DIY Beauty: Get Rid of Undereye Bags and Dark Circles With Coffee Grounds

I enjoy fashion and looking trendy on a budget. I also create art, take photos, and save money by doing things myself.

A Home Remedy

One thing I think all females can agree on is that dark circles suck. And mine can get pretty bad. Even after a long night's sleep, I look like my head hasn't touched a pillow in ages.

There are lots of creams and facials that claim to reduce dark circles and bags, but I'll be honest—I'm cheap. I won't pay for something that could be attained with things I already have at home. I've been seeing articles about using coffee grounds for undereye bags, and since I just got a new coffeemaker, I decided to try it out. Join me on my quest for bright eyes!

Before

Step 1: Make Some Coffee

I used my beautiful new Black & Decker coffeemaker. Not that it matters, but I just got it and it matches all of my retro-future-kitchen things. I'm pretty excited about it!

Anyway, make your coffee as it's supposed to be made. Once it's all brewed up, separate the parts and down the liquid gold. Scoop out the grounds with a spoon and put them in a small, separate dish.

Step 2: Chill

I kind of added this step myself, but it only makes sense. When you see people putting anything else on their face to reduce undereye bags, it's always cool. The science of it is that lower temperatures cause your blood vessels to constrict, which temporarily reduces bags under your eyes.

So chill that gunk out, and once it's cool, prepare for smearing.

Step 3: Apply

For a job.

Just kidding, that's what I'm doing. But you can just apply the cooled coffee grounds to your face. Situate yourself over a sink (it gets messy) and get a fingerful of grounds. Carefully rub it onto your bags—not too close to your actual eyes.

I covered the entire area under my eyes—from inside by my nose to the outer corners of my eyes, and about halfway down my cheeks.

Step 4: Let It Sit

Instructions state to leave this gunk on for 15 minutes, so naturally I did it for 20. Most of this time was spent running around the house avoiding my roommate-brother, who I'm pretty sure already thinks I'm crazy. Still, I don't want to have to explain why I have food smeared on my face.

My major thought during all of this waiting time was something like, "Holy Hell, my skin!" Seriously, I don't know what's going on, but it itches. Stings. Maybe it's the water drying, or maybe my skin doesn't like coffee, but this stuff was nearly impossible for me to let sit. Hopefully that means it's working...

Step 5: Rinse

At last, sweet freedom!! If your skin reacted anything like mine did, this moment is long-awaited. I recommend gently wiping off what you can while the grounds are fairly dry, and splashing water on your face to get rid of the rest.

Then, take a step back and see the change.

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Does It Really Work?

Theoretically, yes. Coffee is supposed to depuff your eyes by restricting the blood flow, which reduces swelling. It's also a diuretic, causing it to draw water away from puffy cells. This results in a temporary reduction of bags.

I do think there was a change in my eyes. The bags were definitely reduced, but the color wasn't so great, probably because I irritated my skin. However, with a little bit of makeup, the color can be corrected. As you can see from the photo below, applying a dab (and I mean a DAB) of foundation after coffee-ing did a world of wonders for my dark circles.

More DIY Beauty

As you may be able to tell, I'm all about the DIY side of things. My favorite home-remedies involve natural approaches to beauty. You can check them out here.

Coffee Grounds for Cellulite?
How to Make Lipstick out of Crayons
No Shampoo for Six Months

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Comments

Preetham on January 09, 2018:

Hi it's a great techniques after a long chatting in mobile my eyes become dark circles and lack of sleep even face is also turning tan except nose I'm normal colour shud I apply full face and daily I suppose to apply and how many days I must apply this coffee powder thanks a lot for your help

Kat on November 12, 2017:

I saw no bags under your eyes you look fine.

Deh on April 19, 2017:

What if you have real big puffy bags, what do you do for them?

ava on November 16, 2016:

i use intant coffee and olive oil and black pepper1

Leona on September 07, 2016:

Do you think that kcup coffee ground will work too?

Larry Rankin from Oklahoma on June 10, 2015:

Very interesting technique. You seemed to have mixed feelings on its effectiveness.

Jadeofheart on January 08, 2015:

Yeah, I'll give it a try! I'll let you know :)

Alex Rose (author) from Virginia on January 08, 2015:

I'm thinking it may! It still has caffeine, and according to UC Berkeley Wellness, it may have more antioxidants than normal coffee. I'd say it's worth a try! Only thing is getting it to stick. You may try adding a few drops of water and making it into a paste? This is new ground for me - let me know if it works!!

Jadeofheart on January 07, 2015:

Great! May I ask a question? Unfortunately, I'm quite stingy as well. So I don't have the luxury of owning a coffee maker. Can instant black coffee work as well?

luisj305 from Florida on January 07, 2015:

Wow, I can really see a big difference, even before you applied the small amount of makeup. Great useful hub.