Published: May 19, 2017 | Updated: March 11, 2025
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Want allergy relief that avoids “medicine head”? Try these quick natural remedies for allergy symptoms:
Saline nasal spray: Use it daily to clear away pollen; start using it before you feel symptoms like itchy eyes, stuffy nose and post nasal drip.
Change your clothes when you come inside: Leave the pollen at the door (or in the hamper). If you’ve been outside for a long time, take a shower before changing into clean clothes. Nasal irrigation during allergy season will also help clear away allergy triggers.
Save outdoor workouts for evening: Most pollen is released from trees and plants in morning and mid-day, so plan your outdoor workout for the evening.
Essential oils: Peppermint and eucalyptus oils can relieve hay fever symptoms. Use them in a room diffuser for relief, or combine them with coconut oil and massage it into your temples. Lemon and tea tree oils can be mixed with purified water and a little vinegar, then sprayed around your home.
Sunglasses: Never leave home without them. Sunglasses help keep pollen out of your itchy eyes.
Himalayan salt lamps: They purportedly remove dust, dander and other airborne allergens, leaving you with less allergy and cough symptoms.
Eat more chicken ( or at least stay away from beef ): Studies show people who eat trans oleic acid, found mostly in beef and dairy, are three times more likely to have hay fever symptoms than those who eat very little of it.
“If you have moderate seasonal allergies, these fixes can definitely provide relief,” said Rachel R. Alexander, APRN, nurse practitioner with Norton eCare. “Unfortunately, our location in the Ohio Valley can cause severe symptoms, in which case antihistamines or a prescription allergy medication may be necessary. However, these at-home remedies could lessen how much medication you need to take.”
If home remedies and over-the-counter allergy medicine aren’t doing the trick for seasonal allergy symptoms, get fast relief with a trip to a Norton Immediate Care Center, Norton Prompt Care or Norton eCare from home. Your Norton Community Medical Associates primary care provider can help with longer-term allergy treatment.