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:

Friday, such a glorious day, particularly now as I am off work for the weekend! :)

So today, as we enter into fall (praying we have indeed had our last 100 degree day!) I will address a very serious topic.  Lotion.

We all know the necessity of lotion to survive in life.  Without it, you leave the world to see, and sadly have to sometimes touch, your scaly, cracking selves.  This, my friends, is a travesty.  It's a terrible, if not inhumane, way to travel through life.  ;)

Now, let me share some wisdom on this topic of lotion.

A good lotion needs to moisturize enough to not warrant a second application, yet without leaving your body with a grimy, greasy feel.  It's a delicate balance and I believe I have found the perfect option with Desert Essence's Organics lotion.

This product line has some great lotions and body washes AND it's all 100% vegan, wheat & gluten free!

As a sensitive soul (you know, the people who have issues beyond the food realm), I really enjoy their fragrance free hand and body lotion.  This stuff is so great because while it is fragrance free, it has a light and pleasant scent rather than something funky and odd.  Come on, anyone who's tried a fragrance free product knows what I'm talking about! :)  Another plus with this product is that it doesn't sting your legs when applied right after shaving!  Yay!!

One word of advice, while this line does have great lotion, I'd steer clear of their shampoos and conditioners (body washes are decent too!) unless you have fine/thin hair.  Myself, I have as my hairdresser likes to say, "enough hair for three people," on my head.  I've tried the hair products and I have to double, if not triple the amount that I normally use just to wash "all" my hair!  But, I do have massive amounts of hair, so their hair products may work just fine for you.

Don't take my word for it...test Desert Essence out for yourself!