Puffy eyes

Do you struggle with puffy eyes?  There are some things you can do to reduce that puffiness.  Here are my favorite (and cheap) options!

Causes

There can be many causes for puffiness but some of the biggest culprits for puffy eyes are:

• Lack of sleep / lack of good sleep
• Too much alcohol consumption
• Crying
• Bad diet

If we’re not getting the right kind of sleep, we’ll wake up with bags under our eyes.  Sleep is so vital to our health and how well we function.  Lack of sleep or lack of good sleep will show up on our faces – you can’t hide from it.  Baggy, dark, and puffy eyes will surely greet you in the morning if you haven’t rested enough.

Obviously crying will also give your puffy eyes.  If something has upset you to the point of crying, that’s OK.  There is nothing wrong with crying.  Sometimes we need to just let it out.  What you don’t want to do is dwell on things and not have the issue resolved.  If it’s grief, this will take time.  As long as you are working through things, crying is helpful so getting the occasional eye puffiness is expected.

These are some of the most common reasons but there are other reasons you should be aware of.  Did you know that between a bad diet and too much alcohol, our eyes can start showing this unsightly symptom?  It’s true.  If you eat processed foots or fast food – both of which contain a lot of salt – you will retain water.  It will show up in your face – especially around your eyes.  (Note:  you’ll also notice your body is a little bit swollen too.)  This is because of the salt that these foods contain.  Alternately, if you salt your food heavily, it will have the same effect.

Beverages

Alcohol has a similar effect because it dehydrates your skin.  On top of it all, you probably aren’t drinking enough water – making you even more dehydrated.  Both these bad habits can even cause acne to flare up.  It’s a vicious cycle but in order to deal with the puffiness (and possibly the acne), you need to be aware of it.

Reduce puffiness

I do have some good news – there are some ways to combat this puffiness.  The obvious ones are getting enough rest, eating / drinking well, and not balling your eyes out.  In truth, sometimes we need to cry and sometimes we fall into bad habits.  On those few (or hopefully few) occasions, here are some things I have done to reduce the bulge under my eyes:

1. Tea bags – you may have heard of this one before but caffeine does reduce puffiness – try soaking a tea bag, let it cool, then squeeze out the excess water and place on your eyes for about 10 minutes.  Big plus is that you can use either black or green tea.
2. Carrot seed oil – this oil is great for any skin type and it’s anti-inflammatory.
3. Sea Buckthorn oil – another great oil for any skin type that’s also anti-inflammatory.
4. Eye creams that contain any of the above ingredients – yep, you can look for an eye cream that has one or more of the above ingredients.
5. Homemade face spray – see below to make your own puffiness reducer!

Homemade Facial Spray

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of buying either the carrot seed or sea buckthorn oils or you don’t like the idea of putting tea bags on your eyes, try this homemade facial spray:

1. Make a strong tea – using either black or green tea – but use only about 2 ounces of water.
2. Add about 5 black peppercorns to the tea.  (Black pepper is anti-inflammatory)
3. Steep for about 15 minutes – longer, if you’d like.
4. Once cooled, add to a bottle with an atomizer and spray on your face in the morning.

I use this every day and I love it because both ingredients help against inflammation.  Keep this in the fridge to preserve it and for the benefit of the cool water on your face.  Soon, you’ll notice less puffy eyes!

For more eye puffiness reading, go to:  Why am I so Puffy?