that whether or not your cosmetics are gluten free doesn't matter, but in fact it does. It's not so much the absorption into our skin (although some will argue that it is) as the likelihood that we may ingest some of what we put on our bodies.  Just imagine for a moment about your normal morning routine and you'll probably be able to come up with quite a few ways that you could accidentally ingest your beauty products.

My suggestion is that you start to pay attention to the products you choose, starting with your lips.  Anything that goes on your lips is guaranteed to get into your mouth at least a little bit, there's just no way around it.  If Celiac experts recommend that your non-Celiac significant other brush their teeth before kissing you (they do say this is a risk for cross contamination), then you can just imagine how important gluten free lip products are. 

One lip product that I've grown to love is Softlips chapstick.  They're just so smooth and tasty!  That may sound silly, but it's true.  They have a chapstick that's vanilla flavored and it's just plain delicious!  Plus, with spf 15 you can't beat it.  Protection and a great flavor, yay!  Softlips also has tinted chapsticks, which makes getting ready in a flash quite simple.  Another yay!  So far I've only tried the "pearl" color, which is very nice and light.

Now, we need your help.  What are your favorite gluten free lip products?  Share with us and we'll post them on here!  We'll even test products out and share our results, if you like.