Monday, January 24, 2011

pamper your eyes: tips and a tutorial for taking care of your peepers

Don't miss out on our great Blog Spa giveaway and tutorials:
~a Basic Skin Care Set from Skin Journey
~a facial mask and headband
~a soothing prize pack from Barefoot Bath and Body
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Hello Ladies (and gents . . . no, I'm pretty sure just ladies are reading this)!

Let the pampering continue!!  Day two of blog spa started out at Bev's place with another great giveaway.  I hope you were able to stop by, say "HI!" to Bev and enter. 

Last week after I took my oldest daughter to the dentist for a check up, she asked me, "Mommy, why aren't your teeth as white as mine . . . and why do your eyes look so tired?"  True story.

Bah!  Yah, so that's not a good sign when my 5 year old thinks my eyes look tired! (And come on little girl, give me a break on the teeth!  You are a 5 year old with baby teeth.  I am 33 with about 26 or 27 years worth of wear and tear on mine . . . okay, so it's just a coincidence that the day after she told me this I found myself purchasing some white strips.) 

 So . . . I started researching ways to put a little spark and light back into that super tender eye area so that my little peepers don't scream, "I NEED MORE SLEEP!" to everyone I have a conversation with. 

These little tricks and tips have two HUGE things going for them:
1)  They are cheap . . . after all, we are going for cheap thirty ways we can pamper ourselves.
2)  Each tip can be done relatively easy with things you have on hand or can pick up at a local store.

Tip #1 - Tea Bags for Puffy Eyes
Now, I drink tea ALL THE TIME (uhh . . . I might be seeing a connection here between my love of tea and my less-than-sparkly-white teeth).  But I don't drink Chamomile Tea.  It tastes like dried grass, but that's not the point . . . the point is that I may not drink it, but I do have it in my cupboard because it's like magic for your eyes.

What to do:  Make tea as you normally would and drink it (or don't) as you are waiting for the tea bags to completely cool.  Then lay down.  (Yes, the world will not fall apart if you lay down for 15 minutes.  Trust me.)  Place cooled but still damp tea bags on your eyes.  The natural tannins of the tea will decrease puffiness and brighten up your eye area leaving you feeling refreshed and slightly more awake after 15 minutes.   

Tip #2 - Potatoes for Dark Circles
We've all heard that cucumbers are good for the eyes, but did you know that potatoes are even better? Plus, you are more likely to have them sitting in your cupboard somewhere.

What to do:  Finely grate one small potato.  Mush grated potato together with 1/8 of a cup of unsweetened applesauce until well blended.  Lay down.  (At some point, I am going to get you to relax and lay down, so you might as well just do it.)  Pat mixture under eyes.  Place hot towel (not too hot) over eyes and take a 5 minute snooze.  Gently wash off with warm water.

Tip #3 - Avocados for Wrinkles
Yummy . . . I'm not sure I can resist the temptation of having an avocado in the house because I LOVE me some fresh avocado slices.  But that rich little oval of yumminess has other beauty benefits.

What to do:  Run to your local health store and pick up some almond oil.  Now that you are back home, mush about 1/3 of your avocado up and mix in 4 to 6 drops of almond oil to make a rick cream.  You guessed it . . . lay down.  Gently dab all around your eye skin area.  (This goes without saying I hope, but don't put this in your eyes.)  Listen to your children fight over that one toy they both "have to have" for about 5 to 10 minutes.  Gently wash off with warm water. 

Tip #4 - Warm Rice and Dried Lavender for Rested Eyes
My eyes look tired because they are.  Lack of sleep, lots of computer time and just plain life add to the problem.  If you spend a tad too much time of the computer (like me), a warm compress is just the ticket for giving those weary eyes a rest.  And you can make your own so it can be warmed in the microwave or cooled in the freezer.  Ahhh . . . I feel more rested already!

