Well, allergies have been kicking our butts this year. Mine haven’t been too bad (except for when I spread straw on our yard last week to try to grow some grass and I think I’m super allergic to straw), but Austin has had a horrible time with allergies which have turned into sinus headaches, and then sinus infections.

He takes allergy medicine all year round, but there have been days and weeks this summer where it hasn’t been enough.

Since we don’t want to add even more medicine into the mix, we’ve been trying a lot of home remedies to help with allergies and sinus infections.

Here’s what we’ve found: You have to find what works for you.

Unfortunately, it seems like kind of a trial and error thing. Some home remedies that others swear by did nothing. Also, consistency is important. Keep trying.

I’d also like to mention that this post can be used as a drinking or exercise game (though probably not both at the same time). Every time you read the word “mucus”, you must do a shot or 5 squats. Your call. Mucus. Gross.

Allergy & Sinus Infection Home Remedies

Steam Your Face

The thing that helps Austin’s allergies and sinus infections more than anything else is steaming his face.

Basically, we boil some water, pour it into a bowl, and he leans over the bowl, breathing in the steam with a towel draped over his head to keep the steam in. He does this for about five minutes each time.

When he had a sinus infection, he did it about three times a day. It helps to loosen the mucus caught in the sinuses.

To really make it effective, we add a couple of drops of eucalyptus essential oil to the hot water. The scent really opens up the nasal passages.

The Sniff Box

I found this idea on Pinterest and we call it the “sniff box”.

We have a tiny container (a mini food storage container with a good lid) that we put a few cotton balls in, enough to cover the bottom of the container. Then we added multiple drops of various essential oils to the cotton balls.

The smell of the essential oils really opens up the sinuses and gives some temporary relief to the pressure.

The recipe we use is:

10 drops Eucalyptus oil

10 drops Lemon oil

10 drops Peppermint oil

He takes a few deep breaths as he needs it throughout the day. When the smell doesn’t seem as strong anymore after a few days or weeks, we refresh it with more drops or replace the cotton balls and start fresh.

Honey

Ok, I’m not sure if this really helped because we did it at the same time as a few other things.

Honey has antibacterial properties to it, and the thinking is that it will help a sinus infection because there are bacteria forming in the mucus stuck in your sinuses. Something like that. I’m not a doctor or scientist.

Anyways, I had my fella drink tea with honey in it a few times a day when he had a sinus infection and he did get better soon after that.

Lots of Fluids

Lots and lots of water can help keep your sinuses moist and thin out the mucus stuck in there.

Spicy Food

This was kind of funny. I read that spicy food can help clear the sinuses and Austin was in such bad shape that he bought a jar of ghost pepper salsa. He says it helped. His mouth was on fire, though, so for a little while, he had bigger concerns than his sinuses.

So you might just be replacing one problem with another, but it does work.

Wash the Dog

Unfortunately, Mozzie has also suffered as a result of our allergies and sinus issues.

He has gotten a lot more baths than normal because he rolls out in the yard and brings in all kinds of allergens on his fluff.

Since he sleeps on our bed and sits on our laps, we’ve made sure to clean him up a few times a week.

⇒ What have you tried to help with allergies and sinus headaches or infections?