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If you’re suffering from nose allergy symptoms that include swelling, running nose, rhinitis, and/or post-nasal drip you’re not alone. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, nasal allergies affect about 50 million people in the U.S. including up to 30% of adults and 40% of children (source).
In this article, we’ll share 11 nose allergy home remedies and more!
While researchers look to improve medicine and pinpoint the causes of allergic disease, the nose allergy problem is becoming worse.
Nasal allergies aren’t the “end of the world” for most people, however, they can be annoying, and if left untreated can become debilitating, affecting sleep, social interactions, and overall quality of life.
Nose allergies can cause:
- Fatigue from lack of quality sleep
- Mouth breathing
- Throat clearing
- Irritability
- Redness and swelling
- Sinus pain, also behind eyes and ears
How do I know this? Because I experienced many of these symptoms when my nose allergies were at their worst. I didn’t just have nose allergy symptoms, I had other symptoms including itchy skin, coughing, and fatigue because I was allergic to so many things.
I have improved a great deal since my worst days with allergy. Yet I still remember how uncomfortable life with an allergy can be. For 20 years I couldn’t breathe through my nose and I just thought it was “life”.
I didn’t understand it wasn’t normal, and I didn’t understand how to improve. I’ve tried everything under the sun, including strong prescription medicine that I wish I never used.
Eventually, I found the best ways to improve are often natural ways that don’t compromise my body in the long run.
I prefer to treat the problem, not the symptom, and for too long I treated the symptoms without ever considering the underlying causes. With this said, I also realize that treating the symptoms for a short period of time is often necessary in order to feel better.
Over the past few years, I’ve used a combination of natural remedies and over-the-counter medicine. I also received allergy immunotherapy.
In the past 5 years, I’ve experienced a tremendous amount of allergy relief and can say that my nose couldn’t be more clear. I sleep great now.
Below are many of the natural methods I’ve incorporated into my daily life. I believe that adopting some of these nose allergy home remedies could result in significant allergy improvements and help you breathe better.
11 Best Home Remedies For Nose Allergy
No. 1 Natural Anti Inflammatory Supplements
Incorporating natural anti-inflammatory products into our diet is fairly easy and these supplements can provide significant health rewards. Natural products, or supplements in the form of pills, are easy to find and can be taken along with a daily multi-vitamin.
They often provide a variety of benefits on top of what’s needed to relieve nose allergy.
Fish Oil
The most popular anti-inflammatory is fish oil with omega 3 fatty acid. The omega 3 is a type of fat found in fish oil is said to help with heart disease, anxiety, cancer, arthritis, and cardiovascular disease.
Omega 3 is said to help heart function, skin appearance, and flexibility, joint health among others.
I’ve taken 2 fish oil supplements each day for the last few years and although I didn’t feel an immediate difference, over time science proves it will improve the overall health of the body. Of course, you can eat more wild-caught fish as well – but not all of us want to eat fish every day.
Quercetin 
This is an under-the-radar supplement that is completely natural. It’s largely found as a plant pigment in vegetables and fruits like red apples, berries, leafy greens, tomatoes, and broccoli.
If you eat lots of veggies you likely already receive quercetin benefits however the antioxidant is also available as a vitamin supplement. Including quercetin in your diet can help reduce the allergic response for inflammation like rhinitis and skin rashes.
Quercetin essentially acts as a natural anti-histamine (check on Amazon – quercetin and bromelain price) and is a great nose allergy home remedy.
Bromelain
You might not have heard of bromelain, but you certainly know one of the plants it originates from. The pineapple has some of the highest concentrations of bromelain, especially in its core – the tough chewy center of the pineapple.
Bromelain can help in overcoming injuries and surgeries, with asthma and allergies, digestive problems, joint pain among others. If you’re trying to reduce dependency on synthetic medicines, a few bromelain supplements per week might provide some benefit over a long period of time.
Butterbur
Butterbur is one herbal medicine that has been around for centuries. It’s grown in North America, Asia, and Europe and found in wetland areas. Butterbur is taken as an extract from its roots and has been used to treat headaches, migraines, allergic rhinitis, and hay fever (check butterbur price).
Safety for its use over a long period of time is unknown, however, it is natural and available as a supplement and could likely be taken occasionally – check with your doctor or nurse for more information on its safety.
No. 2 Avoid Histamine-Rich Foods
One thing to consider is the food you’re eating. I am not allergic to food, however, I learned that the food I consume can contribute to high-histamine levels and allergy-like symptoms. This made sense to me immediately because I always felt like my allergies were worse after drinking alcohol or eating fermented foods.
