Don’t you hate it when you wake up in the morning and you find
you have puffy, swollen eyes and/or dark circles under your eyes? There
are plenty of reasons for puffy eyes and dark circles, some of which are late
nights and smoking, but they are also caused by allergies, poor diet, an overly
salty diet, insomnia, chronic sinusitis, genetics, and even working too
hard, spending long hours staring at a computer screen.
Unfortunately, sometimes plain old genetics are to blame for
dark circles. While there is nothing you can do about genetics, you can take
some steps to help eliminate those red, swollen eyes and lessen dark circles.
1. Chilled Spoons If you tend to get those dark circles or puffy
eyes, you can be prepared in advance. Place two metal spoons in the fridge
overnight and then place them on your eyes in the morning. Really cold
spoons will cause the blood vessels in the thin skin under your eyes to constrict,
reducing swelling, that puffy look, and dark circles.
2. Cucumbers This is perhaps the
oldest remedy around. Slice a cucumber and place the slices in a bag in the
freezer. After an hour, take them out and place the frozen cucumber slices over
your eyes for about 10 minutes. Cucumbers are full of antioxidants that ease
irritation and the cooling effects of the frozen slices will reduce swelling.
3. Raw Potato Slices If you don’t have
cucumbers available (or if you don’t have time to freeze them), try the potato
method. Potatoes have astringent compounds that will remove excess water from
under the eyes. If you often get swollen eyes due to allergies, this method
should work well for you. Wash and peel a potato and place thin slices over
your eyes. Allow them to work their magic for about 10 minutes, and then rinse
your eyes gently with cool water.
4. Tea Bags Remove dark circles and puffy eyes and have a
great cup of tea at the same time. Green tea will work best in this instance,
but black tea will also work. Green tea has more antioxidants which are the
active ingredient here, but chamomile tea will also work well as it has
calming, soothing compounds. Soak two teabags in hot water for about 3 minutes,
and then allow the tea bags to cool to room temperature. You can drink the tea
while you are waiting! Now lie down and place the tea bags over your eyes and
leave them there for 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Whole Milk The fat in whole milk
has a soothing effect on the skin and the amino acids whole milk contains will
reduce the swelling. Saturate a clean wash cloth in cold milk, squeeze out some
of the excess, and place the cloth over your eyes for 10 to 15 minutes. This
will only work with whole milk or half and half, not skim milk, low fat milk,
non-fat milk, or nut milks, sorry.
6. Salt Water Salt water will get rid of excess water from
around the eye area via osmosis. Mix half a teaspoon of salt with 4 cups of
warm water. Be sure the salt has completely dissolved.
Soak cotton balls or a wash cloth in the salt water and then
place the wet items over your eyes for about 5 minutes. Dunk the cloth again
and repeat.
7. Aloe Vera You probably have an aloe vera plant in your
kitchen or garden. Aloe vera is good for a whole lot more than just burns! Cut
off a leaf and slice it open lengthwise. Squeeze out the clear gel and apply it
directly under the eyes, but be careful not to get any in your eye! Aloe vera
is rich in antioxidants and vitamin E, which will help reduce swelling and
lighten up those dark circles.
8. Massage Sometimes, puffy eyes are due to a buildup of
lymph fluid and simply massaging the area gently can remove the fluid and
reduce puffiness. Place your fingers over your eyes and using gentle, circular
motions, give your eyes, and the skin under your eyes, a gentle massage. Do
this for about 2 minutes and you will see improvement.
9. Witch Hazel and Egg
Whites Egg
whites might be a bit of a pain, but they are well-known for preventing
wrinkles as well as for temporarily tightening the skin. Witch hazel is also a
natural astringent that tightens the skin, so this combination is excellent!
10. Ice This is really cold
but a quick and easy way to tighten up blood vessels (which will lessen those
dark circles) and reduce swelling. Wrap an ice cube or an ice pack in a wash
cloth and apply directly to the eyes. Don’t press too hard! Hold it there for
about 5 minutes.
Although it can be difficult to get rid of dark circles, some of
these remedies can help, especially when used on a regular basis. In fact, you
can set the alarms 15 minutes ahead of time, get their remedy from the freezer,
then go back to bed, hit the snooze button, and get a few extra Z’s while
lessening those swollen eyes and dark circles at the same time. Sounds like a
pretty good plan!
~Thanks to naturalon.com
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