There are a couple of things that can cause dark circles under the eyes to appear, but it should be noted that none of the darker skin is dangerous. The darker color can come from simply getting older, being of an ethnic group that is not white, not getting enough sleep, allergies, eyestrain, too much sun, and not drinking enough water.

Home Remedies for Dark Circles Under the Eyes

1. More Sleep

One the of causes of the dark circles under the eyes are not getting enough sleep. So, getting more sleep can help. If you have to fall asleep, try putting some lavender in your pillowcase, use aromatherapy with oils that are known to induce relaxation and sleep (lavender or jasmine), or you can take a just a little bit of castor oil on a cotton ball and gently apply it your eyelids. If you plan on using castor oil, make sure to it on a day where you do not have to wake up early for something because the castor oil can make you rather drowsy.

 

2. Cold Compress

Cold temperatures are known for making things constrict. This theory works the same way the skin under your eyes. The cold of the compress lessens the size of the dilated blood vessels and calm swelling.

All you need to do is get a cold water bottle, some frozen veggies, a couple ice cubes, whatever you have a wish to use and apply them to the skin under your eyes. You can also just use cold water on a washcloth, but the method takes about 20 minutes to have an effect.

 

3. Makeup

This may not be a solution for everyone, but it is an easy one. All you need for this on is a bottle of concealer. You just apply enough makeup to the skin under your eyes so that the darker skin appears to have the same shade as the rest of your face.

If you have allergies, you want to be careful on what kind of concealer you get seeing as some makeups can irritate allergies and just make things worse.

 

4. Elevating Your Head

Not getting enough sleep is not the only way that you can get those dark circles under your eyes. It is also possible that the way you are sleeping is what are causing the circles. Elevating your heads makes all but impossible for fluids to collect under your eyes. The fluids building there is part of what can make your eyes look swollen, red, and puffy.

5. Tea Bags

One way to get rid of the dark circles is to apply the green tea to the skin under your eyes. Green tea is the best to use. Green tea has just a little bit of caffeine which can increase the blood flow to the skin while protecting you from signs of aging and from UV rays. Green tea also antioxidants that can tackle swelling.

To use green tea for this, you want to allow two tea bags to steep for about four minutes and then let them chill in the fridge for roughly 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, squeeze out liquid might be left in the bags and then apply the bags to the skin under your eyes for somewhere between 15 minutes and half an hour. Also, the chilliness of the tea bags can with the swelling and color like the cold compress.

 

6. Neti Pot

One of the causes for the dark circle under the eyes is allergies. If you suffer from allergies, then you may know that the eyes, nose, and throat are all linked together. If your nose is stuffy, it can affect your eyes by making them feel a little heavy or by making it feel like space right behind your eyes is clogged with water.

One of the most popular cures for the kind of congestion is the neti pot. You can get them over the counter and it is pretty easy to follow the instructions that come with the neti pot (you can also find videos online of how to use the neti pot).  Using the neti pot for the first time might be a little scary, but it should hopefully help you at least a little bit.

 

7. Retinol Cream

This cream is good for just about anything that could cause trouble with the skin. It calmed psoriasis, acne, and stops signs of aging from appearing. This cream helps to calm the dark circles under the eyes because it helps with collagen deficiencies.

Retinol cream is over the counter but you can get stronger creams like if you talk to your doctor or dermatologist. You only need to use the cream once a day and about half an hour after washing your face.

 

8. Drink Water

With how vital water is for everything that your body, it is not uncommon that drinking more water can make the darker circles under your eyes at least less prominent. It is suggested that women get nine cups of water while men should be getting about 13 cups.

If you are not a fan the flavorless water, that is not to be worried about. You can infuse water with fruit, get flavored waters, or they make carbonated water drinks that all have different flavors.

9. Do Not Sleep With Makeup On

When you are rolling around in your sleep or rubbing at your eyes, it is not hard to believe that some of the makeup can get into your eyes and irate the areas around the eyes. Also, sleeping with makeup on when you have allergies or wear contacts is not going to help you in the even the slightest.

Not only can sleeping with makeup on cause dark circles under your eyes, but it can also make you look older than you are because the chemicals in the makeup cause oxidative stress to the skin.

10. Collagen Heavy Foods

Vitamin C and collagen work together in the body to boost your immune system, keep your skin looking healthy, to keep your bones moving nice and smooth. So eating more collagen and vitamin C is very important. You can get more of each by eating more oranges, broccoli, strawberries, kale, red peppers, brussels sprouts, and kale.

 

11. Iron

Believe it or not, but anemia (not having enough iron in the blood) can make the dark circles under your eyes appear and can make it harder for you to sleep which is another cause of the dark circles under your eyes. So you can up your iron intake and it should help a bit.

You can take an iron supplement. If you want to be sure that you have anemia before you go to taking supplement pills, you can either go to your doctor or you can cross check other three signs: brittle nails, heavy fatigue, and cold hands and feet.

If taking supplement pills is not your sort of thing, there are foods that you can try adding to your diet. You can try adding seafood, and just about any kind of meat; beans, raisins, peas, leafy greens, apricots, and there are different iron-fortified grains you can buy.

