Allergy Season Essentials 2014

Hands up if you suffer from some kind of pollen allergy? *personally raises both hands*

I suffer from every pollen type (grass, etc.) and that makes spring and summer, well, not my favourite seasons despite the warmer weather and the sun making its appearance, offering the possibility of gaining a tan if you are lucky. The weather really tests me every year, annoyingly so! I have had allergies for 16-17 years by now, so I have l learned what works, what is great to bring along with you every time you leave home, what doesn’t work, what to do if the allergy symptoms get a good hold of me, and so on. It has taken a really long time to perfect with many try-and-fail rounds to get things right for me.

Some of the things below that I find essentials will obviously differ – what my symptoms are and what helps soothes them may not work just as great for you.

My essentials!

Medicine:

I have tried so many types and brands over the years, where many of them didn’t really alleviate the symptoms I had and caused me to stay indoors most of the time. I believe that the pros should outweigh the cons, always, and that just isn’t the case with a lot of the medicine for me. So in time, I have found that easily accessible Benadryl and a nasal spray from the local super market works best for me.

Sunglasses:

Sunglasses is an absolute must if you are in some way outdoors – tanning, riding your bike, taking a walk, shopping, eating an ice cream, etc.. It protects your eyes from not only the sun, but also from pollen.

Mine are from Mads Nørgaard’s 2013 collection and cost me 300 DKK (30 GPS), which I find is cheap for something that is extremely essential for me. I do have 2-3 other pairs, as I keep them for many years, but I like my orange ones best.

Gel masks:

I honestly look like a complete idiot wearing the orange one, I have been told that many and many times over. But when you pull one out from the fridge (it needs to be cold) and put it on, your eyes that are really beyond itches and red really appreciate the coldness. The coldness helps calming the itching down. I don’t care looking like an idiot if just my eyes don’t itch like crazy.

Cooling gel:

It comes in a very practical small tube (that seems to have endless amounts of gel in it) you can easily put into your handbag whenever you go. You put the clear gel under your eyes and it cools the area downs. It works just as a gel mask, but is something you put directly on your skin. Many differed brands make these – I just opted for one I could buy at my local pharmacy.

App (link to read more about; http://www.astma-allergi.dk/ditmobilepollental):

I am convinced there is/are similar apps in other countries, but seeing as I am a Dane it only makes sense that I have a Danish app. The app tells you every day what the pollen numbers of your favourite pollen type is and also, if there are any warnings, in Copenhagen and Viborg. It is so practical, and the best part of it is, it doesn’t cost anything to download.

There are obviously other things you can do (in Denmark there are some recommendations that would feel redundant if I were to mention them as well) and there are far more products you can use to help you get through the seasons, but these are simply what I have picked that helps me out immensely and what I consider my essentials.

Do you suffer from pollen allergy? What is/are your essential(s)?

Until next time,

Mia ♥