10 ways to banish dark under eye circles: quick DIY hacks for tired Mums.

Dark circles, we all hate them, most of us have them but most of us have no idea how to treat them or even if they are treatable at all. Once you understand why we get dark circles and have a few simple treatments in your repertoire you can certainly diminish their appearance. 

What causes dark circles?

There are a few things to understand about the skin around our eyes which causes or certainly exacerbates dark eye circles. Our eye skin is thinner than the skin on other parts of our face. This makes it more prone to dryness and dehydration and also makes this skin show the effects of ageing and sun damage in a more pronounced way. Because of its thinness this skin also makes blood capillaries more obvious which is the main factor in the severity of dark circles. 

Genetics

You may be frustrated to hear that genetics play the biggest part in whether you suffer with dark eye circles so if your Mum or Dad have this problem you probably will too. If you look at this as a reason to not treat dark circles and just accept them that's one less beauty problem to worry about!

Another factor to consider related to genetics is skin colour. Darker skin is more forgiving when it comes to dark circles where as light skin is less so. So if you are an ivory skinned lady those dark circles will probably look worse. 

However, even with genetics at play there are some simple DIY methods to help diminish those pesky dark eye circles.

Now that you understand why dark circles happen what can be done about it?

01 Cold compress

Heat will make blood rush to our skin's surface and cold will cause blood vessels to constrict reducing inflammation. We all know about putting ice on a swollen muscle, well cooling the skin around our eyes works in a similar way. Try keeping an eye mask in the fridge and using it for 10 minutes morning and night if possible. This might be difficult for most Mums but try telling the kids that when Mummy has the eye mask on she cannot be disturbed! It's worth a try.

02 Rose Water

Rose water is extremely soothing for all skin problems and its astringent properties will certainly help with dark eye circles. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and is used in some cultures for treating eye infections. Soak two reusable cotton pads in rose water, you can also keep your rose water in the fridge to create a cold, rose water compress, and place these pads over your eyes for 10 minutes.  

03 Cucumber slices

The well known image of women with cucumber slices over their eyes has become so ubiquitous it has almost comic appeal. However, cucumber has many properties which will help with dark eye circles. Again keeping your cucumber slices in the fridge will help but their high water content will help hydrate the skin around your eyes. Many commercial eye gels, creams and eye pads contain cucumber extract for this reason. A combination of cucumber and rose water would work very well too. Using a food processor blend a peeled cucumber into pulp and strain into a bowl using muslin or a fine strainer. Mix this juice with rose water and store in the fridge. Use the method above with reusable pads applied to eyes or as a toner over your eye skin.

04 Tomato pulp

You read that right! Tomatoes are excellent at treating dark eye circles. Tomato has bleaching agents, are high in water content and nutrients which will treat dry, dark eye skin. With fresh tomatoes squeeze out the pulp and apply with a reusable cotton pad to under eye skin. Yet again cold pulp will give an added benefit. With tomato pulp if you suffer any irritation wash away the pulp immediately.

05 Cold tea bags

Most teas, especially green tea contain anti-oxidants which will soothe inflammation reducing the appearance of dark blood vessels. For this method soak a green tea bag in water, actually why not drink the tea! Allow the teabag to cool and place in the fridge to get extra cold. Squeeze out excess water and lay over closed eyes for 10 minutes. Another herb famed for its ability to diminish dark circles is chamomile. Chamomile hydrosol works very well but in its absence a chamomile tea bag used in the same way as the green tea bag method above will work well.

06 Stay Hydrated

No amount of cold compresses, cucumber slices or tomato pulp will help any skin issues if your body is dehydrated. Dehydration shows in your skin and since your eye skin is so thin it will be more pronounced here. Along with this cut down on salt and totally cut out smoking. These to nasties  play havoc with skin hydration.

07 Hyaluronic acid

When it comes to hydration apart from upping your water intake adding Hyaluronic acid to your skincare routine will help with hydration and skin plumpness. Keegan & Co.s Treatment Essence with hydrating hyaluronic acid is gentle enough to use on the skin around your eyes. For added effect keep your treatment essence in the fridge and apply a few drops around your eyes morning and evening. This product also contains rose water and neroli water and along with Hyaluronic Acid eye skin will appear plumper and eye dryness and lines will be lessened. 

08 Bakuchiol

Retinol eye creams are often recommended for dark eye circles as retinol encourages collagen production which makes dark circles less visible. However, many women report negative side effects of retinol use on facial skin let alone the thin, sensitive skin around the eyes. A good alternative is bakuchiol. Touted as the natural alternative to retinol, Bakuchiol also stimulates collagen production but without the negative side effects. Our Bakuchiol skin renewal night serum is also safe for use around the eyes. Combined with our Treatment essence a hydrating, collagen producing wonder duo! 

09 Vitamin E oil

Vitamin E oil is an amazing anti-oxidant and skin moisturiser. In fact when you see tocopherol as an ingredient on your skincare products this is vitamin E. When used in most cosmetics it acts as an anti-oxidant to prevent oils in products from oxidising improving a product's shelf life. You can buy vitamin E in dropper bottle form or even squeeze the contents of a vitamin e capsule onto your finger and apply to dark circles. 

10 Treat allergies

When spring arrives and the dreaded pollen count increases have you noticed that your dark eye circles have gotten worse? If, like me, you suffer from seasonal pollen allergies you will know the eye stinging effects of pollen and other airborne allergens. An inflammatory response will cause an increase of blood flow to the affected area. When your nasal passages become stuffy this is the inflammatory response kicking in. The same type of response happens if your eyes are affected by pollen causing swelling and puffiness around the eyes and an increase in blood flow. Treating your allergic response will help. 

So if you suffer with this condition try some of the tips above and let us know how you get on.