In our last to blog posts we talked about the different causes for dark circles under the eyes and how to prevent them. In this post will discuss some simple ways to care for this sensitive area.
1. Under Eye Creams
It is extremely important to moisturize the area under your eyes. Sometimes the dark circles under the eyes are only due to dryness which make the area look dull and pale. For best results, moisturize twice a day. You can also massage the eye area with your moisturizer. If you want to choose an ingredient from your kitchen, use almond oil. Almond oil is a key ingredient in many under eye creams because of it’s high content of vitamin A and E.
It’s important to understand that under eye creams are not miracle solutions to dark circles and wrinkles around the eyes, and any changes in the area as a result of using the cream can be observed after using the creams for at least 6 months. However, under eye creams can absolutely help with dryness.
Fine lines and wrinkles: fine line and wrinkles occur mainly because of moving the muscles around the eyes when smiling, squinting, and blinking and other facial expressions. This area is much thinner than the rest of the face and has fewer oil glands. Add these factors along with lack of sleep, dehydration, smoking, excessive sun exposure, and over all bad lifestyle and wrinkles will appear more prominent.
So the key here is to think of prevention and maintenance before thinking of fixing the problem. The sooner you start to make the changes in your routines to maintain the health of your skin around your eyes, the better.
How to pick an under-eye cream
You should choose an eye cream based on the ingredients that it has. Choose one that contains nourishing oils like almond oil and camellia seed oils, as well as barrier-repairing oils like jojoba, sunflower oils, ones that contain humectants (that draw moisture from the air) like glycerine, and Ingridients that create a barrier to avoid moisture loss like beeswax and candillia wax. Remember, the sooner you start incorporating an eye cream in your care routine the sooner you start protecting it.
2. Cold Cucumber Slices
We’ve all seen them used in SPAs. The image of a woman with her hair wrapped in a towel, masque on her face, cucumber slices on her eyes. Cucumbers have an astringent property which can cause blood vessels to contract, reducing puffy eyes, and cooling the tissues beneath the surface. Slice some cucumbers and place them in the fridge. Put them on your eyes for 5 to 10 minutes. Repeat 2-3 times a day.
3. Cooled Tea Bags.
The key ingredient here is caffeine. It can help reduce bags under the eyes because the caffeine works to shrink the blood vessels and reduce water retention. After you’ve soaked your tea bags to make tea, put the tea bags in the fridge until they are cold. Place them on your eyes for 5-10 minutes, repeat 2-3 a day for best results.
4. Argan Oil
Argan oil is very high in vitamin E and can help repair the damage caused by sun exposure and can also reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Massage your eyes with a few drops of Argan oil before bed.
5. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is also very high in vitamin E which is very moisturizing to the skin and lactic acid which can help tighten the skin. It’s also a wonderful oil for removing eye makeup. Gently rub your eyes (makeup intact) with some coconut oily in a circular motion to loosen up the makeup, then gently wipe it away with a cotton pad or cotton wash cloth. The coconut oil will lift all the make up off better than any make up remover will. No need to rinse. Let the thin layer of oils left on your skin sink in to Nourish and moisturize the area around your eyes.
6. Aloe Vera
Take a small piece of ale vera pulp and blend it with hand blender or mash it with a fork. Massage the eye area and leave it on if you don’t find it too sticky. It is an excellent moisturizer and contains many vitamins like A, E, C, and B12 that can reduce dark circles and wrinkles. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce the bags under the eyes.
