14 Natural Allergy Remedies that Really Work

Do you suffer from allergy symptoms–runny nose, itching eyes, and more? These Natural Allergy Remedies really work and can help support your body so you can feel better fast.

Allergies have been a huge problem for me for much of my life. And since my family wasn't really focused on natural living at all, we treated my allergies with drugs, rather than trying to find natural allergy remedies that could help me find relief without the side effects that medications cause.

Thankfully, there are other options today for me to lean on for myself and my family. These ten natural allergy remedies have made a huge difference for us.

My History with Allergies

I had chemical sensitivities for as long as I can remember. I recall feeling odd or even terrible while walking down the detergent / house cleaning aisle in the grocery store, or through the perfume section in a department store due to sensitivities to artificial fragrances.

But it wasn't until my teen years that my allergies got really bad.

So bad that I had to stay home from high school while the trees were in bloom, only going in for 9th grade Biology, since Mr. Propheta's course was so hard — there was no way I was going to make it without showing up.

Either my mom or friends brought my homework home to me for the remaining 6 weeks.

I knew that I'd been sick, but I never realized how bad it was until I went back to visit my high school after I was in the work force.  I ran into my old Spanish teacher, and after we chatted for awhile, he mentioned how surprised he was that I did so well in school despite being so sick..

I was on 3 different prescription allergy medications and was still almost incapacitated.  Sneezing, runny nose, swollen eyes and I dreaded the onset of spring each and every year.

During my 20s, I found an allergist who helped me tremendously with a special allergy shot protocol that really had a miraculous effect on me.  I no longer was suffering that much anymore.

However, allergies do continue to be something that our family struggles with to varying degrees, especially for our youngest.

The following are a number of natural allergy remedies that have been effective for our family and I hope are for yours as well.

Natural Allergy Remedies

1. Nettle Tea

Nettle leaf has carotene, vitamin K, and quercetin. While more research needs to be done in this area, there is some evidence that using stinging nettle after the first sign of allergic symptoms helps reduce symptoms.

However, make sure to buy the leaf and not the root, as the root has a totally different function.

We've Nettle Tea by the pot and have drunk it throughout the day. I find it really does help us.

I also sometimes make it in my beloved Stainless Steel French Press–very convenient. Regardless of whether nettle helps with allergies or not, there are many other stinging nettle benefits, making it something to consider adding to your diet.

You can buy Nettle Leaves either from Frontier or Starwest Botanicals.

2.  Local Honey

Pretty much every day my sons each have 1 teaspoon of local honey.

They love having the treat (who doesn't love honey?), but they are also possibly getting allergy prevention benefits.

Basically consuming local honey is thought to be like getting an allergy shot since you get small amounts of the pollen with each yummy bite.  The bees collect pollen from the very plants that you are allergic to, so if you buy honey from bees that are not local, you are likely not getting the best “natural allergy shot” that you can, since you'll be “immunizing” yourself against the wrong kind of pollen. There is conflicting evidence about this, and only small studies have been done, so the jury is still out.

Please note that honey should not be given to a child under the age of one due to the possibility of Clostridium botulinum.

3.  Saline Rinse

We use this DIY Saline Rinse whenever we are fighting colds, and it's great for allergy season too.

The salt water helps draw out the pollen that is irritating your nose, and also flushes out mucous and opens up nasal passages. (source)

It works wonders.

4. Essential Oils

Did you know this about these common essential oils?

These plant-based wonders are naturally anti-inflammatory and some have natural antihistamine qualities.

Put a drop of one or each of these in your hand, combine with a carrier oil (I like Fractionated Coconut Oil because it won't stain clothes or bed linens and doesn't spoil) and place some on your cheeks, forehead, chest or sinuses.

Alternatively, you could blend a drop of each of the following together and add a carrier oil before using the resulting blend.

Lavender – a natural antihistamine
Peppermint – has anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to help reduce allergic responses
Eucalyptus – is known to relieve allergies (citriadora is the safest version of this oil)
Lemongrass – while lemon is often mentioned by essential oil bloggers as being an oil to combine with peppermint and lavender, Lemongrass has been shown to outperform many essential oils in being a natural antihistamine

Be careful using this blend with young children. Peppermint should not be used for children (some say under the age of 6), and only use citriodora on children. No other eucalyptus should be used on children under 10. Citriodora is not expected to be as effective, however.

We used this blend just this morning after my youngest and I started sneezing a bunch and we felt much better afterwards.

Oh – if you missed how I chose the above company for essential oils, here is the start of the series, and here is the final post.

5.  Probiotics

Since most of your immune system is housed in your gut, anything you can do to heal and strengthen your gut is going to help with your allergies.

Probiotics have been shown to help reduce allergic responses, however, the results can vary apparently due to different strains or different allergens.

Our family takes probiotics daily.

Using fermented foods is of course one way to get good bacteria into your gut.

Currently, we are using Metagenics Synergy, and also InLiven from Miessence (read more here about my experience with these superfood probiotics) but we've tried many versions of probiotics in the past with varying results.

