11 Effective Home Remedies For Dark Circles

Dark circles are a common problem, for men and women alike, though women tend to care more about them, granted. Unless very pronounced, dark circles don’t necessarily indicate a serious health problem, but they can be an upsetting cosmetic issue.

Since exhaustion is one of the leading causes of dark circles, people associate them with a tired, dull and older look. Restoring your appearance to a younger, fresher you, often begins with lightening up the areas around your eyes. In today’s article, we will show you 11 home remedies for dark circles which are proven to work, inspired from experts in free home remedies.

The main causes of dark circles

These are the things which can make dark circles appear and give you that greyish, dull look:

• Lack of sleep
• Long hours spent in front of the computer
• Lack of proper hydration
• Sun exposure without solar protection
• Increased levels of mental or physical stress
• An unhealthy diet, rich in saturated fat, carbs and salt.

Most of these factors are easy to fight and fix. You can and should have a regular sleep routine and drink enough water daily. This will help solve many health issues, not just the appearance of dark circles.

Other factors are a bit harder to tame. Genetics, for example. Some people are simply more prone to having that appearance of dark circles, in spite of their otherwise healthy lifestyle. If it’s your case, it’s just bad luck, but not a reason to give up trying. Your under-eye area would probably look even darker if you wouldn’t care for it the way you do.

All stressful factors, like the ones listed above, make the skin barrier get thinner and weaker. The thinner skin is, the more the blood vessels underneath it are visible. Since the skin around the eyes is the thinnest in the human body, the effect is the most pronounced. Hence, the appearance of dark circles. Therefore, the dark circles remedies that you need should focus on making skin fortified, better moisturized, and plumper.

11 home remedies for improving the appearance of dark circles

In addition to creating a lightening effect over dark circles, these natural remedies can also work to prevent dark circles getting worse.

The more you use this remedies on a constant basis, and the more you tweak your lifestyle as well in order to avoid excesses, the fresher you will look.

Remember that no home remedy can do wonders if you don’t help your skin detox by doing the bare minimum, like sleeping 7 hours a night, drinking enough water, and so on.

1. Cucumbers

Yes, the old cliché about women sitting in bathtubs with cucumber slices over their eyes was really on to something. Cucumbers indeed have the power to restore moisture and to lighten the skin a bit. The effect is temporary, but if you apply this ‘eye mask’ every two days or so you should start seeing some long-term dark circles improvement.

2. Raw potato

Raw potato has been a natural skin fortifier for generations. It is useful for any other skin area in need for a bit of care, like dry elbows or dry and cracked hands. It’s also amazing as a skin lightening agent.

To use this home remedy for dark circles, peel a potato and grate some of its pulp until you have about a teaspoon of fine potato paste. Apply this on your under-eye area and leave it for 15 minutes, then wash it off. Repeat every other evening for at least 2 weeks.

3. Rose water

Rose water is a wonderfully soothing substance, and therefore has a lot of different cosmetic uses. If you keep a bottle of rose water around, you won’t be sorry. You will be able to use it as a face toner, as a mild remover of any makeup traces, as a makeup primer and setting spray, as an ingredient in other homemade masks etc.

To use it as a remedy against dark circles, soak two cotton disks in rose water and keep them on your closed eyes for 15 – 20 minutes (as you would do with cucumber slices). Repeat every day before bedtime and you will notice an improvement in the appearance of dark circles in about 3 weeks.

4. Tomato

The tomato contains a cocktail of acids and lycopene that makes it a powerful skin tone lightener. There are many cosmetic products designed for skin whitening which contain tomato extract. You can also use fresh tomatoes to make your own natural remedy for dark circles.

Squeeze a teaspoon of tomato juice and use your fingers to lightly dab it all over your under-eye area. Keep it there for 15 minutes and then rinse it off with water. Technically, you should repeat this every two days but be careful, over-use of tomato juice on skin can cause irritation.

If the area around your eyes becomes red or itchy, discontinue use until the irritation goes away. Then you can pick up the treatment again, but apply a layer of protective oil or moisturizing cream on the eye area before applying the tomato juice.

5. Coconut oil

Coconut oil is another miracle ingredient in all natural cosmetic recipes, a virtually good for all treat. Used on the eyelids, it can help protect the skin from the daily tear and wear, and strengthen its elasticity and tightness. This will make the dark circles be less visible if you use this remedy regularly.

Just dab a bit of coconut oil all around your clean eye area every night before bed. You can also use your regular eye cream on top, if you want, or you can skip it most of the time.

6. Almond oil

Almond oil has similar skin soothing properties to coconut oil. Used regularly, it can also improve elasticity and make the skin stronger, making dark circles less visible.

7. Black and green tea bags

Black and green teas are full of phenols and anti-oxidants, as well as a pinch of caffeine, which has proven beneficial effects for the delicate under-eye area. If you use the tea bags as eye masks every time you make tea, your dark circles will soon be almost gone. The delicious cocktail of substances from tea will also keep fine wrinkles at bay.

8. Cold compresses or a cold spoon

Another old wives’ tale that turns out to be true: strategically applied cold is among the best remedies for dark circles. If your eyes are also puffy, the cold will make that go away as well.

Keep a spoon in the fridge and use it to lightly massage your eye area every morning (with its round side). Alternatively, you can put cold compresses on your eyes in the evening.

9. Turmeric

Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant ingredient, that can work wonders as a home remedy for dark circles.

To make a super-buffing turmeric mask for your eye area, mix ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder with 1 teaspoon of fresh pineapple juice. Next, apply this on the clean under-eye area and let it work its magic for 10 minutes. Wash off with water.

The enzymes in the pineapple juice will re-texturize your skin and help the antioxidants from turmeric enter it better.

10. Rosehip oil

The rosehip is another great skin oil to introduce into your routine, on rotation with coconut oil and almond oil. It doesn’t clog your pores, and also leaves your skin slightly refreshed. Rub it in gently, on the skin around your eyes, in the evening. In about 2 weeks you should already be able to see an improvement in your dark circles.

11. Greek yoghurt

Dairy products have always been used as skin whiteners and beautifiers. The famous milk baths of Cleopatra and other queens are now legend. But when using a thicker product, like yoghurt, the beautifying effect is even stronger.

On one hand, yoghurt contains lactic acid, which mildly exfoliates the skin without any need for mechanical exfoliation (which is out of the question around the eyes). On the other hand, the fat content in yoghurt also nourishes the skin and makes it more elastic. Combined, these two create an ideal cocktail for diminishing dark circles.

All of the home remedies for dark circles presented above can be very effective, if applied consistently. Try to combine multiple remedies within a weekly routine and you will surely have enviable eyes before long.

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