Organic aromatherapy as a complementary treatment for hay fever

Sadly it’s that time of year again when hay fever rears its ugly head. In Spring, those who are allergic to tree pollen begin to suffer – run away if you see a birch tree! - whilst those who are allergic to grass pollen won’t start seeing the symptoms until around May.

Being a hay fever sufferer myself, I know the problems this irritating allergy can cause and whilst aromatherapy and essential oils can’t stop you getting hay fever, they can help relieve the symptoms of itchy eyes and blocked sinuses when used alongside anti-histamines.

For itchy eyes we’d recommend putting a cold compress of organic camomile flower water on your eyes two to three times a day to help reduce soreness and puffiness. Spray on to cotton wool or tissue and put over your eyes for 10-15 minutes at a time. Camomile is known for its healing and soothing properties on sensitive skin.

Either diffuse into the air or on a tissue a blend of organic essential oils to help clear your sinuses. Oils such as eucalyptus and Scots pine are good for this, or you could just use Florame’s pre-mixed organic Easy Breathing blend which contains 10 different organic essential oils. If you diffuse our easy breathing blend into the air using an electric diffuser then do it every 3 hours for approx 15 mins. If you diffuse it on to a tissue, breathe it in for 2-3 minutes then continue to use as and when necessary.

At night, why not try our organic Breathing pillow perfume which will help you breathe more easily. It contains eucalyptus flower water and eucalyptus essential oil but it doesn’t leave a stain on your pillow which a neat essential oil may do.

Other sensible tips are to put Vaseline or similar under your nose to trap pollen particles and prevent them getting into your nasal passages, and keep all doors and windows shut so that dust and pollen don’t get into your home or office. For some, avoiding dairy products and white wine also helps to relieve symptoms and for others acupuncture can be a very effective treatment but this must be done before symptoms start.