When your nose allergy symptoms are at their worst be aware of the foods you’re ingesting. Below is a list of common histamine releasing foods and they’re another option as a nose allergy home remedies:
- Alcohol – wine, beer, and champagne
- Sauerkraut, vinegar, soy sauce, yogurt (depends on culture used)
- Pickles, olives
- Cured meats like sausage and bacon
- Avocados
- Canned foods
- Cheese
With the bad, come the good. There are also foods that are low in histamine. Here are a few:
- Fresh meat
- Fresh fish
- Eggs
- Fresh fruits
- Fresh veggies,
- Herbal tea
- Leafy herbs
- Milk substitutes
Notice a theme in the low histamine foods? “Fresh” is usually okay and low in histamine. Aged foods like meat, cheeses, and fermented produce will give allergic people problems! To this day I have trouble drinking alcohol because my allergies go crazy.
No. 3 Hydrate
This one is easy to incorporate into any lifestyle. Drink more water and allow your body to flush out or process some of the inflammation or histamine in your system.
Sometimes nose allergy symptoms can be caused by unusually dry sinuses that become inflamed. For me, this occurred in the winter when HVAC systems blew around dry air – even my skin was dried out.
If you’re like me, sometimes you simply forget to drink water. Fill a reusable bottle with water and take to work with you in the car
No. 4 Exercise (to reduce nose allergy symptoms)
I love to exercise but it was difficult when I was experiencing my worst nose allergy symptoms. I wasn’t sleeping well and lacked the energy to go outside or to the gym.
I felt unwell but knew that exercise would help in the long run. I pushed through being uncomfortable and found ways to remain fit without exacerbating my allergy symptoms.
One of the things I did was exercise indoors. If you know which substances you’re allergic to it can help you decide where and when to exercise. I have both indoor and outdoor allergies so I knew either method would be a challenge.
If you have pollen allergies it will be better to exercise indoors or in the evening when pollen counts decrease.
If you have dust mite allergies it will be much better to get outside around fresh air. Although my dust mite allergies are problematic I have a super clean living area that resembles a sterile medical office.
Exercise will keep your immune system firing properly and is great for your heart, muscles, and body. If you have nose allergies do your best to stay active.
No. 5 Nasal Rinse To Reduce Nasal Inflammation
Nasal rinse is an action that focuses on the nose. It can be extremely effective to wash out irritants. Remember, irritants aren’t necessarily allergies.
Irritants can include smoke, odors, pollution/exhaust, and give us allergy-like symptoms. We can also be allergic to some other these things but usually, the culprits are dust mites, pollen, animal dander, mold, yeasts.
Nasal rinse is actually a Hindu practice stemming from the practice of Ayurveda which cleanses the sinus of dust and bacteria. It may seem like an uncomfortable process, however, a saline solution is added to the rinse that acts as a soft moisturizer – this helps inflamed nasal passages and is not painful (check out my review for the best allergy nasal rinse).
Nasal rinse helps alleviate inflamed sinuses but may not fully address the underlying problem. Try a nasal rinse and see what benefits you receive.
No. 6 Use High Quality Filters and an Air Purifier
If you’re having a hard time indoors there could be a few of problems.
- Nasal problems in winter (dry air and poor filters)
- Nasal problems year-round (dust mites)
- Nasal problems while sleeping (dust mites)
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air can be 2-5 times higher than outdoor air. Think about it, sometimes we’re afraid to go outside because we think the air is bad, but it could be worse inside!
Growing up, I lived in a geographical region that had terrible air – one of the worst in the U.S. I knew that going outside would put my lungs at risk, but I never realized that indoor air might be making me feel bad as well. I look back at the inside of my family’s home and see a few potential problems.
(1) We had carpets everywhere in the house. Carpets attract and hold onto dirt and dust. Even if we use a vacuum diligently, it’s almost impossible to capture all the dirt and dust in carpets.
(2) We used poor quality HVAC filters in our home and when we used the heater and air conditioner the filters didn’t capture much dust in the air, it simply blew through the filtration system and returned to the room.
A high-quality HVAC filter and air purifier with a HEPA filter can do wonders for indoor air. I’ve changed to using awesome HVAC filters and turn the vent on 1-2 times per week to filter the air in the house – it works well and I feel better breathing!
No. 7 Nasal Spray
Don’t be confused, a nasal spray is different than a nasal rinse. Nasal sprays are available both over the counter and by prescription. When I think of nasal sprays it usually comes with a negative connotation (corticosteroids).
