Beauty

The No BS Guide to Caring for the Skin Around Your Eyes

According to Healthline website

When to show your dark side

It doesn’t take much. A later-than-usual night out, a high pollen count, or an episode of “This Is Us” can produce that raccoon-eye look or bags under our peepers.

You can just embrace the bags and your dark side. And as you follow our guide, you’ll discover some people are just naturally predisposed to this look. Why not embrace it, if it’s you? Word on the street is that a little shadow and swell is the new sexy.

But if you do have a reason to brighten up your skin and reduce puffiness, we’ve got some remedies for you.

Fast fixes for dark circles and under-eye puff for skin around your eyes

You don’t need to spend a fortune on a high-end skin care regimen to erase rings or pouches. Remedies can be found in your pantry, refrigerator, and right at your fingertips.

tea bag cubes

Reach for your tea bag stash

For dark circles, the caffeine in black or green teaTrusted Source may help narrow blood vessels and reduce blue coloring. These caffeinated teas can also banish bloat by drawing out fluid. But if you’re going for a more soothing effect for irritated skin, opt for rooibos (red tea) or chamomile.

Instructions: Steep two tea bags like normal, squeeze excess water, and chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before placing over your eyes for 15 minutes or more.

Dip into the coffee canister

While your cold brew might give you a refreshing jolt, a caffeine fix for the skin can calm blotchiness or swelling.

Instructions: Keep some coffee ice cubes in your freezer. Spend a few minutes gently rubbing an ice cube under your eyes, along your brows, across the bridge of your nose, and from the outer corners of your eyes to your temples.

Or, try 100% Pure’s caffeinated eye cream for $15. Promising reviews put this product at 4.5 stars for treating crow’s feet and keeping eyes moisturized.

Raid your crisper for a cucumber

Cucumbers are high in vitamin C and folic acid. This ingredient combo stimulates cell growth and battles environmental stress, resulting in less irritation and puff and a reduction in that purple bloom.

Instructions: You’ll need two half-inch-thick slices from the fridge. Place over your eyes for about 15 minutes. Alternative? Use cold spoons. They can help constrict blood vessels and reduce coloring.

Or, try Yes to Cucumbers’ soothing eye gel for $11. Reviews place this to be a bit harsh for folks who may have more sensitive skin, but they also note it’s better than expensive creams.

Give your eyes a tap massage

By tapping your index and middle fingers in a gentle circle around your sockets and across your brows and cheekbones, you can enhance lymph drainage. This may even skin tone and reduce inflammation.

Instructions: Do this massage with an eye cream for at least 30 seconds. Embrace the pressure, but don’t rub or push too hard.

What about eye cream does it heal the skin around your eyes?

Do you need to fork over loads of cash for a fancy balm? For dark circles, the short answer is no. However, you might opt for a budget-friendly, moisturizing salve that includes tea, coffee, or cucumber extract that can also help you tackle fine lines and creases.

Try: SheaMoisture’s matcha green tea relief eye cream for $12.

INGREDIENTS FOR YOUR EYESRead the label before committing to a pricey jar. Ingredients you’ll want to keep an eye out for include:

  • retinol
  • hyaluronic acid
  • caffeine
  • neuropeptides
  • vitamins C, E, or K

Grab the color-correcting concealer

Got an important meeting or event and want to look fresh in front of the crowd? A little color-correcting concealer can get the job done. Try orange if you have a darker skin tone, pink if you have a lighter skin tone, and go for yellow if your circles tend to look extra purple.

Why do we get dark circles or under-eye puff?

The biggest answer to this, especially for you experts who have tried every trick in the book, is genetics.

If you’ve always had sunken eyes or dark circles, also called periorbital hyperpigmentation, the condition could be a part of your genetic makeup. Likewise, permanent under-eye pouches may be a facial feature you’ve inherited.

Here’s why these attributes get accentuated:

Under-eye bags

We get puffy lower lids or bags when the tissue there fills with water. As we age, the fatty tissue held within the socket and upper lid can fall, causing even more fluid retention in that area.

Puffiness is often most prominent when we take the morning’s first look in the mirror. That’s because fluid has had a chance to pool while we’ve been sleeping. Bags tend to diminish after we’ve been vertical for a bit.

Dark circles

Although dark circles can be present for many reasons, most people tend to have a slightly deeper coloring around the eyes, simply because the thin skin there stretches over a conglomeration of purple vessels and muscle.

