How to Combat Seasonal Allergies

How to combat seasonal allergies step 1: Don’t stick your nose in a blooming tree to ‘get the shot.’ And I’ve already failed…

Yesterday we were taking photos of this pretty shirt dress with the beautiful blooming trees in the background and my eyes got red and itchy within minutes. Shocker! Perhaps smelling the blossom wasn’t the smartest move. It was my first taste of seasonal allergies this spring which reminded me that I have to get back to the routine I use to combat them.

As someone who has suffered from sinus issues since childhood, I’m very familiar with itchy eyes, a runny nose, and allergy headaches. Anel has allergies even worse than I do, so over the last few springs, we’ve tested out a ton of products and diet changes to see what works best for us. Here are our findings!

Just a reminder that I’m not a doctor and have zero medical experience. The products below work for me but might not work for you so please speak with your doctor before taking anything that I recommend.

Supplements for seasonal allergies

D-Hist is our go-to natural answer to allergy season because it works surprisingly well. With your doctor’s approval, take it daily and you shouldn’t have to take anti-histamines at all. It’s really expensive on Amazon for some reason but I just found it here for less. I’ve never ordered from that site so can’t speak to it, I usually buy it at a health food store or Whole Foods.

Bee Pollen is another supplement that can help temper your allergies. A lot of people take it as a powder in smoothies but I prefer the encapsulated form. There are a lot of brands out there and I haven’t done a ton of research but I take this one. You can’t beat the price!

Probiotics might not seem connected to seasonal allergies but I’ve learned over the years that gut health is very much related to allergies. I recommend taking one daily all year round but especially during allergy season if yours are starting to flare up.

Diet

Foods to avoid: There are more obvious inflammatory foods to avoid like alcohol, dairy, sugar, and wheat, but if your allergies are really intense, you might also want to avoid histamine-rich foods. You can find a list of those foods here.

Foods to incorporate: Apple cider vinegar can help combat allergies by healing the gut. I’m pretty sure ACV just heals all. I put it in salad dressings, but Anel doubles down and drinks a tablespoon of ACV with lemon, local honey, and hot water in the mornings. I think it’s gross. He likes it. Have you tried it? People also say that local unprocessed honey helps but I haven’t found it to be very effective at all. Here is a good list of foods to eat to help curb your allergies. We try to pump up the berries, fatty fish, eggs, and turmeric which are all on the list.

Neti Pot/Sinus Rinse

Since my surgery last May, I’ve been under doctor’s orders to use a sinus rinse 1-2x/day. It’s very sexy, NBD. I use this one and find that it works much better than a neti pot. It also comes with individually packaged saline solution which makes it easy. I recommend starting at the beginning of allergy season and using it every day until it’s over. My nose is hardly ever stuffed up anymore!

Nasal Sprays

Saline spray: If the whole sinus rinse situation isn’t for you (and I get it, it can be totally gross), a saline spray is another good option. I buy the Arm & Hammer one from the drugstore for a few bucks and it does the trick.

Flonase: I have to use this daily because of other sinus-related issues. Do I love the idea of spraying a steroid up my nose every day? No. Do I want to avoid a third sinus surgery? 1000x yes. So I do it.

Anti-Histamines for Seasonal Allergies

Anel prefers Zyrtec but I think Claritin-D works better. There are a lot of anti-histamines on the market, just make sure to take one that is non-drowsy if it’s during the day. Taking an anti-histamine is a last resort for me and if I follow all of the steps advice above, I rarely have to take one. For me, it’s more for when I’m around cats because I’m extremely allergic to them.

Eye Drops

I did a collab with Lumify last year and have been addicted to their eye drops for tired mornings ever since. Sadly, they haven’t helped with allergies, but I picked up Visene Allergy yesterday and they were like magic. You can get them at any drug store to immediately relieve red and itchy eyes.

For anyone interested in the outfit, this dress is from Tuckernuck’s brand new collection! By now you know that Tuckernuck is one of my all-time favorite retailers so I was super excited when they announced that they were releasing their own pieces for spring. This shirt dress was at the top of my list. Wear it without a belt and it would be a great maternity piece too. I also love this dress from the collection.

What are your seasonal allergy go-to’s?

Tuckernuck Shirt Dress (gifted) / Steven Shoes (Similar) / J.Mclaughlin Belt and Bag (gifted) / Karen Walker Sunnies