Tea bags may help to improve the appearance of your eyes by reducing dark circles, puffiness, and redness. They may also help to treat irritation, styes, and pink eye. Tea bags are an affordable, natural option that you can easily try at home. Placing them on your eyes gives you the chance to rest and unwind.
Inflammation or Swollen Eyes
The tannins and flavonoids in black and green teas are anti-inflammatory and have antioxidant properties that can heal puffy or swollen eyes. The caffeine tightens the blood vessels around the sensitive areas of the eye to reduce puffiness and inflammation.
The coolness from cold tea compresses may help with swelling, puffiness, and pain. Cold compresses can help with dark circles (making blood vessels constrict) and help with pain from minor injuries and pink eye by reducing inflammation.
'You should see a reduction in puffiness immediately,' she says. 'However, discolouration is an ongoing issue so try and do a tea bag compress 2-3 times a week.
De-Puff Your Eyes
Soak them in warm water just as if you were going to make a cup of tea, then put them in the refrigerator for a few minutes to chill them. One bag over each eye for 5 minutes can ease puffiness and make the blood vessels near your eyes smaller.
Apply cold green or black tea bags under the eyes. It appears that green tea, chamomile tea, and rooibos teas are popular tea bags to reduce redness and discomfort in the eyes. Most of the evidence is anecdotal, but the anti-inflammatory properties of these products may reduce irritation and inflammation.
Apply the tea bags to closed eyes for 15 to 30 minutes. You may use your fingertips to apply gentle pressure to your eyes or gently massage the area around your eyes. If you're using chilled bags, try covering them with slices of cool cucumber for added relief.
Place a tea bag in your favorite cup or mug. Bring water to a rolling boil and immediately pour over your tea bag. Steep for a good 3 to 5 minutes. (Great taste can't be rushed—it really does take the full time to release the tea's entire flavor.)
Tea experts expressed similar views saying tea bags make the brew darker which naturally stain the drinker's teeth. It also enhances the amount of caffeine in the cup which ultimately results in an increased caffeine in-take.
So what happens when you leave your tea in longer than recommended? According to Schwartz, it's nothing dire; it just won't produce the best-tasting cup of tea possible. "You will certainly extract more benefits the longer you steep a tea.
Steep the tea for too long, and you'll end up with an unpleasantly strong, bitter cup. Steep the tea for too short a time, and you'll have a weak, flavorless cup of tea. Making matters even more complicated, different teas require different steep times in order to bring out their best flavor.
"Applying cool spoons under the eyes can help reduce puffiness [because] the cool temperature constricts blood vessels and the pressure of the spoon against the skin enhances lymphatic drainage of excess fluid," says board-certified dermatologist Joshua Zeichner.
Since cucumber has such a high water content, it can also moisturize the area under the eyes when it's used as a treatment. One clinical trial indicated that cucumber juice would be an effective ingredient in products used to prevent wrinkles because it helps restore skin's natural elasticity.
Dermatologist Suneel Chilukuri recommends applying cold cucumbers over the eyes for five minutes. The cucumber juice and the cold temperature act as anti-inflammatory compresses. Dr. Jeanniton adds that chilled green tea bags make a great compress as well.
A lower eyelid lift (blepharoplasty) is an outpatient procedure where the surgeon readjusts the fat in the lower eye area and tightens the muscle and skin to create a smooth appearance. In most cases, a lower eyelid lift gets rid of under-eye bags for life — it's rare for people to need future touch-ups.
Wet a clean washcloth with cool water. While sitting up, apply the damp washcloth to the skin under and around your eyes for a few minutes using light pressure. Cut down on fluids before bedtime and limit salt in your diet. This will reduce the fluid retention that can cause bags under eyes.
Even better, drink water instead, which can help smooth the skin beneath your eyes. Improve your diet—Try to lower your salt intake. It may help reduce the puffiness under your eyes, and it's better for your heart.
Tea is relatively forgiving, and rarely spoils as long as it's stored properly. Old tea may simply be less flavorful and fresh than new tea, and will brew up a weaker cup with a stale flavor. In this sense, tea doesn't actually have an “expiration date” after which it will be unsafe to drink.
Squeezing Out Tea Bags
Because of the high levels of tannic acid in tea, you're actually making the tea more bitter. It's not only weakening the taste, but it's also wearing the strength of the tea bags itself. By squeezing it, you run the risk of tearing the bag and releasing some of the tea leaves into your cup.
Overall, teas (especially loose leaf teas) have a strong flavor that does not just disappear after the first steep, so throwing it away directly may be a waste. But remember though - generally, only reuse the teas for a day, and drinking overnight teas isn't good either.
Generally speaking, you shouldn't use a teabag more than twice in 24 hours. After 24 hours have passed, the tea bag should be discarded. You can reuse tea bags more as long as they are kept in a place that is safe, but realistically a lot of people won't do that.
A tea bag can be reused one or two times. After that, it's spent. Reusing green or white tea works better than darker blends. I usually reuse Orange Pekoe tea bags because I use two bags in one cup: I like strong milk tea in the mornings, with milk, and no sugar.
Bone china and porcelain cups (which are also sometimes clubbed under ceramic) have been used for ages as teaware, and are the material of choice when it comes to drinking tea. When made the right way, porcelain is amazingly non-porous, and the vitrified glaze makes it non-reactive as well.