Home remedies to cure dark circles !!

Quick tips to reduce dark circles from outside:

• Apply Cool cucumber slices or cotton balls dabbed in grated cucumber juice on the eyes to prevent skin discoloration. Use them for 5 to 10 minutes daily.
• Apply Cool raw potato slices or cotton balls dabbed in grated potato juice on the eyes to reduce dark circles. Use them for 5 to 10 minutes daily.
• Put slice of Vitamin E rich Avocado under each eye.
• Leave a soaked cotton pad in milk on your eyes every night for 10 minutes.
• Gently massage the under eye area with almond oil/Peanut oil / Coconut oil / olive oil before going to bed .
• Place a wet spoon in freezer and after few minutes press it on under eye area.
• Take used tea bags, cool them, squeeze them and keep them on eyes for 10 minutes.
• Apply ice cubes rapped in thin cotton cloth to under eye area.
• Apply Vaseline regularly on under eye area before sleep.
• Apply leftover egg whites in the bottom shell to the dark circles under the eye.

Eye masks to cure dark circles:

• Mix one tomato juice , 1 tsp. lemon juice, pinch of turmeric powder and 2 tsp. of gram flour and apply on dark circles for 15 minutes.
• Mix equal amount of orange juice and glycerin and apply around the eyes.
• Take paste of fresh mint leaves juice, squeeze half a lemon into it and apply on dark circles for 15 minutes.
• Mix crushed almonds and milk and apply to the dark circles.
• Mix equal amount of milk and honey and apply to under eye area.
• Mix equal amount of almond oil and honey and apply on under eye skin.
• Mix equal amount of milk and lemon and apply the mixture with a cotton ball to the eyes.
• Mix equal amount of corn flour and yoghurt and apply to under eye area.
• Mix equal quantities of castor oil and milk cream (Malai) and massage around the eyes.
• Mix a paste of rose petals and milk and apply the paste around the eyes. 

There is no one remedy for all. So carefully choose what best suits your skin and apply accordingly. Like few people who get small boils after applying tomato juice should avoid any home remedies that has any form of tomato in it.

My way: MIX and MATCH !!

MIX : When I have enough time to pamper my eyes , I tend to mix the tips. Like mix raw potato juice and cucumber juice .Chill it for a while. Using cotton pads place it on eyelids covering the dark circles. Leave it for 15 minutes and wash it off.

MATCH : Match the ingredients with whatever is available in kitchen and apply . Like when cooking using potatoes, keep a slice of potato aside and later use it for the dark circles. Or while preparing salad, keep a piece of cucumber aside and use it when possible. Some days when you feel really tired, just dab some almond oil from the ring finger under the eyes and that’s it !

The important point to remember is be consistent for at least two weeks. I can feel huge difference in my under eye dark circles so give it a try .

If after trying these natural remedies, there is no improvement in the darkness around the eye, then consult the dermatologist for advice.

 

Under Eye Dark Circle !!

Dark circle under eyes can add more years to our age than grey hair and wrinkles. So it is very important to understand what are these dark circles, how to prevent them and ways to reduce their appearance.

What is a dark circle?

The skin around the eye is thinnest in whole body. When blood flows through the veins close to eye skin it leaves a dark bluish colour. If the skin around the eyes is not properly hydrated, pale or saggy the blood vessels are more noticeable causing dark circle. Poor blood flow, lack of oxygen and an increase in melanin also contribute to darkness under eye.

Treat dark circles from Inside:

·         Don’t miss beauty sleep: Make sure that you are sleeping enough to wake up fresh. Tired, pale eyes can give an impression of dark circle. Avoid strain from  too much television ,cellphone or computer use.

·         Check your salt intake: Excess salt intake can adversely affect blood circulation for under eye area.

·         Avoid excessive alcohol and smoking: It can make blood vessel more prominent.

·         Treat Nasal congestion: Blocked nose medication is required as it can darken the veins under the eyes.

