Ever have a restless night? After a long day of work, roommate, and general life-induced stress, tossing and turning is basically the norm. Then, tomorrow comes, and it comes with puffy eyes and a look that says "I've got some serious baggage right now and I'm tired as all hell." While this may keep away the unwelcome seat mate on your morning subway commute, it's certainly going to keep away the new hottie temping at your job as well, and possibly give you the dreaded "party girl" nickname around the office. Basically, puffy eyes are not a good look in any situation.
The area under our eyes has the thinnest skin which makes it an ideal place for fluids to build up and cause unwanted morning sag. Personally, not drinking enough H20 gives me especially puffy eyes and if I don't catch at least seven hours of zz's? Oh, I'm as puffy as a cabbage patch doll. Over-the-counter eye serums are murder on my wallet and have generally proven ineffective on the relentless puff in my eyes; I can't tell you how many I've tried that have left me disappointed and broke. Of course, turning to nature turned out to be a lot of trial and error. Fortunately, testing out natural products has little harm or side effects on my skin, plus they tend to be cheap items that I use on a day-to-day basis already.
Here are some of my favorite natural remedies to zap that sag and keep me lookin' well rested all day.
Coffee Grinds
Peet's Ground Coffee, $7, Amazon
Caffeine is a daily super power that wakes our minds up, but did you know it can wake your eyes up when applied topically? Stimulating our skin with caffeine is a well-known secret at waking up dull skin and increasing blood circulation and that makes this the biz at handling that crazy eye puff from last night's happy hour. Massage coffee grinds directly under your eyes and you can decrease the inflammation basically instantly. I like to mix my coffee grinds with coconut oil to soften the grinds and provide additional moisture. Coconut oil is also an anti-inflammatory and is a great anti-aging tool; it will also work against the dark circles under our eyes that make the puff more visible.
Grape Seed Oil
Now Foods Grape Seed Oil, $9, Amazon
I have been diligently on my mom about keeping up with her grape seed eye regimen for the past year; it works amazing at eliminating eye puffiness and increasing the skins elasticity over time. When your skin is nice and firm, the puffiness can stay at bay. Applying grape seed oil directly under your eyes each morning is def not going to give you instant results, but it can help the aging process and reduce swelling and wrinkles if used daily. Mama J is already lookin' 10 years younger.
Bananas
Look, I'm not hatin' on the cucumber routine, but I personally do not have time to cut up cucumber slices and sit very still for 20 minutes for them to work. Also, I've angrily thrown a cucumber slice across the room after the 7th time it's fallen off my face. What I do have time for is to quickly mash up half a banana and apply it liberally under my eyes while I brush my teeth and gussy up my 'fro. The most important part of this simple recipe is you MUST eat the other half of the banana and then get another one if the option presents itself en route. The potassium, B vitamins, and iron in the banana is not only waking those eyes up, it's also going to wake your mind and bod up when you consumed. Bananas are basically nature's speed; it fills you up, stimulates your mind, and keeps you wanting more.
Witch Hazel
Thayer's Witch Hazel, $10, Amazon
If you are looking to keep those bewitching eyes that you had before you gave into the urge to re-watch The Notebook the night before, then witch hazel will be your quick fix in the morning. Witch hazel is known to reduce swelling and repair broken skin, hence, why it can be found in the first aid section of stores. This natural astringent can also reduce the swelling under the eyes. Massage directly under your eye and let your skin soak up those tannins for a few minutes before rinsing well. The downside is that you are going to need to be awake enough to be able to avoid any contact with your eye socket. You will have a lot more problems that I won't be able to help you with if you accidentally get witch hazel in your eyes, trust me.
Images: sinada/Fotolia, Berna Şafoğlu/Fotolia, Jiri Hera/Fotolia, EBFoto/Fotolia; Pixabay
