Waking up with puffy eyes can be really frustrating when you have a big day ahead. Puffy eyes are one of the most common beauty problems.
This occurs when the eyes begin to swell for various reasons, including excessive crying, excessive physical stress, genetics, dermatitis, hormonal changes in the body, a change in weather, sinus problems, hangovers, bad diet, lack of sleep and some allergic reaction.
Puffy eyes can make you look tired and ill. But you can easily take care of them with some simple, natural home remedies.
Here are the top 10 ways to get rid of puffy eyes.
1. Water
The easiest way to get rid of puffy eyes is to drink water. When the body is well hydrated, there is less chance of water retention that can cause your under-eye area and other parts of your body to swell. Water also helps flush toxins out of the body.
To stay well hydrated, drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water each day. In addition to this, you must reduce the amount of salt you eat to reduce water retention in the body. Also, avoid caffeinated and carbonated beverages that can be dehydrating.
2. Cold Spoons
This simple home remedy is surprisingly very effective. It will help tighten up the skin around your eyes as well as relax the blood vessels, thus offering relief to puffy and tired eyes.
- Chill 5 or 6 metal spoons in your refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Hold the rounded portion of one of the cold spoons against your eye for a few minutes until the spoon becomes warm.
- As the spoon warms, replace it with another cold one from the refrigerator.
3. Tea Bags
Be it green tea bags or black tea bags, both can help soothe puffy and irritated eyes. They contain anti-irritant properties that help reduce swelling around your eyes. They can also relieve redness and inflammation.

- Put 2 used tea bags in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Lie down and put the tea bags over your eyelids.
- Leave them in place for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Repeat a few times a day.
4. Cucumbers
Chilled cucumbers make a good remedy for treating puffy eyes. The enzymes and the astringent properties in cucumbers help reduce inflammation and help tighten the skin. This remedy will also help get rid of wrinkles and dark circles around your eyes.
- Cut a cucumber into thick slices.
- Chill the slices in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Place the cold slices on your eyelids for about 10 minutes or until they become warm.
- Repeat the process several times a day.
5. Egg Whites
Egg whites have skin-tightening properties that can help banish under-eye bags as well as help prevent wrinkles.
- Separate the yolks from 2 eggs and put the whites in a bowl.
- Whip the egg whites thoroughly until you get a stiff consistency.
- Add a few drops of witch hazel, a natural skin-tightening astringent.
- Use a brush or soft cloth to apply this mixture under your eyes and allow it to dry.
- Leave it on for about 15 minutes.
- Do this daily for a few days.
6. Potatoes
Just like cucumbers, potatoes are also effective in getting rid of puffy eyes. The starch present in potatoes has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce under-eye bags. This remedy is also helpful for fading dark circles under eyes.
- Peel, wash and dry a medium-size potato.
- Grate the potato and put the shavings in a clean cloth and tie it up.
- Place this cloth over your eyelids for several minutes.
- Repeat the process several times until the puffiness subsides.
7. Cold Water
If you have a sleepless night and are left with puffy eyes, cold water is just what you need to treat them. The cold will help constrict the blood vessels and lessen swelling.
- Rinse your face with several splashes of ice-cold water. Do this a few times throughout the day as needed.
- You can also use a small bag filled with ice, wrap it in a washcloth and place it on your eyes. Repeat as necessary until the swelling is gone.
8. Salt Water
Hot water and salt also works as a simple remedy to help reduce swelling and puffiness under your eyes. The salt water help get rid of the fluid retention in a way similar to osmosis.
- Mix ½ teaspoon of salt in a bowl containing a quart (4 cups) of water. Make sure the water is not too hot.
- Soak cotton balls or wool eye pads in this warm saline water and place them over your eyelids for a few minutes.
- Repeat the process for 15 to 20 minutes.
9. Strawberries
The alpha hydroxy acid present in strawberries can help make skin look smooth and young. It also helps reduce under-eye puffiness and swelling.
- Chill some strawberries in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Remove the tops and slice them into thick pieces.
- Lie down and place the slices under your eyes for several minutes.
10. Aloe Vera
The antioxidants and vitamin E present in aloe vera are effective in reducing puffiness around the eyes and also keep wrinkles and fine lines at bay.
Applying aloe vera gel on the area under your eyes will improve blood circulation and flush out the fluids around the eyes, thus reducing swelling.
When applying the gel, you must be very careful that it does not get in your eyes. If you do not have pure aloe vera gel, you can use any skin care products that contain aloe vera gel or extracts.
To conclude, next time you have puffy eyes, you can easily make them go away using any of these home remedies. However, if you experience puffiness under the eyes for no obvious reason and it is accompanied by pain, discomfort and blurry vision, consult your doctor immediately.
I woke up this morning crying because my niece passed away last year and today is her birthday. So u can imagine how puffy my eyes are. Thanks a lot for the tips.
I did the spoon for my puffy eyes. I had an allergic reaction to some eye liner. The spoons worked right away. I used one for each eye. Yay!!
Thanx a lot. Ur article helped me a lot. I cried a lot last night. And woke up with damn swelled eyes. I am an anchor person and i have to go on screen today at 3pm. But my eyes were like a balloon and i was so worried about being on air in this condition. I tried two or three of ur tips and felt much better. I can go on air now. 🙂
I hope this works because my eye is swollen ,and I can’t see because it is completely shut close
Cucumbers and tea bags works wonders on me..thanks
Interested in learning more.