·         Drink lots of water / buttermilk / yogurt: Dryness due to dehydration can show up as dark circle.

·         Avoid rubbing / scratching eyes:  Few allergies like Asthma causes itching in eyes which lead to rubbing or scratching the skin under the eyes. Rubbing the skin causes damage and darkening of the skin.

·         Balanced diet: Include Spinach, cabbage, sprout, curry leaves, carrot and other coloured vegetables in the diet. Have plenty of fruits like Cranberries, blueberries, Asian pear, almonds, papaya, kiwi and other fruits and vegetable rich in Vitamin, Iron and calcium.

·         Prevent exposure to Sun: Melanin exposure causes pigmentation under eye. Apply sunscreen right up to the area under the eye every day.

·         Exercise: It increase blood circulation which improves skin tone and reduces dark circles.

These are natural ways to treat dark circles from inside and should surely help each of us.

           Coming up next: More tips to reduce appearance of dark circles from outside ...

PUSH BACK THE EYE BAGS !!!!

“The face is a picture of the mind with the eyes as its interpreter”

Eyes are most important and sensitive part of our face. Very beautiful face also looks dull if there are wrinkles, dark circles, and puffiness around the eyes.

Being a software engineer my world revolves around computers. Most of the times if my eyes don’t get proper rest it shows up on my face. Nearly every day I used to wake up with unusually puffy, swollen eyes. With jam packed morning schedule, there is hardly any time to get ready for office and it is difficult to think of any instant remedy to reduce that droopiness.

Due to extreme puffiness, my eye bags take time to diminish. Initially, I tried covering the bags with makeup by using eyeliner, kajal or concealer but most of the times things don’t turn out as expected. Hence, when I used to show up at work or meet friends, instead of compliments I heard lot of comments

You look tired today?

Did you cry last night?

Why your eyes swollen?

Did you have a sound sleep last night?

I felt self-conscious about my puffy eyes and tried to goggle solutions for under eye puffiness. While I was searching natural ways to de-puff, I found this article:

"Treatment for puffy eyes"

I followed the article and applied quite a few cold compress remedies such as green tea bags, cold spoon and Ice cubes to my eyes. The coldness did  offer some relief to tired eyes but didn’t push back the puffiness instantly. Also, usually these remedies provide relief if applied on eyes for 15-20 min while relaxing or lying down. In such a busy life, it is hard to find 15-20 minutes early morning!!

MY BEAUTY SECRET

I combined few tips in a simple and easy manner that  actually eliminates puffiness and requires just few minutes:

Every night before going to bed

      • Take two medium size cotton wool (cotton balls / cotton wool eye pads)

      •Moisten them in running water and keep them in freezer to cool down.

Early morning as and when you get few seconds out of your morning chores, follow four easy steps for amazing result:

1) Take out those cotton balls from freezer and gently rub it on the face. Once they are slightly damp, apply cotton pads over closed eyelids and hold it there until they are warm again. After that, put them back into freezer.

2)  Splash running cold water over the eyes 2-3 times. 

3) Take few drops of coconut or almond oil (whatever is available in kitchen) on finger tips and place them towards inner corner of eyes. Slide the fingers gently towards outer corner of eyes. Repeat this massage 4-5 times.

4)  Repeat step 1) as many times as possible.

This modulated tip suits me because:

• I don’t feel the pain of taking out 15-20 minutes exclusively to apply these remedies.

• My de puff regime doesn’t impact my morning tasks.

• I don’t need help of any products to de-puff my eyes.

• Most importantly, I can observe tremendous change in those bags and my eyes look brighter than ever.

I am trying this trick regularly for past few months and it really works for me. I guess like me everyone who has eye puffiness can try this option with common house hold ingredients, water and cotton ball !!

Do let me know if it works for you :-)

It’s all about the FACE. The most important part of our body .We all expect our face to look beautiful and flawless.