Here's what you need:
~print out eye pillow template
~2 rectangles of fleece, flannel or other fabric
~1 15 inch strip of elastic (1/2 or 3/4 width will work perfectly)
~Rice
~Dried lavender or your choice of essential oil

Here's what you do:
1)  Use template to cut out two eye pillow pieces.

2)  Sandwich elastic in between fabric facing right sides together.  Pin in place.

3)  Sew around leaving a small hole for turning.

4)  Use funnel to add equal parts rice and dried lavender.  (Or mix a few drops of essential oils with rice and let it dry a bit before putting the rice into the eye mask.  You will obviously be using more rice with this method.)

5)  Fold in open turning hole and sew around mask to close up the hole. 

Here's how to use it:
1) Warm in the microwave for about a minute (or to desired warmth), lay down (don't roll your eyes at me) and enjoy 10 to 15 minutes of time to relax those tired eyes. 

2) OR . . . and here's the best part because this little eye pillow is multifunctional . . . stick it into the freezer for two hours to make a coldpress - also great for the eyes. 

3)  OR . . . this little aromatherapy eye pillow is magic for headaches as well.  I warmed mine up last night and just put it over my forehead and not my eye area because my husband is out of town and my children were a bit wild last night (which may have been the reason for the headache).  Anyway, I could still interact with them and play with them while this little warm pack did the job on vanishing my headache. 

Do you feel pampered?  Go grab your potatoes and get started! 

Spa on!

Blog Spa is sponsored by these great shops:
Amber's Lemongrass Spa Shop

13 comments:

Pamela said...

Ah, our eyes. I was actually having spasms inbetween my eyes today. I never thought to use something like this. I'm going to try your project. I've had the rice bags and love them but the lavender puts it up a notch; plus I like lavender. Do you grow your own?

Unknown said...

Love it! My sinuses are driving me nuts today and the mask sounds divine!

Jocelyn Christensen said...

Potatoes, huh? Sounds a wee bit cheaper than the make-up that I use to cover them up! :)

Unknown said...

Oh these are great tips! That lavender pillow sounds divine!

Julianna said...

Great tips! When my daughter was pretty young and was learning her colors and barely talking she pointed to my teeth and said yellow. I was mortified.

Michele T said...

Thanks for the great tips! Love your humour!!

The Treasurista said...

So Cute! Would love for you to add to my Thursday Treasure Party:

http://thetreasurista.blogspot.com/p/treasuristas-thursday-treasures-come.html

Holly Lefevre said...

This post has my name all over it! Great ideas and tips.

genius786 said...

This is written very well you are a very good writer and you know what we want. I am agree with you. Hope you will Carry own writing in the same way. Thumbs Up!

Taking Care of Your Eyesight

Healthytips said...

Thanks for sharing such beautiful information with us. I hope you will share some more information about eye. Please keep sharing.
Health Is A Life

sintawiranata said...

good and useful information. of course smoking has an impact on the body, not only can be problematic on your health, cigarettes can also adversely affect the eyes. I found
visusoogkliniek.nl as eye clinic with the latest technology especially overcome lasik

Suraj Kumar said...

Thanks for sharing this blog. eye care tips for beautiful eyes

Surbhi Tuli said...

I remember the day I went to the grocery store with my 7-year old daughter. It was just an hour we visited there that she asked me to leave for home as she is feeling sleepy. I was perplexed as my daughter has slept for 4 continuous hours in the afternoon. And then I took her to the store in the evening, but her eyes are looking tired. I finished my shopping earlier and reached home. I opened my laptop and started browsing for the best eye specialist for kids in the city. With the internet help, I came to know about SimpliHealth, sharing the knowledge about different senses of the body. I played one video over there and learned why children should wear appropriate eye protection when playing basketball, hockey, soccer, baseball, and similar activities. The doctor continued by saying to avoid sharp pieces like darts from kids, balance reading or viewing screens, and encourage kids to wear UV-blocking sunglasses. I followed these instructions and felt thankful to the eye specialist Dr. Monica Jain, who has shared this helpful information.

Click Here to watch the video

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