We tested over a dozen methods to deflate puffy eyes so you didn't have to

Each woman tried out a few different DIY methods to banish her puffy eyes. Some results were surprising, and some were so great we can't wait to try them ourselves.

Kim

@KimGrundy

• Egg whites: "Thanks to the high-sodium dinner I had splurged on the night before, I woke up with puffy eyes. Bad for me, but perfect for the assignment! I applied the egg white around my eye and, as soon as it dried, I immediately noticed a dramatic difference with both the puffiness and crow's feet. Brushing off the desire to dip my entire face in egg white, I removed it after the recommended 15 minutes. Although the effect wasn't as dramatic as when the egg white was on my face, there was still a noticeable improvement with the puffiness. I was pleasantly surprised to find that egg whites work!"
• Eye massage: "I followed a YouTube tutorial on eye massage to help stimulate the lymph system to help reduce puffiness. The massage felt good, as you gently release trigger points around the eyes to help drain the fluid that causes puffiness. I performed it only on one eye so I could compare the two. I immediately felt like the massaged eye felt refreshed and more awake; however, I didn't notice much difference with puffiness or under-eye circles. After 10 minutes, there was only a very subtle difference. I think eye massage may work best if you have puffy eyes due to allergies or sinus issues."
• Potatoes: "I sliced a raw peeled potato which had been in the refrigerator overnight. I placed it on each eye for 10 minutes and relaxed and went to my 'happy place' (that is, tried to ignore my kids screaming in the background). After removing the slices, I felt more awake, possibly from the coolness of the potato slices, and noticed only a slight change in puffiness and no real change of under-eye circles."

Jordi

www.gossipandgranola.com

• Frozen Q-tip: "The cool Q-tips™ cotton swab on my eyes first thing in the morning was the perfect convenient way to reduce puffiness. Bonus: It takes off stubborn eye makeup."
• Mint balm: "Though the mint balm felt refreshing, the product did more to moisturize my eyes than reduce puffiness or dark circles. Could be good in conjunction with another method."
• Salted cotton pads: "For this method, a teaspoon of salt is added to a glass of water. Soak a cotton ball or cotton eye pad in the mixture and lay over eyes for a few minutes. The process was a bit laborious just to help with puffy eyes. It was soothing and helped a bit, but I think cooler compresses tend to work better than warm."

Meagan

@upsidemeagan

• Milk: "This worked the best out of the three methods I tried. According to everything I read, it works best to do it in the morning with full-fat or vitamin D milk. I only had 2 percent on hand, so I soaked a cotton ball in it and let it sit for about 15 minutes. The cold definitely jolted me awake, but I didn't notice any huge decrease in puffiness or inflammation."
• Aloe vera gel: "I'm definitely going to try an all-natural aloe vera gel the next time I try this. I used a bottle I bought from Walmart for sunburns to try out this trick and, of course, it had a whole bunch of added ingredients. According to some enthusiasts, the vitamin E and antioxidants in the aloe help circulate blood around the eyes to reduce swelling. I was hopeful when I dabbed a good-sized glob of the gel under my eyes, but I only noticed a slight difference in the amount of puffiness after leaving it on for about 10 minutes or so. Note: Be sure not to rub your eyes when you apply aloe gel… it stings!"
• Vitamin E oil: "I read that you're supposed to apply vitamin E oil under your eyes before slipping between the sheets each night to help stimulate circulation and keep from swelling. I tried it and did notice a slight decrease in my puffiness in the morning. Bonus: The skin under my eyes was super soft and supple in the morning. I'm definitely going to continue this one!"

Carrie

www.carrie-murphy.com

• Frozen spoons: "This method is intense and almost hurts a little bit, but it definitely brings down the puffiness!"
• Tea bags: "It's the tannins in tea bags that are supposed to relieve your tired, puffy eyes. You can use any kind, but chamomile is supposedly the best. I used plain ol' black tea. The difference was marginal, but it was there!"
• Cucumbers: "Of course, you're familiar with that classic image of a relaxed woman at a spa with cucumbers over her eyes. But does it really work? Well, sort of. The cool cucumbers felt pretty good, but I didn't really see a difference in my eye puffiness, even after about 15-20 minutes."
• Neti pot: "If you've got a stuffy nose, the neti pot will surely fix you right up. But I'm not sure that it does much for fixing puffy eyes, unless those puffy eyes come along with hay fever or other allergies."

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