How to get rid of dark circles under eyes

No one wants to wake up in the morning and check the mirror only to see a raccoon-like reflection. But it happens to most of us at one point or another. Of course, we’re talking about dark under eye circles. As women, we tend to spend more money on concealing the problem than identifying and addressing the cause of it. 

One reason so many struggle with dark circles is because under eye skin represents the thinnest skin on your entire body. To put it in perspective, it’s about 0.5 mm thick compared to the rest of your body, which is about 2 mm thick. Because of this, even the slightest changes beneath the skin can wreak havoc on its appearance.

Most under eye circles are simply the result of blood and blood vessels peeking through. But all of us have the same blood vessels in the same places, so why do some show through and others don’t?

Let’s look at a few common causes of dark circles and why they’re more prominent in some people:

• Genetic Makeup: Yep, sometimes they’re just hereditary. If Mom and Grandma have them, you probably will too. This tends to be more true for fairer skin tones.

• Aging, Thinning Skin: Skin elasticity and thickness decrease as we age due to decreased production of collagen - the structural protein of our skin. This thinning makes underlying vessels all the more visible.

• Allergies: If your dark circles come and go, it may be a case of unidentified allergies. Histamines (the chemicals responsible for allergy symptoms) cause blood vessels to dilate, making them more visible.

• Stress and Fatigue: Stress and sleep deprivation can result in dull, pale skin. The lighter the skin, the more visible the vessels are beneath it. Inadequate sleep can also cause fluid buildup beneath the eyes, making them appear puffy. Sometimes, dark circles are simply shadows cast by swollen eyelids.

• Sun Exposure: The sun makes your body produce more melanin - the pigment that gives your skin its color. Also, unprotected and extended sun exposure (and the free radicals that result) can break down collagen.

• Eye Strain: In this digital era, we spend a lot of time staring at smartphone, tablet, or computer screens, which places significant strain on our eyes. Such strain can cause blood vessels to dilate and appear darker.

• Dehydration: Insufficient amounts of water can make the skin beneath your eyes appear sunken in thanks to their close proximity to the underlying bone.

Now that we’ve identified the causes, let’s look at a few solutions you can achieve right at home!

1. Improve Your Diet

Proper blood circulation and oxygenation play key roles in getting rid of dark under eye circles. There are even some foods that give your blood a more reddish hue as opposed to that deep, dark blue:

• Leafy greens

• Pastured meats

• Nettles

You may also want to include some mineral-rich herbs that work to oxygenate the blood such as red clover and chickweed. However, when it comes to diet, the best thing you can do to fight dark circles is to consume nutrient-rich foods on a regular basis to prevent deficiencies.

2. Adjust Your Sleeping Habits

You may also consider elevating your head to prevent puffiness caused by fluid buildup. Most people associate under eye circles with lack of sleep. While that’s only one cause, it does seem to be the most common. Shoot for 8 hours of sleep a night to give your body the time it needs to rejuvenate.

3. Try the Old Cucumber Trick

Slice a fresh cucumber, and let the slices freeze for half an hour. We’ve all seen the movies of ladies at the spa with cucumbers on their eyes. Turns out, there’s  a reason for that! Cucumbers are not only refreshing, they possess natural skin-lightening properties to help combat dark circles.

• Place one slice on each eye and let sit for 10 minutes. Rinse after. 

• Do this twice a day for a couple weeks for the best results.

   

4. Use Frozen Spoons

Laying down with something frozen on your eyes for about 20 minutes (or how ever long you can handle) is recommended. Really it can be anything frozen like an ice pack or frozen bag of peas. The trick here is to take advantage of the benefits of cold application, which helps shrink the appearance of dilated blood vessels beneath your eyes while also reducing puffiness.

Sometimes despite your best efforts, stubborn dark circles need something more powerful. Something that’s stronger with fast-acting, proven results because no one wants to walk around with under eye circles for long! That’s when a balm like our Organic Rejuvenating Eye Balm comes in handy.

As annoying as they are, the basics of dark circles are pretty simple. In general, they are caused by a combination of thinning skin and darkening or dilating of the blood vessels beneath. The factors that cause these things can range from age-related issues like decreased collagen production to environmental aspects like sun exposure, allergies, and poor sleep. In other cases, you need something stronger and more effective like a quality under eye cream. Either way, we hope these tips help you say goodbye to dark circles for good!