According to the Met Office, 1 in 5 people suffer from hay fever. If you live in London, like me, you are in amongst the worse affected area.
Source: metoffice.gov.uk
I have suffered from hay fever since before I can remember and most years my symptoms are pretty much the same. Sneezing until my brain feels like it might fall out, stuffy and runny nose, sinus and throat itching and headaches. When I have an extremely bad day, my eyes are also affected, but this isn't as common as my other symptoms anymore. (When I was younger, I do remember not being able to control itching my eyes with my pollen infested hands).
It is only after the last few years that I learnt that there were different phases of pollen and different natural culprits to blame for producing it over the year, and I really didn't know that alcohol makes our symptoms worse! Oh well, on that front! I will just need to make sure I have my allergy relief to hand!
For years I have taken a non-drowsy called Loratadine daily - I find these help with the headaches, but not much with the sneezing and throat itching.
I find that the Beconase nasal spray is great for controlling my nose and throat itching, however, I have to be careful not to overdose on the instructed usage and still, sneezing is such an issue.
So, I have a great tip for helping with the symptoms of sneezing. It's just not realistic to be advised not to go out, or travel, or drive with your windows up in the heat of the summer!
My tip is temporary and you cannot overdose on it!
Layer the inside of your nostrils with Pure Shea Butter.
My favourite is 100% Shea Butter from L'Occitane.
It comes is a really conveniently small, make up bag size tin and costs £7.
It stops the pollen from going up your nose and into your respiratory tract.
It is so much more effective than the petroleum jelly in Vaseline, which is basically derived from left-over crude oil. Vaseline actually block your pores, stops skin moisture and does not allow your skin to breathe and heal naturally. It actually heals the skin by forming a seal over it and stops germs getting in - a temporary fix really. I've also just learnt that it is also not advised to put Vaseline into your nostrils as this can cause Lipid Pneumonia! Search Vaseline on Wikipedia!
Shea Butter on the other hand acts is a natural barrier. It has amazing healing, nourishing, soothing and calming properties because it is very close to the natural oil we produce in our bodies.
It has been used for centuries in Africa to nourish and protect the skin from the external environment.
Try it!
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