Monday Motivation: How to remove under-eye bags in 5 minutes

There’s something worse than the hassle of Monday mornings and its the tell tale sign of an eventful weekend, insufficient sleep and a stress-filled life. You know, those ones that rest so gallantly underneath the crux of our eyelids. Some of the major causes of under-eye bags, aside inadequate sleep and stress, happen to be fluid retention and salt concentration. In lieu of this, beauty experts recommend adequate sleep, head-upward sleeping position and a no-salt dinner to help remove under-eye bags permanently. On a Monday morning, however, when your top priority is making it to work  early enough to avoid the wrath of an angry boss, unsalted meals would probably be the least of your concerns.  If you hate under eye-bags as much as I do, you’ll be grateful for these tips that would get you up and cracking in a matter of minutes.

Splash your face with cold water.

Depending on the size of your under eye-bags, a splash of cold water might be all it takes to temporary rid yourself of those optical luggage.  It rouses you and reminds your eyes that it’s time to be wide awake. Trust me, you’ll go from “sleepy dull” to “bright and alert” in an instant.

Use cucumber slices

This might as well be the national anthem for beauty experts—cucumber as an agent for eye revitalization. The trick, however, is not just the cucumber itself but the coolness of it. In getting rid of under eye-bags, warm cucumber would not achieve as much of a result as cooled, refrigerated cucumber. Place refrigerated unwaxed cucumber slices on eyes for five minutes, and you will notice a reduction in eye puffiness once you take them off.

Use chilled black tea bags

The caffeine and tannin contained in tea bags are known to shrink blood vessels and constrict capillaries under the skin. This, ultimately, reduces dark circles and under-eye bags. The effectiveness of this is doubled when coupled with the cooling effect of well…anything cool. So, dip a black teabag in cold water and place them under your eyes for a least 5 minutes to achieve results. You can use green tea bags as well but, black tea, having a higher amount of caffeine and tannin, works best.

Apply lemon and tomato juice

Both lemon and tomato juice possess the vitamin C antioxidant that could remove under-eye bags and help lighten dark circles under the eyes. Apply a mixture of lemon and tomato juice underneath your eyes, let sit for five minutes, then rinse carefully (try not to get it into your eyes). Continuous use could result in a permanent removal of under-eye bags.

Pineapple and turmeric powder paste.

Turmeric, aka holy powder, has so many benefits and is known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The said properties help remove under-eye bags and dark circles, leaving skin around the eyes smooth and soft.  Mix 2 spoons of pineapple juice with turmeric powder to create a paste, apply the paste completely on and around eye bags, leave to sit for five minutes then rinse off carefully.