You know those eyebags you get from exhaustion or severe lack of sleep? The dark rings around your eyes that make you look like a raccoon? Especially when you’ve just pulled an all-nighter or as you become older. What if I told you that you could use coffee grounds to remedy that look. Your favourite beverages’ ground form has yet another fascinating feature other than being delicious and a reliable fuel source. This article will enlighten you on how coffee grounds help rid eye bags.
What are Eye Bags?
Eyebags are mild skin swellings noticed under the eyes due to fatigue, heredity, old age, lack of sleep, diet, chronic stress and sometimes illnesses or medications. You could also notice eyebags on some people with allergies and sensitivity issues.
Eyebags occur as swellings below the skin. Sometimes they occur chronically over a long period as long as the cause persists. Other times it could be genetic and tends to be more permanent this way. Eyebags could develop overnight and, for some, could be accompanied by a swollen face due to the effect of gravity while asleep.
Causes of Eyebags
There are several causes of eyebags. Here are some of them:
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Age
As one age, the muscles of the body start to lose their rigidity. The same goes for the muscles supporting the eyelids. The fat in the lower eyelids displaces downwards as gravity acts on it. Resultantly, aged individuals tend to possess eyebags.
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Sodium Consumption
Sodium consumption is another factor causing eye bags. Based on nutrition and poor diet choices, eyebags could occur in some individuals. For instance, salty foods could bring about fluid retention due to the high sodium content present. When fluid retention occurs, the excess water causes puffiness in the face and body. The skin around the eyes is susceptible to swellings, hence the eyebags.
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Lack of Sleep
Research has shown that lack of good sleep could cause eye bags. Not only eyebags, but you could also get droopy eyelids, dark circles, red eyes, pale skin and a slack mouth even. Lack of sleep affects the eye muscles by weakening them. It also causes loss of collagen, which is responsible for the skin’s elasticity. This allows fluid retention in the spacious skin areas under the eyes, causing eye bags.
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Allergies
Allergic reactions are caused by a wide array of things you’re oversensitive to. These things are called “allergens”. Allergies cause a build-up of fluid around your eye and in your sinuses. Accompanied by swellings, you could also have redness of the eye, itching and watering.
The swellings are a result of your body fighting off the allergens. Histamines are produced as the body’s defence against allergies. This reaction makes your eyes both sensitive and watery as tears are formed to wash out allergens or foreign bodies. Some common eye allergies include the following:
- Fur
- Cotton
- pollen
- Smoke
- dust
- mould and
- perfume
- Smoking
Smoking can irritate your eyes. Second and third-handed smokes can make your eyes water, triggering the formation of eye bags. Irrespective of the type, cigarettes, shisha or cigars, you could get eye puffiness and other symptoms.
Other causes of eyebags include: Genetics, sensitivities, stress, medications such as ACE inhibitors (Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors), thyroid, kidney and adrenal deficiencies, crying, eye infections, blocked tear ducts, mononucleosis, Graves’ disease and injuries.
How Do Coffee Grounds Help With Eye Bags?
Using coffee grounds is a DIY method of dealing with eyebags. Caffeine, a stimulant contained in coffee, acts to stimulate blood flow. This causes a reduction in fluid build-up and could improve eyebags.
Coffee is also a diuretic. This means it helps to increase the amount of water and salt urinated from the body. As a result, coffee can help decrease the swelling and puffiness due to low water retention. In addition, the antioxidants present in the coffee fight against free radicals that destroy collagen and cause skin aging.
What are The Steps to Reducing Eye Bags With Coffee Grounds?
If you want to harness the power of coffee grounds to reduce your eye bags, here are the steps to take:
Ingredients needed include egg white from raw eggs, a bowl, fork and coffee grounds.
- First, you break the eggs and get out the egg whites only into a bowl
- Then you add two teaspoons of coffee grounds to the bowl.
- Beat the mixture well with a spoon or fork for about a minute.
- Refrigerate or not based on the severity of swollenness and preferences
- Then apply to the eye bag region and face if you’d like.
How to Use
- The eye bags are usually most prominent early in the morning when you wake up. Apply the mixture as a mask around the eye, especially the baggy region. The combination will serve to reduce the swollen skin. For a better effect, refrigerate the mixture for about 15 minutes before use. The cold further reduces the swelling by shrinking the dilated blood vessels.
- Feel free to apply the mask with your hand. Just ensure you wash it properly before and after. Please avoid contact with your eyelids, so it doesn’t get into your eyes. Feel free to apply the mask to the entire face. It’ll reduce swollen faces and tighten your skin too.
- Allow the mask to sit nicely on your face. Let it dry for about 10 minutes. Feel free to remove it before then if it becomes uncomfortable.
To Remove:
- Use a soft, dampened towel to clean off the mask gently.
- Ensure not to get some into your eyes or mouth.
- Wash your hands well afterwards.
- Complete the DIY treatment by applying moisturizer or face cream, depending on your choice.
- Dispose of the remaining mask mixture. It’s better to use it when freshly made.
Other Methods to Eliminate or Reduce Eye Bags
There are many ways to deal with eye bags. First, here is a list of lifestyle and home remedy methods you can try out yourselves.
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Cool Compress.
To use a cold compress method, Wet a small clean towel or washcloth with cold water. Then, apply the dampened washcloth to the skin area under and around the eyes. Do this for a few minutes using light pressure.
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Diet
All you have to do is reduce the quantity of fluid you drink before bedtime. Likewise, limit salt intake from your diet. This will reduce the fluid retention levels that bring about eyebags.
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Quit Smoking
Besides the clear warning of smokers being liable to die young, you should also quit it if you want to avoid aggravating the eyebags.
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Adequate Sleep
Sleep is of great importance and applies to all age ranges. Most adults have a night of decent sleep for 7 to 9 hours.
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Adjust Your Sleep Position
Another lifestyle change you could learn is sleeping with your head slightly raised. The aim is to lessen the overnight effect of gravity on the fluids around the eye region. Add an extra pillow or adjust the head of the mattress by elevating it a few inches. As you sleep, this helps by preventing fluid accumulation around your eyes.
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Reduce Allergy Symptoms
To do this, you have to avoid allergens when possible actively. Change shampoos, hair dyes, soaps, and cosmetics, or clean your rooms and surroundings frequently to eliminate the allergens.
While eye bags usually have no dire consequences, treatment options are available. These include medications, therapy and eyelids surgeries. But ensure you consult your doctor before proceeding.
Conclusion
Coffee grounds help with getting rid of undereye bags. There are other recipe methods to prepare and apply coffee grounds to eye bags. Check them out and see which is more convenient and affordable. This article should’ve enlightened you on yet another exciting use of coffee. Be sure to apply what you’ve gained here if you ever need to get rid of eye bags or dark rings.
Also read Why Doesn’t Coffee Come in Tea Bags?
