You don’t just have to drink green tea for it to be helpful (although it does have many health benefits). Here are many useful ways to use it, other than just for your drinking pleasure.
Dark Circles and Puffy Eye Relief
Photo courtesy of nutritiousanddelicious.com
After having one (or ten) too many drinks at the bar last night, or pulling an all nighter to study for your chemistry test, many of us can understand the puffy eye struggle. It’s always embarrassing to walk into class and have everyone look at you and think, “haha, that girl is hungover.”
Instead of making that walk of shame, brew a cup of green tea. Place the cool tea bags over your closed eyes and let them sit there. The tannins in green tea constrict the capillaries and blood vessels under your eyes that tighten the skin. The caffeine in the tea also shrinks the blood vessels under the skin that help with swelling and puffiness.
Acne Treatment
Gif courtesy of tumblr.com
Whether we like it or not, at some point in time almost all of us have struggled with breakouts or acne. Next time we’re freaking out over a small breakout, try looking for a cleanser with green tea extract.
The antioxidants found in green tea such as polyphenols and epigallocatechin-3-gallate help regulate inflammation, which helps to reduce acne. Green tea also helps regulate insulin levels by reducing carbohydrate absorption and increasing insulin secretion. The regulation of insulin levels helps with fighting acne. Green tea causes an increase of molecules that bind sex hormones, which reduces levels of bioactive hormones (the hormones that cause our skin to go crazy and wreak havoc)
Bleeding Reduction
Photo by Mr. N on Flickr
Hate holding napkins on cuts or having to use band aids? Boil some water and steep a tea bag. Once the bag and water have cooled, place the tea bag, or a rag soaked in cooled water, onto the cut and let it sit. The tannins and caffeine in green tea shrink blood vessels, which ultimately help to stop the bleeding.
Sunburn Damage
Photo by Hayden Massey
Just get back from a summer beach trip and realize you got a little more sun than you should have??? Make a glass of green tea. Soak a rag in green tea and rub it on your skin. The epigallocatechin gallate in green tea helps to soothe the skin from sunburn.
Odor Elimination
Photo by Hayden Massey
Got any bad odors in your fridge or sock drawer? Put a couple of green tea leaves in a small, thin, cloth bag and place it wherever the odors are. The green tea leaves will absorb the odor.
Carpet Cleaning
Photo by Hayden Massey
For all of those times that you spilled a drink or dropped your food, there are plenty of dark circles all over your carpet. Fear no more. Scatter moist green tea leaves all over your carpet and near these spots and let it sit. Vacuum the ground and the tea leaves. The tea leaves attract dust and dirt, thus making it easier to clean.