When it comes to black tea bags, everyone has a different association. Foodies envision tea with milk becoming milk tea; health enthusiasts immediately think of the various beneficial elements contained in black tea; while beauty lovers attempt to directly apply black tea's advantages to daily skincare.
Claims like "black tea can reduce dark circles and puffiness," "black tea can be used for post-sunburn repair," "washing hair with black tea can strengthen hair quality"... The editor will elaborate on each of these below. As the saying goes, if you have a request, I will surely respond.
Reducing Dark Circles and Puffiness
After the final steeping of the black tea, take out the used tea bags and soak them in cold water. Simultaneously, place a clean gauze cloth in another basin of cold water. After about 5-10 minutes, take out the gauze, wring it dry, and apply it over the eyes. Then, take the two tea bags out of the cold water, shake off a little excess water, and place one on each eye. Leave them on for 15 minutes before removing.
The principle behind using black tea for dark circles and puffiness lies in its tannic acid content, which has strong astringent and soothing effects. However, applying highly concentrated tannic acid directly to the eye area could potentially cause inflammation and lead to pigment transfer from the tea bags. That's why we emphasize from the start that the tea bags used for the eyes must be ones that have been steeped multiple times and are no longer needed (greatly reducing the tannic acid concentration) and should be placed over the gauze. Of course, refrigerating the tea bags beforehand will enhance the effect.
Can Be Used for Post-Sunburn Repair
In summer, the sunlight is intense. With just a slight lapse of attention, you can get sunburned by UV rays. If your skin becomes red, swollen, sensitive, and itchy, you need quick post-sun first aid. If you happen to have a bathtub at home, that's perfect—simply taking a black tea bath can solve the problem.
All you need to do is collect 3-5 used black tea bags (again, ones that have been steeped several times), toss them into the bathtub, fill it with water, and soak in it. The principle behind using black tea for post-sunburn repair also depends on its tannic acid content, as tannic acid can effectively suppress skin inflammation and is very effective for repairing sun-damaged skin.
Washing Hair Can Strengthen Hair Quality
Black tea contains many beneficial elements—too many to count even on ten fingers. For example, "carotene, vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, caffeine, tannic acid, leucine, lysine, glutamic acid," etc. Therefore, if you add some black tea while shampooing, it can have a good strengthening effect on hair quality.
The prerequisite is that you must prepare 2 used black tea bags and ensure your scalp has no open cuts or breaks at the time of washing. Then, simply steep the used tea bags (once again, used ones) in hot water, mix it with cold water (the combined water temperature should be around body temperature), and you can safely wash your hair.