Other lifestyle reasons for dark or puffy skin around your eyes

  • aging
  • allergies
  • crying
  • eye strain
  • fluid retention
  • hormonal changes
  • lack of sleep
  • sleep position
  • medications
  • smoking
  • skin irritation
  • sun exposure
  • pigmentation variation

Combating ringed or baggy eyes

By isolating the cause, you can take measures to reduce the prominence of purpling and pooching.

dark circle skin around your eyes

Elevate your snooze time

Cut that late-night Netflix binge short or do whatever possible to get a few more Zzz’s. If you still notice the a.m. eye bloat or blue coloring, prop your head slightly while you sleep. Remove any makeup before hitting the hay to avoid smudging into eyes or irritating surrounding skin.

Get nosy about allergies or illness

Allergy symptoms or an illness like the flu or common cold can pack a punch to your appearance. Itchy lids, sneezing, sinus congestion, or postnasal drip can all lead to a bruise-y tint around the eyes.

An allergist or an ear, nose, and throat doc (ENT) can help you determine triggers and any needed nasal sprays, antihistamines, or preventive regimens for keeping sniffles and scratching under control. Neti pot rinses can work wonders too.

Keep in mind that makeup or products could be to blame for allergy flare-ups or eyelid dermatitis. Scrutinize ingredients before using.

Make lifestyle adjustments when possible

If you notice an uptick in that Hamburglar or puff-pastry look, maybe you’ve just faced a stressful week or a jam-packed weekend that impeded your sleep or nutrition. Noshing salty snacks, downing too much coffee, or clinking that extra cocktail are also reasons we might wake up with less-than-perky peepers.

Making some quick changes might help rid you of the rings and bags.

Reduce your caffeine, booze, and salt intake, or counteract the effects of these substances by hydrating. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will aid eye appearance by flushing the skin. When outside, don shades and sunscreen to avoid hyperpigmentation. If you smoke, take steps to boot the habit.

skin around eyes

Additional prevention tips for sacks and dark sockets:

  • Elevate head slightly while snoozing.
  • Remove makeup before bed.
  • Skip irritating ingredients in makeup and skin care products.
  • Avoid eye strain.

Is surgery a consideration for skin around your eyes?

If you have permanent dark sockets or puffy bags under your eyes that are a result of genetics or can’t be lessened with lifestyle changes or fast fixes, medical solutions might be an option. Procedures for dark circles may involve Botox, fillers, or chemical peels. For both bags and circles, one surgical method is blepharoplasty.

If circles or bags bother you to the point where you can’t stop thinking about them or they’re a source of depression or anxiety, talk to your dermatologist about what can be done.

Circles and bags can be alluring

One of the most important things to remember when it comes to your eye bags or rings is that you’re probably the only one paying them much mind. We often look at ourselves close up in the mirror in the morning when we shave or apply products. That’s when circles and puff are most pronounced.

But your classmates, officemates, or the person in line next to you at the coffee shop likely won’t even notice.

What they could perceive, perhaps, is a certain mysteriousness or depth they can’t quite put their finger on. Think about it. Dark shadows and bags have long given plenty of folks character or allure.

Just like the eye crinkle or wrinkle can make you appear more genuine, a dark circle or an under-eye bag can amp up your authenticity.

Need a few ideas for proudly displaying them?

Try adding some glimmer. Opt for a face gloss on your upper lids, like in this Milk Makeup blog. Or try sweeping highlighter from your cheekbones to the outer corners of your sockets in a “C” shape. For an I-rolled-out-of-bed-this-way look, use a shimmering face oil in the same way. Or glam things up with a line of your go-to eye shadow on your lower lid.

Ultimately, don’t be afraid to skip the concealer and rock raccoon chic!

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Why You Need to Choose Natural Ingredients for Your Skin Care

The Ultimate Guide: Why You Need to Choose Natural Ingredients for Your Skin Care

We’ve heard it a lot: beauty is more than skin deep. On any given day, a person will lather, rub, and spray ten or more items on his or her body. Skin is much more a sponge than a barrier.

In fact, there are almost 130 chemicals that we expose ourselves to almost every day. Although cosmetics corporations and the FDA say these chemicals are safe, the doses we expose ourselves to are not.

Although most people use only a limited number of products each day, those amounts of exposure add up over time. We don’t know how certain chemicals disrupt the human body over time, or how the combination of these chemicals will cause the human body to respond. Many chemicals are known to be dangerous: Phthalates, found in fragrances, are hormone disruptors linked to birth defects, sperm damage, and infertility.

Your skin the body’s largest organ, no different from the liver, heart, kidneys and brain. It protects you from and interacts with the environment. One of the most important functions of the skin is detoxification.

Skin has its own sequences as it heals, regenerates and detoxifies overnight, and using chemically polluted products will interfere with this very important process.

That’s why we highly recommend natural skincare that nourishes your skin is where we begin.

Go Green With Your Skincare Routine

Now that we know how harmful the chemicals infused in beauty products are, we can appreciate learning how to go green with our skincare routine. Here some steps we recommend.

