Home Remedy--Dark Circles Under Eyes

Here are a few home remedies to try out, before you go spends a lot of money on a store product, for dark circles under your eyes.

Dark circles around eyes

*Make a paste out of 1 tsp. tomato juice, 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, a pinch of turmeric powder, and 1 tsp. of flour. Apply around eyes. Leave on for 10 minutes before rinsing.
*For under eye circles and wrinkles, mix a drop or two of honey with 2-3 drops of fresh lemon juice. Apply to the area under the eye. Leave it on for about 15 min. to 1/2 hour and it seems to work.
*Squash a banana and put a little on your eye before going to sleep. The potassium will help your eyes. In the morning when you wake up, wash it off and your dark circle is gone. You have to keep doing this every day!
*Boil some water and place 2 tea bags inside. Take out tea bags, allow them to cool. Lay back and place tea bags over the eyes (close eyes first - one on each eye) for about 15 minutes. This will ease black circles under your eyes caused by lack of sleep.
*Apply vitamin K cream. Although studies haven't looked at the use of topical vitamin K for dark circles under the eyes, preliminary studies have found that vitamin K may help with bruising.
*Vitamin C helps to strengthen blood vessel walls.

The following is a list of some of the causes of dark circles:
*Allergies
*Atopic dermatitis (eczema)
*Heredity — dark under-eye circles can run in families.
*Lifestyle factors, such as smoking and drinking alcohol and caffeinated sodas.
*Nasal congestion (which dilates and darkens the veins that drain from your eyes to your nose)
*Pigmentation irregularities — these are a particular concern for people of color, especially blacks and Asians.
*Sun exposure, which prompts your body to produce more melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color.
*Thinning skin and loss of fat and collagen — common as you age — which make the reddish-blue blood vessels under your eyes more obvious.

The MayoClinic website also suggests that you try the following.
*Cold. Try a cold compress, two chilled teaspoons or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a soft cloth to temporarily reduce dilated and discolored under-eye blood vessels. Or, try a cooled, used teabag.
*Extra pillows. Elevate your head with two or more pillows to prevent puffiness that develops when fluid pools in your lower eyelids.
*Extra sleep. Although short nights don't usually cause under-eye circles, a lack of sleep makes you paler and more hollow-eyed, so shadows and circles you already have are more obvious.
*Dark glasses and sunscreen. Although a tan might hide dark circles in the short term, in the long run, the extra pigment it produces can make circles worse.
*Saline washes or sprays. Rinsing your sinuses with a saltwater solution (mix 1/4 teaspoon sea salt with 2 cups warm water) or over-the-counter saline spray can help relieve nasal congestion.
*Cosmetics. Hundreds of skin creams that claim to reduce or prevent under-eye circles crowd department store and drugstore shelves. The results of one well-publicized study showed that a cream containing vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E and retinol was moderately effective in treating under-eye circles.
*Camouflage. The right concealer can do just that — hide dark circles. If the circles under your eyes are bluish, use a peach-colored concealer, not one that's white or gray. And avoid scented products and those containing salicylic or glycolic acid, which can irritate delicate eye tissue, making redness and swelling worse.

I also came across an interesting article that said "Eat kidney-balancing foods. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, a bluish cast under the eyes are due to an imbalance in kidney energy." I followed the link provided and found that the recommended kidney balancing foods are: Lobster, Sardines, Shrimp, Clove, Dill seed, Fennel, Pistachio, Raspberry and Walnuts.

Sounds like a good enough reason to have to eat shrimp and lobster, lol. Have a great day everyone.
Hugs!
Jill Marie