When I was in junior high, my friend Katy Marescalco asked me after track practice if I had been punched in the eye. I told her no, I wasn’t being abused; my dark circles were just that bad. Fast forward nearly 20 years and here I am, still struggling with puffy, tired-looking eyes. I’ve tried a zillion products, both cheap and expensive, each one “guaranteed” to help brighten and de-puff, to no avail. Turns out that these easy, natural remedies do the trick just fine, and cost mere pennies! —Meghan

Remedy #1: Steep a couple caffeinated tea bags in boiling water. Remove after a few minutes and chill in the fridge, ideally overnight. Place tea bags over your bags for 10 minutes. The caffeine and tannins help the water retained in the thin under-eye tissue to drain.

Remedy #2: Place a thick slice of chilled cucumber over each eye. Relax for 10 or so minutes, flipping each slice over once as they warm up. Cukes are high in sodium, which helps draw excess water from the tissue surrounding the eyes, reducing puffiness.

Remedy #3: Stick two spoons in your freezer. Once they’re good and chilly, put one over each eye, hollow side down. (Be sure your eye area is completely dry before doing so!) Roll the spoons back and forth gently until the coldness in the spoons dissipates.

Remedy #4: Puree a raw, peeled potato in a food processor. Pile the blended tater over each eye and chill out for 15-20 minutes. (You can also use thick slices of potato, but I think the puree works better.) Potatoes contain an enzyme called catecholase, which is often used in cosmetics as a skin lightener.

Remedy #5: Wet two Q-tips and place in freezer for 10 minutes. Once they’re good and chilly, gently swab your puffy lids. Puffiness = gone!

Filed Under: cold spoons, cucumbers, how to get rid of puffy eyes, tea bags, undereye circles