Spoons!... My Favourite Remedy for Puffy Eyes

There are those days when you look at yourself in the morning and all you see are puffy, baggy eyes. Not only do they make you look tired but also unhealthy. Puffy eyes are usually a result of fluid accumulation under the eyes and therefore if you cry or drink alcohol excessively your eyes appear swollen. Most of us try to cover up their puffy eyes behind sunglasses or by using concealer. However, you can also leave your puffy eyes at home with some of these tried and tested home remedies.

We have all heard of putting something cool like cucumber slices or cold teabags on your eyes but for a mess-free alternative try putting 2 metal tablespoons in the freezer or fridge and use them daily by placing the backs against your eyes. As silly as it sounds, placing frozen or cold spoons on your eyes quickly soothes swollen eyes. It is one of my most used beauty secrets. The cold temperature helps tighten the skin around the eyes, constricts blood vessels and reduces the puffiness.

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How to use cold spoons to reduce puffy eyes:
Refrigerate four to six metal spoons for 10 to 15 minutes. After they are chilled, place the rounded portion on the eyes until the spoons turn warm. Replace the spoons with more cold ones until the puffiness has reduced.

Alternatives: If you don’t want to use a cold spoon, you can simply use ice cubes but make sure to wrap the ice cubes in cloth before placing them on your eyes. Ice cubes are too cold to apply directly to the sensitive eye area. I just like spoons because they are easy, dry and don't make a drippy mess.

4 more tips to help alleviate puffy eyes

1. Tea bags work very well for puffy eyes. You need to soak the bags in hot water for 3-5 minutes and set them out to cool a bit before you use them on your eyes. You can also moisten teabags in cold water and patch them on your puffy eyes.
2. You can also cool or soothe your eyes with potato or cucumber slices. These are especially helpful if you have puffy eyes because you have stayed awake the whole night and are tired.
3. You may use cold circles of strawberries, chilled spoons, ice cubes wrapped in a towel, cotton balls soaked in ice water or even just a cool washcloth applied to the eye area to lessen the swelling or puffiness.
   
4. Whatever you choose to do, avoid rubbing your eyes as it aggravates and increases the puffiness.
   
   

Tips to get rid of puffy eyes - Stay hydrated and sleep well

Your eyes require sufficient rest from all the stress they endure during the hours you are awake. If you suffer from puffy eyes a lot, maybe your eyes are not getting proper rest. You should sleep for 7-8 hours every night. Also, you must check your sleeping position. Sleep with your head raised; propping your head up keeps fluids from accumulating under your eyes thus reducing puffiness.

It is also important to stay hydrated and drink plenty of fluids but ensure that you don’t drink too much water or fluids before you go to bed. Drinking too much alcohol also causes puffy eyes so control your consumption and try to drink healthy drinks such as fresh fruit juices. If you use your computer extensively for work, rest your eyes frequently.

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