18 Tips to Get Rid of Dark Circles and Eye Bags

Essential oils have been hailed as miracles for just about whatever ails us and for good reason. Depending on the exact result you’re after, you may prefer one type of essential oil over another. Here are the ones we recommend for dark circles and puffiness:

• Rose geranium essential oil: This oil reduces water retention, eliminating puffy pockets.
• Fennel essential oil: Fennel oil tightens the skin, reducing bags.
• Lavender essential oil: Not only is lavender calming, but it’s also a natural diuretic.
• Rosemary essential oil: Like cucumbers, rosemary also contains caffeic acid.

Don’t apply the undiluted oils directly to the skin around your eyes. Instead, dilute the oils with a carrier oil like almond oil, aloe vera, or witch hazel. Depending on the concentration you purchase, the label should provide dilution ratios.

15. Stay Hydrated to Increase Facial Vibrance

More liquid may seem counterintuitive, but when we’re dehydrated, the body adapts by retaining water, especially around the eyes. Therefore, to reduce the amount of excess fluid in the body, drink plenty of water.

The “eight glasses of water a day” rule is outdated, so you don’t have to be chugging water all day. Experts today⁵ recommend about 11.5 cups of fluids a day for women and 15.5 cups for men.

16. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is necessary for collagen production, which is one key factor to maintaining healthy skin. By eating foods that are plentiful sources of this nutrient, you can help prevent puffiness and unwanted circles before they’re a problem.

Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, pineapples, and limes are obvious choices, but a lot of other foods are great sources, too. Vitamin C heavy-hitters include kale, cauliflower, berries, broccoli, mango, tomatoes, and papaya, to name a few.

17. Collagen

Collagen is beneficial for strong and healthy skin, and as we age, the amount of collagen⁶ we produce decreases. Supplements containing collagen can help stimulate collagen production, though some nutritionists argue that the body doesn’t convert it to usable collagen. To ensure you get the full benefit, try taking supplements that allow your body to create its own collagen, like Vitamin C, amino acids, and copper.

18. Cold Milk

Milk has been known to be calming and soothing to the skin, but we suggest skipping the milk and opting for an ice pack instead. This option is cleaner and won’t curdle, yet it has the same cooling and soothing effect.

Can You Remove Dark Eye Circles Instantly?

Certain techniques use ingredients you have lying around the house and could provide nearly instant results. Here are a few favorites:

• Put a frozen spoon over each eye for five minutes.
• Grate a chilled potato, squeeze the juice, and mix it with a teaspoon of raw honey and two teaspoons of lemon juice. Apply it to the affected area and leave it on for 30 minutes before rinsing.
• Make ice cubes out of water and lemon juice. Place the ice cubes over your eyes for two minutes, gently rubbing.
• Try our tea bag trick from earlier but allow the bags to stay in the freezer for 15 minutes and keep them on your eyes for at least ten minutes.

What Causes Dark Circles and Bags Under Your Eyes?

When vessels become damaged, blood can leak out causing that familiar dark hue. When blood leakage is combined with fluid buildup, darkness often becomes more visible along with puffiness.

Many issues can cause under-eye circles and puffy eyes, and even if you’re genetically predisposed to them, there are ways to diminish and potentially eliminate them without going under the knife.

Lack of Sleep

While a lack of sleep won’t cause the skin under your eyes to wither away, it is still a primary culprit. The reason is that when the body is sleep-deprived, it increases its production of cortisol, a stress hormone.

When cortisol levels rise, the amount of blood in your body does, too. When this happens, blood vessels⁷ are forced to expand to accommodate the excess blood, making dark circles more visible.

Smoking

Smoking can wreak havoc on your skin, robbing it of vital nutrients and causing damage that might exacerbate the appearance of dark circles. Nicotine also contributes to excess baggage under the eyes⁸ because smokers often have nicotine withdrawals during the night, which interrupts their sleep, resulting in under-eye discoloration.

Salty Food

We discussed earlier that salt causes the body to retain fluid, and fluid can collect under the eyes as well. Fluid retention can also promote the appearance of dark circles because the pressure from the excess fluid can push the blood vessels closer to the skin, making the purplish-blue hue more visible. Therefore, reducing your sodium intake could help reduce the appearance of under-eye darkness.

Alcohol

Alcohol can cause dark circles because it dilates the blood vessels, which can cause them to break, allowing blood to pool beneath the eyes. Further, alcohol causes more disturbed sleep, poor circulation, water retention, and it negatively affects overall health— including our appearance⁹.

Sleeping on Your Stomach

Sleeping face down can cause fluid to collect in the front of your face and friction between your eyes and the pillow, leading to puffiness. However, resting on your back with your head slightly elevated could prevent any friction or fluid retention around the eyes.

Medication

Medication can be helpful in many circumstances, but it may also cause some undesirable side effects as well, including dilated blood vessels, dehydration, or fluid retention. To anyone taking any prescription medications, we recommend talking to your doctor about potential side effects.

Rubbing Harshly

Rubbing your eyes repeatedly or vigorously can lead to damaged skin because all that pressure may be harming blood vessels, encouraging the blood to pool near the surface of the skin.

The skin around your eyes is delicate, it’s wise to be gentle when touching your eyes to preserve form. Even when you’re applying moisturizer or removing makeup, we recommend using your ring finger for any contact with this thin skin. The ring finger is the weakest of your fingers, so it’s less likely to exert as much damaging pressure.

Aging

As we get older, our skin loses elasticity, and the regeneration process slows. When this happens to the skin, it also becomes thinner, enhancing the appearance of under-eye circles. Products known for reversing or working¹⁰ against this process include hyaluronic acid, retinol, and basic sunscreen.

Genetics

Some people are predisposed to have thin skin that leads to unsightly bags and dark circles, no matter what they do. Genetics plays a key role in our appearance, and this feature is no exception.