skin
Even some of the most stunning women often have to resort to concealers and make-up to hide their dark circles.
Not only do these under-eye circles make you look much older than what you actually are, but they also have you looking ill or unhealthy.
You’ve probably Googled ‘how to get rid of bags under eyes’ on more than one occasion and you’d do almost anything to get rid of them.
And even after you’ve tried a million expensive treatments, they usually come back.
Truth is, your eye puffiness and darkness could be inherited. There is a strong genetic component to dark circles, which is out of people’s control.
Womp, womp. Yes, much of the reason you have those circles is because of your parents’ own thin skin (thanks, Mom).
Sometimes you have them because of an increase in pigment in that area. But don’t run to the doctor asking for a pricey laser or needle treatment.
Try these easy home remedies, which we have lovingly complied, to treat under eye dark circles.
You do not have to spend a fortune and you do not have to worry about side effects.
1. Sleep More:
The cheapest way to reduce the appearance of under eye bags is to get on a regular sleep routine of seven to eight hours per day.
2. Cucumber:
Cucumbers have skin-lightening and mild astringent properties that help fix those raccoon eyes naturally.
Plus, they have a soothing and refreshing effect. Cut a fresh cucumber into thick slices and chill them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Put the slices onto the affected skin area for about 10 minutes.
Wash the area with cold water. Repeat twice daily.
3. Raw Potato:
There are natural bleaching agents present in potato that can help lighten those dark circles. Grate one or two raw potatoes to extract the juice.
Soak a cotton ball in the juice and place it over your closed eyes. Allow the juice to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse your eyelids well with cool water. Repeat once or twice daily for a few weeks.
Instead of potato juice, you can also use thick potato slices to remove dark circles.
4. Rose Water:
Rose water has incredible ingredient for skin care.
It rejuvenates the skin and has a soothing effect on tired eyes.
Due to its mild astringent properties, it also works as a good skin toner. Soak cotton eye pads in pure rose water for a few minutes.
Put the soaked pads on your closed eyelids.
Leave them on for about 15 minutes. Follow this remedy twice a day for a few weeks.
5. Lemon Juice:
The vitamin C present in lemon juice can also help remove dark circles under the eyes, thanks to its skin-lightening properties.
Use a cotton ball to apply fresh lemon juice around your eyes. Leave it on for about 10 minutes and rinse it off.
Do this once daily for a few weeks.
6. Milk:
Milk contains lactic acid that has shown to improve the smoothness, thickness, and firmness of the skin.
This mild acid also diminishes fine lines and wrinkles.
Take the cotton ball and dip it in the bowl of cold milk. Now, place the cotton ball on your eyes, making sure it covers the affected area completely. Keep it on for about 15 minutes, after which you can wash off with regular water.
7. Yoghurt and Parsley:
Parsley contains beta-carotene, vitamin C, folic acid, and plenty of other minerals and vitamins.
It evens out the skin tone and also prevents wrinkle formation.
Grind or crush parsley leaves along with yoghurt so that they are blended well. Apply this mixture as an eye mask on the dark circles.
Let it dry for 10 minutes and then rinse with cool water.
You can use this eye mask thrice a week.
8. Try tea bags:
Caffeinated tea, which contains natural tannins, is a mild diuretic and long used by grandmothers and runway models for reducing eye puffiness.
Soak two tea bags in warm water, then chill the bags for a few minutes in the refrigerator.
Place one tea bag on each eye for five minutes, and your eyes will feel fresh and look bright.
9. Avoid excess salt in your diet:
Did you know the bloating sodium causes in the body can also cause puffiness under your eyes? Yep - you can retain water even under your eyes.
Your eyes will thank you for cutting back on salt.
10. Use essential oils:
There are several oils that combat under-eye puffiness and dark circles.
Try mixing an essential oil with coconut oil and rubbing it under your eyes. Rose geranium, fennel, lavender, German chamomile, castor oil and rosemary essential oil are hailed as the best essential oils for getting rid of under-eye bags.
You can also use Almond oil which is a great natural ingredient that is very beneficial for the delicate skin around your eyes.
11. Massage:
Mix coconut oil and almond oil and massage gently in circular motion around the eyes.
Leave on for about an hour. This should be done daily.
You can also mix lemon juice and fresh tomato juice and massage the eye area with this daily.
Leave the toner on for about 20 minutes and wash with coconut water.
12. Cool down:
If you need to minimize the appearance of dark circles, cooling down the area is one solution.
Cucumber slices, potato slices, cold wash rags and even cold spoons can do the trick.
Whatever you choose, leave it on for ten to twenty minutes to really soothe the skin under your eyes.
Applying something cool to your eyes is especially effective at reducing constricting swollen under-eye blood vessels.
13. Be gentle with your makeupremover:
Consider your under-eyes as sensitive skin.
Under eye skin is among the thinnest on the body, so any irritation can cause skin inflammation.
If you are using a towelette, try one that is fragrance-free, like Neutrogena Fragrance-Free Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes, and take gentle strokes in a single direction rather than rubbing back and forth.