The pressures and stresses of modern life can leave their mark on your face. Not many people get as much sleep as they’d like, and when this leaves you with puffy eyes, you’ll look just as tired as you feel.
Makeup offers a quick fix for disguising those bags under your eyes, but it’s always better to get to the root of the problem. These five natural treatments will help reduce the swelling and tighten your skin, leaving your eyes looking bigger, brighter, and full of life.
Cool Cucumber Slices
Place a thin slice of chilled cucumber over each eye, and take half an hour’s time out to relax and let the cool juices do their work. They’ll start to soothe eye irritation and reduce swelling, while the ascorbic acid they contain will help reduce water retention and gently lighten tired, dark circles.
Black Tea Bags
For quick relief from eye puffiness, leave two damp black tea bags in the fridge for a couple of hours. Once cool, press them lightly onto your closed eyes for ten minutes. The combined actions of coldness, tannin, and caffeine traces will constrict the blood vessels, ease fluid retention, and reduce the swelling. This method will also soothe the aching feeling of your weary, over-stressed eyes.
Herbal Tea Bags
Alternatively, a similar effect can be achieved with herbal tea bags if you prefer to avoid caffeine. Choose a herb such as chamomile which has a natural antihistamine effect to reduce irritation, or lavender which helps drain away the excess fluids that cause under-eye bags to form.
Aloe vera gel has powerful antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties to reduce the swelling of tired eyes. It also nourishes and strengthens your skin to prevent the puffiness creating fine lines and wrinkles at the eye corners. Massage a small amount of the gel into your skin, taking care not to get any into your eyes – it’s totally harmless but can sting a little.
Egg Whites
Whisk up an egg white until soft and fluffy, and spread it gently onto your lower eyelids and cheekbones. Leave for 20 minutes before rinsing off with warm water. As the egg dries, it will draw out retained water and tighten your skin to bring the swelling under control. As a bonus, it also subtly lightens any redness or blotchiness that came along with the puffiness.
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