How to use tea bags in your beauty regimen

From using tea bags to stop feet from smelling to making a soothing mouthwash, here are some creative ways to use tea in your day-to-day life for: 

Non-puffy eyes: 

Place a warm tea bag on your eyes

Fresh breath: 

Use a mouth wash made with a cup of peppermint tea and two spoons of salt

Shiny hair: 

Use tea like a conditioner by rinsing your hair with unsweetened tea

Non-smelly feet: 

Soak your feet in strong, 20-minute brewed tea

(Contributed by Maithreyi Sairam)

Dark circles under your eyes – have you tried these 8 ways to get rid of them?

If you suffer from dark circles under your eyes, no matter how beautiful you are, you don’t look 10/10! The skin of that area is extremely delicate and the area surrounding them is one of the most delicate one so it is vital to take good care of it. Here are 8 tips to manage the skin around your eyes.

1. Keep the area hydrated

The skin under your eyes is extremely thin, thinner than your face’s skin so it needs extra care. There are no oil glands present here so applying an under-eye gel or cream is recommended. Do this every night to keep it hydrated and prevent lines and wrinkles, get rid of dark circles.

2. Clean the area carefully

Never use your regular facewash here as it might rip the moisture off and leave it feeling itchy and dry. You can use a wet cotton ball or tissue wipes to clean it or special eye make-up removers. But do not rub vigorously.

3. Try face yoga

In order to keep lines and wrinkles at bay around the eyes and prevent dark circles, practise this exercise by face yoga expert Danielle Collins. Put both your middle fingers together between your eyebrows then apply pressure to the outer corners of your eyes with your index fingers. Look up and start to move the lower eyelids upwards, making a strong squint. Then relax and repeat six more times. To finish, squeeze your eyes shut for 10 seconds then relax.

4. Soothe those eyes naturally

While cucumber slices are no doubt relaxing, another way to soothe your tired eyes is by putting ice-cold teabags on them, especially of green tea as it is rich in antioxidants. Instead of throwing those bags, store them in the fridge and them keep them on your eyelids and surrounding area and relax. Another way to remove puffiness is by wrapping an ice cube in a towel and placing it on your eyes. This naturally helps get rid of those dark circles.

5. Try under-eye gels

Gels with aloe vera, vitamin E and C are good for your skin as they are soothing, protect the skin and boost collagen production respectively.

6. Conceal when you need to

When nothing works, make-up comes to your rescue. You can use a concealer to hide those lines and dark circles. In order to apply it properly, first moisturise the area with a gel or cream and then with your ring finger, apply tiny dots of the concealer under your eyes. Now gently blend it in your skin using your finger. After this, dab some loose mineral powder with a sponge to complete the look and avoid smudging.

7. Consult a skin specialist

If your dark circles still don’t seem to go away, it is best to see a skin specialist who can advise treatments such as chemical peels or laser therapy.

8. Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Remember too much alcohol, smoking, lack of sleep, tiredness and an unbalanced diet are also responsible for dark circles and puffiness. So, make sure you get enough sleep, drink a lot of fluids and eat well.

How to Apply Eye Cream, The Right Way

Eye cream is an important step in any skin care routine. Creams can help reduce puffiness, lighten dark circles and make the face look generally more awake and youthful. But if you’re applying eye cream incorrectly, then you might be doing more harm than good.

SESHA Skin Care National Educator and licensed esthetician, Victoria Piotrowski, gave us her tips for how to apply eye cream, the right way:

1. Use your ring finger

Although we hear it a million times, it’s important to remember. Because your ring finger has the lightest touch, it is less likely to tug or pull at the delicate eye area.

 

2. Apply small dots around the eye, above the eye up to the brow bone area and under the eye

Most of us only think about the under-eye area, because that’s where the dark circles are, but your entire eye area needs to be moisturized for optimal results.

3. Gently tap in the cream to stimulate circulation

“Try not to pull or stretch the delicate skin around the eye,” says Piotrowski. “Tap until you feel it absorb. Pay special attention to problem areas when tapping cream in.”

 

4. Gently massage in circular motions

If you absolutely must rub in the eye cream so that it will absorb, then be incredibly gently and don’t pull on the skin.