If you have histamine intolerance, then this post on Low Histamine Probiotics should be a great resource.

6.  Air Purifiers

My youngest didn't do well with allergy shots — he kept having what seemed to be reactions to them, so we have opted out for the time being.

However, he has suffered quite a bit in the past few years, so we bought a HEPA air filter for our home, and it seemed to help all of us.

During allergy season, we left it on around the clock.

The replacement filters were pretty pricey, however, and I felt that we needed not only something more powerful, but also more filters.

So, since writing this post, I spent a lot of time researching air purifiers, in order to choose the one(s) that I wanted in my home.

I ended up choosing the best purifier out there.

Austin Air

1. They are top-notch–super high quality.
2. They cost less to run in the long term than most or all quality filters on the market. Just because an air filter seems cheaper up front, you need to consider the long term costs of filter replacements.

Bonus — these filters work as White Noise Machines, so you can sleep (and nap) more soundly too!

Contact me at adrienne {at} wholenewmom {dot} com for your savings on Austin Air, or just comment on this post and I'll be happy to help!

You can also consider adding some air-filtering plants to your home. Some of them are even known to remove pollen from the air!

7.  Wash Your Hair

Especially if you are outside a lot, but even if you are not, washing your hair regularly is very important during allergy season.

I know that the whole “no poo” movement is gaining popularity, and I personally don't like taking time to wash my hair many times during the week but think about it; your hair is exposed to the elements all the time and when you wash it, you are getting things out of it that you don't want in there like pollution and pollen.

Though I think it's very important to go as natural as possible and avoid toxins in your shampoo and other personal care products, do you really want to sleep with all of that pollution and pollen right next to your face?

8.  Close Windows

I'm all for saving money on air conditioning bills, but in the spring, no matter how hot it gets (or how clean the air feels outside), we do not open our windows.

We also keep the car windows up almost all the time when driving during the spring for the same reason.

9.  Laundry Tips

Wash your bedding often.

Since you are going to be in your bed for the greatest percentage of each day, having clean sheets is a must.

Don't Dry Clothes Outdoors.

While I love reducing our energy usage and limiting our carbon footprint, hanging laundry outside in seasons when there is a high pollen count is not a good idea for those of us who suffer from allergies.

We moved this past year and I plan to set up an outside clothes drying system, but that will not be in use in the spring months.

I HIGHLY recommend cleaning your washing machine out regularly. We spray HOCl in ours (don't forget the seal!) and we wash clothes with borax too.

10.  Nose Balm

Betcha didn't expect to see Nose Balm in a list of natural allergy remedies, did you?

You can buy a product specifically made for this purpose, but really you can use any lip balm or other balm as well.

Just wipe a little all around the base of your nose.  The balm traps the pollen as it's about to enter your nose and helps relieve allergy symptoms.

Here is a balm that is made just for this purpose, but it is quite a pricey ounce per ounce.

This Earth Mama Angel Baby Balm is much more affordable option and this Greener Than Petroleum Balm from Poofy Organics is a great value. Code WNM gets 10% off your first purchase.

11. Herbal Steam

Herbal steams are fantastic for helping with airway distress. Some herbs that would be good to consider for allergies are angelica, thyme, mint, eucalyptus, honeysuckle, andrographis, basil, and rosemary.

12. Spirulina

It might surprise you as it did me, but spirulina has actually been proven to help significantly relieve allergy symptoms.

I read about this and decided to try it for our youngest who had pretty severe spring hay fever, and it really worked!

He had very badly swollen eyes 2 days in a row before trying the spirulina and was so much better after he took it. 

Note that it's very important to choose quality spirulina, as it can be contaminated depending on its sourcing. You want a spirulinaspirulina that is tested for contaminants and grown without exposure to toxins. Code WNM gets 10% off on that site.

A Cautionary Note

Since food allergies can piggyback on environmental allergies, it is advisable to take care when using foods as support for allergies. Please consult with your physician for any such concerns.

13. Quercetin

Quercetin is well known for its anti-inflammatory and antihistamine actions. We've used it personally and found it to work quite well.

14. Stay Hydrated

It makes sense that since our bodies are 55-60% water, we need to stay hydrated for our bodies to work well.

And it turns out that that is true for fending off allergies as well. Drink up! Staying hydrated has been shown to help with keeping allergies at bay.

Make sure to use only filtered water, of course! Here's a post about our journey to find the best water filter for our family.

15. Support Your Liver

Another addition to the list. This is something to really pay attention to. Seasonal allergies can be a sign of a liver that needs support. I found that when I worked hard on my overall health my allergies (which were literally debilitating in my youth) almost disappeared.

This post on liver support has a lot of recommendations for ways to help your liver function as best as it can.

Recommendation for Allergic Eyes

While this doesn't really address allergies per se, this Cooling Eye Mask really helps with making your eyes feel better. Helps with puffiness and inflammation.

It's great and very soothing.

What natural allergy remedies do YOU use?

This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Stephen O'Connor, Emergency Medicine MD and Chief Medical Officer for Salutem Health Group. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you consult with your physician concerning any health issues.