5 At-Home Tricks to Drop Up to 15 Pounds of Water Weight in Minutes
Soak and massage your way to slim!
These at-home remedies target belly bloat, cellulite, cankles, and more, and flush fluids from the body so you look up to 15 pounds slimmer in a flash.
De-puff Your Face With This Massage
Gua sha, a facial massage done with a special crystal tool, boosts circulation by 400 by helping stagnant fluids flow freely, nixing 3 pounds of “false fat.”
- Try it: Rub two drops of olive oil on the face and neck, then hold a gua sha tool (like Daily Concepts Gua Sha Facial Jade Tool, $16) flat against the neck’s base and move it toward the jaw in gentle, upward strokes for one minute, along the jaw for one minute, and from the temples down to the jaw for 1 minute.
Reduce Swollen Breasts with an Iced Tea Compress
Black tea’s tannins have anti-inflammatory properties that help release built-up fluids, and applying it shrinks fluid-filled blood vessels, so the chest appears two pounds slimmer overall.
- Try it: Soak two washcloths in cold black tea. Place one on each breast for five minutes, then rinse.
Smooth Cellulite with a Coffee Polish
Caffeine-rich coffee grounds draw out cellulite-exacerbating trapped water from cells, so thighs look up to two pounds trimmer.
- Try it: Massage 1⁄4 cup of brewed coffee grounds onto dimply skin for one minute; rinse after five minutes.
Shrink Cankles with an Epsom Salt Soak
“The vitamins and minerals in Epsom salt penetrate skin, increasing circulation to alleviate the swelling caused by fluids that pool in feet,” says medical aesthetician Holly Cutler. Mixing with diuretic lemon juice flushes even more fluids, making legs look three pounds leaner.
- Try it: Add 1⁄2 cup of Epsom salt and two tablespoons of lemon juice to a basin filled with warm water. Soak feet and ankles for 15 minutes; rinse.
Banish Belly Bloat with a Seaweed Wrap
Algae’s minerals have a diuretic effect that stimulates the body to decrease water retention and expel toxins, says Cutler. The result? A stomach that looks five pounds slimmer.
- Try it: Soak six dried seaweed sheets (like YUHO Kombu Dried Seaweed, $12.58 for 2-pack) in water for five minutes; place all over the tummy and cover with plastic wrap. Wait 10 minutes; remove and rinse.
This story originally appeared in our print magazine.
