I'm curious... just as some people are allergic to animal dander, can people also be allergic to their own dandruff?

When I sometimes get dandruff I notice that I sneeze a lot.

I'm not sure if you could be allergic to dandruff as dandruff is not an allergen. Have you discussed this with a GP yet? Maybe you should if this problem is bothering you. If the dandruff and not something else is causing you to sneeze, then it's probably more like an irritant than an allergen. Our nose sneezes to get rid of yucky stuffs. E.g. if you put too much of powder kind of pepper on your food or watever, our noses naturally sneezes to get rid of the irritant; but it doesn't mean that we are allergic to pepper. Does the dandruff falls of your head easily? I asked that because if it does, then then dandruff might be irritating your nose when you breathe in the air with the dandruff. However, if the dandruff stays on your head, maybe if could be some other stuffs? Just my 2-cents, hope it helps... :cool: good luck.

Not possible if it is a product of your own body=)
But, that aside, dandruff can be a sign of allergy. Any itching on your scalp? Open sores that wooze, weep & sometimes bleed? Flakes on the bigger side? Does a dandruff shampoo help?
Dandruff is a symptom of, but not always, seborrheic dermatitis, which can be triggered by an allergy. For me, if I don't take Clarinex EVERY SINGLE DAY, my scalp gets all itchy & slowly progresses to dandruff & full blown dermatitis. Taking an antihistamine may help your scalp(but be patient, it may take a week or 2 to clear up), and you would probably benefit from using a tar shampoo. You can get this OTC(Neutrogena has some I believe), as well as a prescription(Capex is awesome) & just use that in the beginning of the shower on your scalp only. In a week or 2, along with the antihistamine, the flakes should be gone, as wella s your sneezing improved=) Good luck

Now that I think of it, my stuffiness and sneezing happens usually right after I get up in the morning. I blow my nose a few times to clear my nasal passages, then I'm usually fine for most of the day. I guess I related it to dandruff, because of lying down and having my face pressed against my hair, and perhaps having dandruff on my pillow that I don't see.

well, I think it's best to go with the skin test to see if you might be allergic to dustmites. Dustmites are in mostly all beds and if you are allergic to them, dustmite protectors for the bed and pillows will help. Since you also said that you are fine other than upon waking up... it might be something that's in the bed. It's kinda unlikely that you could be allergic to dandruff as I never heard it as an allergen.

gotta agree with cheerangel- I really don't think it's possible to be allergic to it, if it was, believe me I would be sneezing up a storm right now hehehe=).
anyways, the dust mites idea sounds like the most likely possibility, they live off of dead skin cells & they are probably having parties over all yours from the dandruff.
you may want to try an allergen proof pillowcase & mattress encasings, also an air filter over your vent in your room, see if this helps.
also try seeing an allergist or a dermatologist over your dandruff, there are very effective treatments out there for it! if they have worked for me, they should work for just about everyone lol. you just have to be consistent in the use of them!