Not everybody has a charismatic face or born beautiful by birth. But I am sure every face is this world wants to have its best look always. Those who don’t have good looks or actually believe that they are not good looking adopt different ways to improve their looks. Whether it’s Botox, injections, implants, plastic surgery, laser treatments, liposuction and the list goes on. Lot of people do achieve their dream looks by going under the knife but we all know these shortcuts to beauty are always short and can’t sustain for longer period. This blog is not to discuss about pros and cons of these beauty short cuts but a humble request to those who are planning for these beauty treatments that WAIT!!

There are other natural and inexpensive ways to get those adorable looks. I will not claim that all of them suits to everybody but I am sure that everybody can try them because they don’t have any side effects. All skin types, all face structure can try them easily at home without any expense and without any fear of going wrong.

Facial beauty is not only about the white skin but the shine and glow on the face. I always believe that to look good we need to feel good. Beauty not only lies in eyes of beholder but also in your own eyes. We need to feel confident about our own self and our looks. I was not born beautiful but somehow I love the way I look and always try to improve my looks. I know make up can change it all. Though, I apply once in a while but I am not a huge fan of makeup. Somehow I always believe that anybody can look beautiful with painted face but real beauty is when you can praise your face without makeup and have confidence to walk out without an inch of it. I leave for my office daily with just a lip balm and it gives me immense pleasure when people compliment my skin and my face.

I remember my beauty regime was all set by my mom when I was only 14.Surprisingly, it only consist of all left overs from my moms kitchen. I know it’s hard to believe, but it all started with a slice of tomato, potato, cucumber, bread. Or lemon peel, left over milk, cream and other ingredients which cooking includes. I never use to get bore or feel lazy because every day it’s something different to apply to my skin and I eagerly wait to see how it will rejuvenate my skin. Today also I follow it as daily ritual but sometimes I tend to forget  or miss and  just clean my face by fresh water .But, it never takes toll on my skin .I have grown up cleaning , exfoliating , moisturising my face with all  kitchen  stuff so I can never rely on any cosmetic products .Lot of people swear by market advertised face products but no one can assure benefits of these products and that it will live up to expectations of all .I am not against them but my only question is why to try some artificial solution when there are whole lot of natural remedies.

I don’t remember my granny talking about lipstick or gloss ever but I adore her blushing pink lips .Time has changed and there is more pollution and stress and other hazards which can affect our facial looks and skin immensely but the remedies remains the same. We just need to keep faith that it might take more time but it will work.

The fact that our skin reveal what we eat holds true but believe it or not our skin also shows what we apply on it .Few skin problems need medical attention but most of them can be treated at home.

I thought of jotting down my experience with my skin and share it with all others who love their face and expect it to look its best even when they age.

So here starts the journey to FACE EXPECTATION …What we expect and what our face expect from us !!

There is no goal to achieve but a habit to inculcate …..

We never forget to brush our teeth in morning because its part of our daily do’s. So few daily chores are necessary for our face to look fresh and young.

·         At night sleep tight for 8 hours. Sound sleep of 8 hours is very important to feel and  
          look fresh the next day.
·         Daily intake of 7-8 glasses of water is very important to keep you skin hydrated.

·         Intake of any two fruits you like in a day.

·         Two portions of any veggies you like.

·         One portion of milk or yogurt every day.

·         15 minutes of any form of daily exercise.

Also, never take any tension of anything. Nothing is more important in this world more than your own self.

For normal humans, its not possible to adapt everything in a day .I started with baby steps.One step at a time. Start with what you like most or if you don’t have any, choose something which you can adapt with not much difficulty. When I initially started I have no particular choice so I opted for eating two fruits daily and now it’s part of my daily diet. I like taking care of my face and my skin. This is what I enjoy doing for myself.

It’s perfectly normal if you miss out on something’s once in a while. Don’t forget that it’s not a goal you are trying to achieve instead developing a habit for your own self.

Do let me know what you started with J

In my next post i will share few easy and quick tips for eye care.