If you suffer from a bout of swollen or puffy eyes in the morning, these instances of excess, under-eye-fluid can make you look tired and older. While these natural eye bags occur more frequently in the morning, they can also appear due to an allergic reaction, after a crying spell or a hangover. The good news: The tannins in tea bags work well to relieve puffy eyes.The natural chemicals in the tea act as astringents that constrict body tissue and give you the appearance of well-rested and younger-looking eyes.
Steep two tea bags in hot water. Chamomile is widely considered the best type of tea to use on swollen eyes. When the tea has steeped remove the bags and allow the wet bags to cool slightly.
Place the warm tea bag on your eyes. Leave the bags on your eyes until they start to feel cool. An alternative is to soak cotton balls with the tea directly from the bag and place the cotton balls on your eyes.
Place the wet tea bags in the refrigerator to cool. This is a matter of taste as some people prefer warm tea bags on their eyelids, and others prefer cool. Cold should act as a natural astringent so cooler tea bags often work faster, but are not as comfortable as warm tea bags.
Lie on your back . Place one tea bag over each eye and let them rest on your eyes for 15 minutes.
Tip
Orange and black pekoe teas are also popular choices. Raw cucumber, potato or apple slices also work to reduce swollen eyes. Consider putting a towel under your head in case liquid from the tea bags drips.
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Writer Bio
Based in southern California, Morgan is a full-time financial analyst. She has been writing since 1995, including articles for "Wet Set Gazette" and "The American Encyclopedia of Novels". She has been writing for eHow since 2008. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern California and a Master of Business Arts from Cal State Dominguez Hills.