Yes it really works …………. So happy
hi, how should you use teabags and cucumber together. both sounds good
Will. Try spoon remedy, tnx
(any dessert you can recommend? ;}-) )
Love everything about this, the tips are straightforward, natural home remedies, and in each tip there is a simple rundown explaining how and why it works. I’m bookmarking this site on my phone, brilliant article!
Good, practical and easy ways to try. Thank you so much. I will start one of these today for my puffy eye bags. Thank you.
thanku so much, it really sounds effective and im going to try it now
Do I have to use 2egg white every night for this remedy or I miss understood thank you
I cry a lot from stress from high school and my eyes are really puffy in the morning so I just put ice on my eyes, and drink a lot of water and my swelling goes down within a hour.
Mikki, I have two daughters who went through that stage too and I helped them and some oftheir friends by managing the time and focus on one thing at s time. You are too young to have stress. There are bigger things coming in our ways than what we already had. Believe me if you focus and pick one thing at a time, and when studying not paying attention to anything else, and tv, computer and cell phones must be turned off for one hour, you will see the results of that one hour of study and will be surprised by yourself. Good luck.
Hello. I was reading all this great info for my puffy eyes (thank you for this site and the comments!) and I came across your comment. That is so kind of you to share with others in the midst of your pain. You have a heart of gold and deserve to be happy. Your post sounded so sad and I wish you were not having such a difficult time in school. I prayed for you and I hope things get better for you. There is a comforter, Jesus, and believe it or not, a relationship with Him will not only comfort you but will also heal your heart. Seek Him out. God bless you!
I understand. We all come from diferrent walk of life. Personally, i dont cry a lot, but wen i do its bad. Be strong God loves u.
i really need to try this! thank you for putting this up:)
Tea bags work good thanks
Thank u very much nice information given by you i am going to try your tips on my on my puffy eyes post u result what i have feel
I think my eye bags although its more puffiness under the eye by the cheekbone, is due to stress and lack of sleep, loosing my mum 2yrs ago could be a contributing factor. It’s funny that, I know most of these remedies but I don’t try them. Thanks for reminding me. I am going to start today with cold tea bags and cold spoons. Will try the fruits at night when am about to go to bed. By the way any good remedies for lack of sleep, views welcome thank you so much.
Oddly, I had a spoon in the freezer already. So, after reading your article, I went to get it & got a bottle of water to hydrate as well. The spoon got warm almost immediately, so I held the unopened cold water bottle under my eyes switching from eye to eye about every 30 seconds. I’m amazed at how quickly and how well it worked. I could see the bags shrinking each time I lifted the bottle. Unlike the spoon, the bottle of water stayed nice and cold, but not too cold like ice might be. Just a suggestion, then you can drink the water after using it as compress. Thanks for the tips. Now I want to try one of the ones you mentioned for dark circles. Mine were inherited from my mother and I even had them as a child, uugh!
Also, I was wondering why you say to grate the potatoes and put it in a cloth? Would it be OK to just lay a slice of potato under my eye, or would that stain my skin? And if it is necessary to grate it and put it in a cloth, should I moisten the cloth or leave it dry? Thanks again.
it really worked for me and i am very happy with the results.thanks top 10.
I really like the salt water tip
I was looking for ways to solve the problem of my eye bag and I came across this, I am going to start trying it now. Thanks for this information.
I am going to try the tea bag one soon, hope it works, thanks for the article!
Thanks for this article i will try it
I am starting to get desperate! It looks like I have been punched in both eyes when I wake up every morning and my eyes feel so heavy!
I am going to try every one of these tips!
Holding thumbs!!!
I have severe allergies. The puffiness under my eyes is getting worse. I am so desperate. I will try anything. Thanks for the tips.
I hope you are okay and I hope that the puffiness went away i’m praying for you!
Thanks a lot hope the eye procedure work!
the tea bags and cocumbers are wonderful remedies—-thanks alot
Thank you, I’ve tried a lot of this and although it can work temporarily, I am a software developer and it’s my job to stare at a screen all day long. I train in the gym everyday, implicitly drink water because of it and I get good sleep and break up my time on devices and look into the distance as much as I can, however, I still struggle with this ongoing and doing this daily is a chore. I eat healthy and don’t have much salt in my diet. I wonder if there is any long term fix for this. There are certain things we have to do in this world as it exists today and although I would love to live a different lifestyle, my life is, for the moment working within these mandatory conditions. I would like to discover what else is available for a longer term solution. Perhaps that eating certain foods can also have an impact? Like red meat for example. If I try eating only white meat including chicken and fish, that this may make a difference. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks again for this useful article and to everyone reading good luck and be strong, mindful and humble in all your endeavours. 🙂
Am so desperate, my eyes are so puffed most especially during hot weather. am going to try them all hope they real work. thanks a lot
Thank you so much for wonderful remedies, they really work , my hubby doesn’t look drunk any more 🙂
grateful and blessings !!!!
Interesting and useful information. Thank you !!!! I wonder if anyone already has “great ongoing results”. Please share. Thanks again!
Teabags really worked for me!! camomile tea!
good luck!
Potatoes work really well. I’m so impressed with the results. Thank you so much. God bless you