It’s not a pleasant feeling when you look at your reflection to find dark circles around your eyes. Blame it on not sleeping well, recent illness, or maybe even your ancestors! They appear often and they make you look unenergetic. Don’t worry – they are not here to stay.
There are different ways for you to deal with dark circles. You can treat them naturally, medically or even surgically. If you could help it, you wouldn’t want to use any pharmaceutical or chemical products. They are temporary, don’t always work and may damage your skin.
Modern lifestyle makes almost everybody suffer from under-eye circles. Fortunately, natural remedies for dark circles are everywhere. You will find some at your home right now! This article will go over some of the best ways to naturally treat the skin under your eyes.
The Cause of Dark Circles
Some people are more familiar with these dark blemishes. People inherit them in their genes. They can also be a symptom of a chronic illness. Others may have them occasionally for various reasons. Time takes its toll on your skin as well. As you get older, your skin becomes thinner and dark circles more noticeable.
The causes of dark circles are various:
- Lack of sleep and oversleeping
- Unsettled biorhythm
- Allergies
- Flu
- Smoking, drug and alcohol use
- Stress
- Thin skin
- Dry skin
- Genetics
- Aging
- Dehydration
- Inflammation or swelling
- Rubbing your eyes
- Overexposure to the sun
- Anemia
- Vitamin B12 and vitamin K deficiency
As you can see, you are much more likely to have dark circles than not have them. It is too difficult to prevent them today.
How to Treat Them?
The best that we can do is turn to nature for help. There are various natural remedies for dark circles that you may even find in your kitchen.
1. Cucumber
Cucumber contains a high amount of vitamin K. This Vitamin will regulate your blood flow. It will lower the chances of swelling around your eyes. You can slice two circles of cold cucumber and place them on your eyes for 10-15 minutes. Do this twice a day and the dark areas will slowly fade.
If you wouldn’t mind taking an extra step, you may dip the cucumber slices into lemon juice first. Lemon is full of vitamin C. This vitamin helps your skin to keep its brightness and tightness!
2. Black and Green Tea Bags
Black and green teas contain caffeine. Caffeine is known to shrink blood vessels and soothe inflammations. They also contain antioxidants that tighten the skin.
Dip two teabags in warm water and let them cool off in the fridge for five minutes. Then you can place them on your closed eyes for 15 minutes. You may also apply slight pressure and gently massage the eye area. Repeat this process a couple of times a day until you see progress.
3. Coconut Oil
Coconut Oil is rich in vitamin E and antioxidants. These substances heal damaged skin cells and reduce swellings. They also make your skin soft and moisturized.
You can put the oil directly to the dark circles. Or you can drizzle some oil on a cotton ball to apply it carefully. Leave the oil on your eyes for three hours before rinsing with cold water. You should do this two to three times a day until the circles disappear.
4. Tomato Paste
Fresh tomato juice is good against dark circles as well. It is rich in vitamins A, B and C. These vitamins nourish the skin and make your cells stronger. Tomato juice also has bleaching properties. It can make your skin lighter and shrink the circles. However, you wouldn’t want to use canned tomato paste for this.
Whizz fresh tomatoes in a blender until they turn into a paste. You can then apply the paste directly to the dark circles. Wait 10 minutes before rinsing with cold water. You should do this about two times every day.
5. Aloe Vera
Like tomatoes, aloe vera is a natural vitamin store. Aloe vera also decreases pigmentation around the eyes, which is one of the causes of dark circles.
You should place aloe vera leaves in hot water for ten minutes. Then, dip cotton balls to absorb the gel when it cools off. After that, place the cotton balls on the dark area. Since this is not always possible, you can find aloe vera gel in your local pharmacy.
Apply the gel while massaging the skin and leave it for ten minutes. You can use a clean cloth to remove the gel from your face and rinse off with water. You can do this 2 to 3 times a day for a couple of days. The circles should fade.
6. Milk
Milk is the primary container of lactic acid. This substance keeps the skin smooth and moisturized. It also helps with reducing the appearance of dark eye circles.
Soak cotton balls in milk and put them on the darkened areas for a few minutes. Like with most natural remedies for dark circles, you may have to repeat this a few times a day. You will not notice the results immediately.
7. Elevating Your Head
The way you sleep can cause darkness around your eyes. If your head is not elevated enough, fluid from your eyes may pool and cause swelling. This is why your eyes sometimes looked puffy when you just woke up. If you want to prevent this, you should make sure to elevate your head in bed. This can be done with a taller pillow or you could double it up. Or find a different way to sleep!
8. Applying Cold Pressure
If you want to reduce the swelling around your eyes, place anything cold on them. Sometimes you won’t have natural remedies lying around so anything frozen can work. Wrap some ice cubes in a clean cloth and hold them under your eyes.
Of course, ice cubes lack vitamins and other effective substances. This is only a temporary solution.
When Should You Visit the Doctor?
If dark circles remain after you’ve tried a good number of natural treatments, it is probably time to consult the doctor. Sometimes dark eye circles can be a symptom of serious conditions such as anemia. Dermatitis and allergies may also cause puffy eyes. Your doctor will give you a check-up and get to the bottom of it.
Dark circles are a common occurrence. In the modern age, it affects almost everybody. Luckily, nature has enough resources to take care of it. Natural remedies for dark circles are around you. Take care of your lifestyle, apply some vitamins, and watch them fade away!
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/dark-circles-under-eyes/basics/definition/sym-20050624
https://www.scripps.org/news_items/4583-what-are-the-best-ways-to-remove-dark-circles-under-the-eyes
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