Around two hundred years ago hay fever was unheard of, we didn’t need any hay fever hacks.
Hayfever is quite a modern allergy, and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
In it’s ‘heyday’ (excuse the pun), you’d be smoking tobacco or inhaling deadly ammonia chloride to try and relieve your symptoms and it was thought to be an anglo-saxon derived condition.
A trip to the seaside for a dose of fresh sea air was also a popular remedy back in the day – while a tub of vaseline and packet of tissues is the more modern hay fever fix of today.
Hit by Hay Fever Symptoms
“Bless you”
“Your eyes look a bit red”
“Have you got a cold?”
Of all the things we love about summertime, hay fever certainly isn’t one of them.
I remember coming across a few UK news articles warning of a looming wave of intense hay fever symptoms that were on the way due to a mix of windy and humid weather.
In some ways, hay fever is worse than a cold – at least a cold usually makes sense and you know it’ll be over in a few days. Hay fever can be less predictable and more unbearable – when your throat and eyes are both itching and nothing brings relief – that’s torture 😷
For those who suffer badly with hay fever, I sympathise deeply, the red eyes and runny nose in the heat of summer is a real struggle.
Different remedies work for different people, but maybe some of the following tips might help!
Antihistamine Tablets
I’m not a fan of turning to drugs – unless nothing else seems to be working, but I guess sometimes quick relief is needed. Antihistamines are available over the counter and supposed to be handy for relieving a range of allergy symptoms.
Put a Curtain Up
It might help to have a tightly woven voile in your windows to catch pollen particles when you open the windows (rather than a more porous net curtain or nothing at all).
Dairy Products
Time and time again I keep coming across advice and recommendations to reduce dairy products, particularly cows milk/cheese, for all manner of illnesses, not to mention hay fever.
Don’t Peg It Out
Avoid hanging washing out to dry when the pollen count is high, check it on a weather forecast for your area.
Herbal Help
There are lots of websites all offering tips and tricks to deal with hay fever; a common herbal remedy seems to be nettles, which have anti-allergenic properties.
I’m guessing drinking nettle tea is the best way to get this into your system. Liquorice tea is also said to be helpful and Olbas oil is a great natural decongestant that contains eucalyptus.
I also remember reading something about lavender essential oils…..
Wash it away
Have a shower, wash your face, hair and change your clothes immediately after you’ve been outdoors – wash the pollen off your person.
Vaseline
Rub some around the insides of your nostrils to catch pollen particles before they get any further up your nose and into your throat. Natural beeswax will do the same thing – a bit more organic and complimentary to health.
Don’t Stress
Studies show that stress can make your allergies worse and highly stressed populations tend to suffer with more allergies, so chill, relax, breath and find your ‘happy place’.
Modern Therapies
Salt therapy is a new one to me – but apparently it’s pretty effective.
For readers in the UK, the Allergy & Free From Show takes place every year featuring lots of top allergy experts, it might be worth checking it out!
Good luck to us all over the coming weeks – tissues at the ready.
What are your 20th century tips and tricks for tackling hay fever – please do share below?
Tammy Neal
I find hay fever tablets help
greenlibrarybooks
My mum wasn’t able to find anything that worked so looked at Chinese medicine. I wasn’t sure about it but it worked for her! #HayfeverHacks
Sharon Bell
Antihistamines tend to work for me, but when not I do us the Vaseline trick
Louise Taylor (@lou_taylor01)
vaseline around the nostrils works very well!
Lorraine Stone (@lorraine606)
Green tea is great for hayfever sufferers, in the short term at least. Giving a break from meds.
Mandy Betts
Local honey works absolute wonders! It’s the only thing that has ever worked for me, as I get hay fever so severe it’s ruins my life. It has to be local though otherwise it won’t work! #HayfeverHacks
janine atkin
one a day tablets work for me
Carrie-Anne Brown
try and take a tablet when you wake up or after breakfast
David Smith
wear a mask!
Dawn Rowley-White
Drinking a ‘cleansing’ tea, such as peppermint.
Laura Pritchard
Dose yourself up with anti-histamines!
Hannah
I always try and take a hay fever tablet as soon as a wake up, or if I get up to the loo early morning, take one then to get a head start!
Sally Collingwood
Take a cold and flu tablet as soon as you get up, it really helps me!
wheresjwo
Thanks for the tips. I have always had horrible allergies and California had an incredibly wet winter so things are blooming like crazy. I will try the Vaseline. That’s new to me.
Cherryl
Fingers crossed for you, hope it doesn’t get too bad – if you find anything that seems to work well for you let me know 🔆😊 🌻
wheresjwo
I have been diligently using Vaseline as you suggested and if nothing else, it is keeping the inside of my nose from being constantly raw and in pain. Yay!
Cherryl
Glad it’s helping – hayfever is torture!
The Snow Melts Somewhere
Yep, I’m one of them! 🙁
Cherryl
Fingers crossed for a low pollen count!! 😷
The Snow Melts Somewhere
👍