Hay-fever is a cruel mistress. There is nothing like sitting outside on a sunny day with a cold drink, some music and a good book. Unless like me… and you live in fear of the pretty flowers that make your eyes itch and cause sneezing fits. So here are a few of my hay-fever survival tips. Now I don’t suffer as badly as some other people do thankfully, but when it flares up, it flares up BAD. Walking around like a sniffly, puffy eyed crying teenager isn’t exactly the most attractive look in the book… so here’s a few tried & tested tips I’ve picked up over the years!
1. Anti-histamines. Pop ‘em like they’re tic-tacs… I always have a box of clarityn in my handbag for extra high pollen count days. I usually take one when I wake up to last the day, and if I still get a hay-fever attack I take another.
2. HayMax. Best thing ever. Throw it on over your make up, around the base of your nostrils before you leave the house. It acts a physical barrier that raps the pollen before it gets into your nose.
3. Waterproof mascara. If your eyes itch, you’re going to rub them. Which means they are going to smudge/run, which means waterproof mascara is your bestest friend ever.
4. Wraparound sun glasses. Prevent those lil evil pollen monsters from getting into your eyes as much as possible with glasses that cover as much of your eyes as possible.
5. Take a shower after you come in, if you’ve been outside pollen will probably have stuck to your clothes/skin/hair…which means even if you’re inside you can still have an attack. They are tricky little guys.
6. Take some bee pollen supplements, I’ve found that taking a few a day during Spring/Summer helps reduce the amount of hay-fever attacks I get and they’re actually pretty good energy boosters too!
7. Chilled eye masks. I have a gel filled eye mask that I keep in the fridge and when my eyes are particularly sore, I put it on and lie on the couch for a few minutes to cool them out.
8. Download an app that can keep track of the pollen count, to give you a heads up!
Be gentle to your skin. Nothing harsh or irritating. Personally I SWEAR by La Roche-Posay’s Toleraine range, which is specially made for poor super-sensitive intolerant skin. I am quite possible LRP’s biggest fan, since using their products I have seen such a difference in my skin.The Toleraine formula’s are stripped down to the essentials, thankfully removing anything that could potentially irritate your skin. They have no parabens/perfumes/preservatives/alcohol or anything harmful.
I use Toleraine Dermo-Cleanser to take off whatever is left of my make-up after a day of constant sneezing and frantic eye rubbing, I just gently massage it on and then remove it with a cotton ball.After I rinse my face when my eyes are particularly itchy, Toleraine Ultra is literally the only product apart from water that I can use on my skin that doesn’t burn. I keep it in the fridge and then gently smooth it on my face…HEAVEN.
I hope some of my tips are helpful to you fellow hay-fever sufferers, and if you have any yourself I’d love to hear them!!
x
