Dark eye circles, also known as shadows or dark rings, is discoloration of the skin under the eye and can affect both men and women. It may be caused by aging, dry skin, prolonged crying, hormonal changes or even be hereditary.
Almond oil.
This is a natural ingredient that helps lighten the skin by lightening the dark circles. It works even better when combined with vitamin E oil. All you need to do is gently massage the oil onto the darkened skin and leave it overnight. Wash it off the next morning with cold water. Do this daily until the dark circles are gone.
Choose make up wisely.
You need to choose eye products that will not make your dark circles seem worse by sliding down your eyes. This happens due to the greasiness of most eye pencils which end up moving around the eye during the day. Choose one that stays in the same place all day or lay down a primer before you apply eye shadow, liner and mascara.
Be careful when removing makeup.
Not only can applying make up cause dark circles, but also how you remove it. This is due to the sagging of the delicate skin around the eye from tugging and pulling resulting in darker looking skin.
To avoid this, consider removing mascara and eyeshadow with cleansing oil or balm. Apply minimal tugging.
Meditation and/or yoga.
As stated, dark circles can be a result of depression, stress or a hectic lifestyle. One may try home remedies but they will be ineffective as long as the mind is not cool and calm. Meditation and yoga help calm your mind, body and soul by balancing your biological clock in addition to reducing the dark circles.
Aloe Vera.
Aloe Vera is known for it healing properties and it also works on dark circles. It reduces the pigmentation under the eye. It also makes the sensitive skin healthier. Apply the aloe vera gel under the eyes and massage it for a while. Clean it with a moist cotton pad after 10-12 minutes. Do this twice a day, once before going to bed.
Cucumber.
From movies, one sometimes sees people in spas with cucumber slices on their eyes. The reason behind this is that besides providing gloss, they have mild astringent and skin lightening properties. These properties best equip them to take care of racoon eyes in addition to being soothing and refreshing. What you need to do is cut a fresh cucumber into thick slices and chill for 30 minutes. Place them on the dark circles and leave them for about 10 minutes after which you wash the area well. For best results do this at least twice a day for a week.
Recommendations
Prevention is better than cure, however, it is not always possible to avoid some occurrences. Therefore, one needs to take measures such as ensuring they have a good sleep schedule, avoiding stress and using products that do not irritate the skin to reduce racoon eyes. The home remedies mentioned above are very effective and cheap as the ingredients are common in most households.