These are strong, synthetic, and can have side-effects. Brands like Flonase, Nasacort, and Rhinocort are examples of corticosteroid sprays that are effective to help nasal symptoms, but you won’t find me using these because I prefer to avoid corticosteroids.
More natural options are preservative-free saline nasal mists that give moisture and light rinse to sinuses, helping relieve nose allergies. I use these almost on a daily basis and there are little-to-no side effects.
The Arm and Hammer pictured below is made with simple ingredients and one of our best nose allergy home remedies.
They are especially useful on long flights where air can dry out and irritate the sinuses. I really like Arm & Hammer Simply Saline Nasal Mist.
No. 8 Move to a Fresh Air Location
This is a home remedy, however, in order to incorporate it you’ll have to literally move your home (probably not realistic). Some places in the U.S. have really bad air quality.
In large cities, air quality is usually poor from pollution. Even cities near the ocean (like Los Angeles and San Diego) can have bad air.
But living in a more rural area doesn’t mean better air. I grew up in an agricultural area and the air quality was worse than most large cities.
In Texas people battle seasonal “cedar fever”, experiencing nose symptoms in the winter. In the South, hot humid summers might cause a boom in dust mite populations and seriously affect people with dust mite allergy.
If you’re moving to a new location for a new job look at the air quality, precipitation patterns, humidity, and vegetation to better understand if your symptoms will be affected.
No. 9 Ice Your Nose
It sounds silly right? Inflammation can be helped significantly by using ice. Why ice? Inflammation attracts blood to a “problem” area in the body. This is our most simple, yet effective nose allergy home remedy.
In the case of the nose, more blood flows to the nose in order to help the situation, making it swollen, red, itchy. When we have real injury inflammation serves a process, however with allergy the immune response is misfiring.
Ice helps slow the inflammation process by decreasing blood flow to the area which reduces heat and redness. Grab an ice cube, wrap it in a paper towel and gently hold it against your nose. If it gets too cold, remove it then reapply for a few minutes at a time depending on your comfort level.
This is great to do after a long day and before sleep. It will help reduce inflammation before sleeping and may be an easy way to help you sleep better. When I had severe symptoms I would ice my nose while watching television.
No. 10 Allergy Mask
An allergy mask will protect more than just your mouth – it covers your nose as well. Though allergy masks aren’t as common in the U.S., they are extremely common in large Asian cities where pollution is problematic.
Allergy masks are a great idea for anyone suffering from nose allergy. They can be effective while working in the yard and mowing the lawn but are also made for commuting to work, and with exercise like bike riding, motor cross, and running.
Depending on the quality and comfort of an allergy mask, it should help you breathe better. I’m currently using a Vogmask allergy mask and like the quality, style, and the fact it will last me months.
No. 11 Over-the-Counter Anti Histamines
If you have minor nose allergy symptoms, maybe you don’t need to incorporate major changes into your lifestyle. It could be as easy as taking a daily antihistamine.
Are anti-histamines natural? Not exactly, they are synthetic, but they don’t come with the side effects other medicines cause (sometimes drowsiness).
In addition, you won’t need larger doses over time. Anti-histamines are fairly safe but talk to your doctor to decide which is right for you. I take a daily Allegra anti-histamine as part of my allergy protection and I feel better doing so.
Conclusion
Nose allergy symptoms are extremely common. If you have trouble breathing, have an itchy nose, or produce too much mucus, don’t panic because there are ways to improve. You can start by implementing some of these nose allergy home remedies.
Taking an anti-histamine, fish oil supplement, and icing your nose in the evening are simple lifestyle adjustments to make and can help control symptoms.
Ideally you need to figure out the cause of your allergic symptoms. For the best long-term benefits, I’d recommend going to a reputable allergist and being tested for a panel of aeroallergens to try and discover what is causing the problem. The test causes no pain, only a little itchiness if allergic to something.
If you can pinpoint the cause of allergy (e.g. dust mite, pollen, pets) then you can make some big improvements in a short amount of time. Learning what my allergies were helped me understand why I wasn’t sleeping and why I couldn’t breathe out of my nose.
Even though my nose isn’t congested anymore, I still do the following on a daily basis:
- Take fish oil supplements,
- I use allergy filters on my HVAC and air purifiers,
- I take a daily antihistamine,
- I stay hydrated,
- I wear an allergy mask
- I use a natural nasal spray
I feel much better and these actions have become part of my daily routine (I don’t mind doing them). I hope this article helps you find relief. Having nose allergy symptoms shouldn’t be accepted as “normal”.
We encourage you to do your best to find out why it’s happening rather than treat the symptoms. Thanks for reading and good luck trying some of the nose allergy home remedies.