Spa-At-Home: Recipes for Puffy Eyes and Dark Circle Remedies

With stress, age, and insomnia, it's no wonder your eyes look like they do. Every third commercial on television seems to advertise a new miracle eye cream or expensive remedy. The fact is, you can get the same (or better!) results at home, with common household ingredients, without the bother of sorting through the subtleties of the mass of products on store shelves, or shelling out a wad from your wallet.

Try these simple, at-home recipes for spa-quality eye treatments. You'll be amazed at, and rejuvanated by, the results.

A variation on the traditional cucumber remedy, with twice the results.

Ingredients:

• ½ cucumber
• 1 green tea bag

Instructions:

Brew green tea, steep, chill. Slice cucumber and add to green tea. Refrigerate until cool. Place soaked cucumber slices over eyes for 10 minutes.

Moisturize and soothe your eyes with this simple recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 raw potato
• 1 tsp urea-free moisturizer

Instructions:

Peel potato, grate finely. Measure 2 teaspoonfuls into moisturizer, mix well. Apply liberally around eyes, cover with damp cotton pads or gauze. Let rest 10 minutes. Rinse with cool water.

Reduces puffiness and increases circulation.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp sour cream
• 1 tsp fresh parsley
• 2 squares cheesecloth

Instructions:

Chop parsley finely, mix into sour cream. Place half of mixture into the middle of each square of cheese cloth, fold into "pillows," put one on each eye for 10-15 minutes.

A nightly treatment for ongoing eye care.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp sage
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions:

Boil water, steep sage leaves for 10 minutes. Strain, separate water into two bowls. Soak two gauze pads or cotton balls in each bowl, and put one bowl in the refrigerator, then alternate application to eyes: 10 minutes warm, 10 minutes cool.

Alternatively, try substituting chamomile or dill weeds for sage.

A rich masque for your eyes.

Ingredients:

• 5 drops almond oil
• 3 slices ripe avocado

Instructions:

Blend almond oil into avocado, smear around eyes. Rest 5 minutes. Rinse with cool water.

For immediate relief of irritated eyes, mix a teaspoon of salt with 3/4 cup filtered water and flush the entire area.

If you know that you tend to have problems with puffy or dark-circled eyes, take extra care to avoid the things that irritate them. Drink plenty of water. If you work a desk job, take breaks of at least 60 seconds from staring at the computer screen every 15 minutes during the day.

The best cure for puffy eyes is the simplest, yet somehow the hardest to achieve: Get more sleep.