 

12. Less Alcohol

Alcohol is rarely good for your body. Having dark circles under your eyes is not one of those rare times. Drinking alcohol can make your dehydration worse and having dehydration can increase the circles under your eyes.

 

13. Not as Much Salt

Too much salt can cause bloating and fluid retention which can make the skin under your eyes look red and puffy. Not only can salt lead to fluid retention, but an excess of salt can also lead to things like strokes and heart health issues.

14. Stop Smoking

It has been mentioned how important vitamin C and collagen are for the health of your skin. Smoking drastically lessens the amounts of vitamin C and therefore the amount of collagen. Quitting smoking can be a bit of a challenge, but it is doable.

 

15. Exercise

This is not the exercise you might think; not the kind where your lift weights or go for a run. You just have to gently massage or move the skin under the eyes around your eyes a little. If this does not work or if you are worried about slipping and damaging your eyes, there are actually a couple different yoga poses that you can try and find on the internet to follow.

16. Homemade Eye Cream

If you use makeup or if you have not gotten enough sleep and are wanting to get rid of the dark circles under your eyes, you can make your own eye bream with only a couple of ingredients. All you need is. a half teaspoon of vitamin E; an ounce of shea butter, coconut oil, and aloe vera gel; and ten drops of the essential oil of frankincense.

After you have collected all of the ingredients, you need to mix together in a pretty small bowl. If your shea butter and coconut oil are still solids, you might need to melt them so you can mix them well. After the ingredients are well mixed, all you need to do is put the cream in a glass jar. For the best results, use the cream on the skin around your eyes once before bed and once in the morning.

 

17. Aromatherapy

There a couple different kinds of essential oils that help to calm bloating, swelling, and so they should be good for helping the dark, puffy circles under your eyes. You should try using essential oils like rosemary, fennel, German chamomile, rose geranium. If just aromatherapy is not helping you, then you can mix the essential oils with some coconut oil and apply that to the skin under your eyes.  

18. Use Sunscreen

Sunscreen is not only a good way to stop sunburn and skin cancer, but it can also keep away the dark circles under your eyes. Not using sunscreen can subject your skin, especially the more sensitive skin like the areas around your eyes, to hyperpigmentation. Not all sunscreens are for more sensitive skin types, but there are special ones that you can find.

 

19. Do Not Use Hot Water

Many people wash their faces with hot water or take steaming showers. Water that is too hot can cause the skin under your eyes to become red and puffy. If you take a hot shower, rinse your face with cold water or if you use a face wash, rinse it off with room temperature or cold water.

 

20. Makeup Remover

It was mentioned that sleeping with makeup on can be bad, but using a makeup remover that is too strong for your skin can be just as bad. You want a makeup remover that does its job, but you also a remover that does not harm your eyes. They might be a little hard to find, but they are out there. And if you cannot find a brand or kind that you like, you can make your own makeup removing pads.

You need a four-ounce jar, two to four drops a lavender essential oil, organic cotton pads, distilled water, a half teaspoon of vitamin E oil, a tablespoon spoon and a half of fractionated coconut oil, and a teaspoon of liquid castile soap.  

Place the cotton pads into the jar, mix the coconut oil and soap together in a different little bowl with the lavender oil then pour the picture over the pads. You add just enough water to the jar to wet the pads inside, you then put the lid on the jar and shake the jar every time before using one of the pads so that there is an even amount of mixture on the pads.  

 

21. Cold Cucumber Slices

Cucumbers have antioxidants can calm the puffiness around your eyes. This is you whenever there is a spa scene in a movie, there is almost always someone with cucumber slices over their eyes. The antioxidants and the coldness of the slices both do wonders for getting rid of the dark circles under your eyes.

22. Mint Leaves

Mint leaves have menthol and vitamin C. Menthol constricts blood vessels around the eyes and improves blood circulation. So by using mint leaves, the vitamin C and menthol can lessen that blue and purple tint that give you the dark circles under the eyes.

To use mint leaves for this, you just blend some mint leaves, apply them to the area under your eyes, and rinse them off with cold water after about ten minutes.

 

23. Aloe Vera

Aloe vera has a good deal of anti-inflammatories and moisturizer. After you clean your face, apply some aloe vera to the skin under your eyes. Leave the gel or pulp in place for ten minutes before washing it off. You can just leave it in place and let your skin absorb it unless you find it to be sticky.

 

24. Milk

Milk has vitamin B6 and vitamin A, both of which build new skin cells. Diary (cow’s) milk also has vitamin B12 which lightens darkened skin while the selenium in the milk fights off sun damage and free radicals. You just need to apply milk soaked (but not dripping) cotton pads or balls to the skin under your eyes for 20 minutes and rinse it off with cold water.  You should repeat this three times a week.

Which of these home remedies will you use to erase dark circles under the eyes? Comment below!

Sources

https://www.femina.in/beauty/skin/all-about-dark-circles-and-how-to-treat-them-57696.html

https://thecoconutmama.com/homemade-makeup-remover-pads/

https://www.allure.com/story/bad-habits-that-cause-dark-circles?verso=true

https://www.allure.com/story/dermatologists-help-minimize-the-appearance-of-dark-circles?verso=true

https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/how-to-get-rid-of-bags-under-eyes#tea-bags

https://www.healthline.com/health/dark-circle-under-eyes#treatment