Simplify

Advertising is faulty at best. Don’t trust the claims of the companies that guarantee ways to stop aging. Just keep it simple: basic cleanser, toner, moisturizer and broad-spectrum sunscreen.

Verify that “Natural” Is Truly Natural

Keep your eye on product labels. Just because something says it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s really natural. A helpful resource is the Environmental Working Group’s Skin-Deep Cosmetics Database site. It gives ratings to popular cosmetics and personal-care products, as well as hazard scores.

Know The Difference Between Naturally Derived and Natural

There’s a key difference here. Ingredients that are naturally derived can still be chemically treated, which essentially defeats the point. When buying, make sure you’re buying products with natural ingredients, not naturally derived ingredients.

Avoid Fragrances

Loopholes in the law allow companies to avoid declaring dozens of toxic chemicals that a single fragrance blend could have. Artificial fragrances frequently contain phthalates and can trigger allergic reactions and asthma attacks.

Choose Non Toxic, Recyclable Packaging

Glass containers are safe because they are recyclable and present no danger of leaching toxins into the product. For plastics, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), recycling code #1, and high-density polyethylene (HDPE), #2, are considered safe; polycarbonate (#7), can leach the endocrine disruptor bisphenol-A, or BPA into its contents.

And at all costs, avoid containers that bear recycling code #3 and the letter “V”, which refers to polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. PVC poses significant environmental and health hazards. PVC contains additives and chemical stabilizers like lead, cadmium, and di-ethylhexyl phthalate -that can leach, flake, or off-gas from the plastic.

Ask How Company Values Stack Up

Ask about a company’s philosophy and values. Visiting a corporate website is always informative; check to see if the company tests on animals, or whether the company participates in the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.

Choose Organic Beauty and Grooming Products

Organic elements are grown without fertilizers or pesticides, which is healthier for both the planet and our bodies. Better still are botanicals grown with biodynamic farming, which goes above and beyond organic.

Avoid Petrochemicals

Petrochemicals are basically tar and oil. They are often used to produce emollients for face cream or coal tar for scalp-treatment shampoos. The byproducts of these chemicals often contain cancer causing agents. It is listed on labels as petrolatum, paraffin, and mineral oil.

Using Homemade Skin Care Ingredients

There’s even better news. To ensure that you really are using natural ingredients in your skin care, there are a number of ways to make products naturally at home.

It is exciting to know that you should have almost everything you need to take care of our skin naturally right in your own home! The ingredients below can be used in a number of ways to promote natural skin care.

  •         Turmeric
  •         Coconut Oil
  •         Aloe Vera
  •         Baking Soda
  •         Lemon
  •         Papaya
  •         Cucumber
  •         Honey
  •         Olive Oil
  •         Green Tea

Each of these options have terrific anti-inflammatory and/or antioxidant properties. These inexpensive remedies work miracles compared to expensive cosmetics that can have side effects.

But Is Natural Skin Care That Much Better?

So, is natural skincare better for your health and your skin? The answer is yes. Not only will it help your skin, natural skin care products are better for the environment.

If you’ve recently become aware of the truly dangerous chemicals used in skincare products, you know better and you want to do better. Maybe you’ve even realized that not all-natural skincare is purely natural. You are searching for trustworthy natural skin care.

True natural skin care products contain no artificial ingredients. They are made of natural oils, plants, fruit extracts and fruit acids. These products effectively treat and nourish the skin. Skin care harvested directly from nature is one way to get and keep your skin healthy.

As long as products are 95% natural, they are probably safe, but still look at the ingredients and ensure they are high quality. The USDA will not list a product as organic or natural without meeting the 95% threshold. If products have more than 95% in natural ingredients, so much the better. Look out for parabens (bacteria killers used by some companies).

Going Fully Organic?

Maybe you want to take things a step further and focus not just on natural skin care products, but also products made with organics. The organic trend is one part of a shift in consumer mindfulness about health and wellness. The beauty market is becoming a haven of organic products for skincare.

Parabens and phthalates, the endocrine disruptors linked to increased risk of breast cancer, are the two most dangerous additives in current skincare products and cosmetics. Business men and women are becoming more aware of the shift in the market and are working to meet the demand for organic products.

Companies and corporations in the beauty business are far more aware of the dangers of preservatives and additives in their products and are working to make significant changes.

Conclusion

Our skin is our largest organ and largest sponge. We truly need to start considering what it is we are putting on our skin (and by osmosis, into our bodies) that may be harming us in the long-term. The short-term benefits of cosmetics, moisturizers, and other skin care products will not equal the long-term side effects.

For those concerned about their overall well-being and long-term health status, it is essential to read the labels of everything you intend to put on or in your body. Choose wisely to promote a healthy, happy lifestyle.

Does The Order Of Your Skincare Routine Really Matter?

Skincare routines can get confusing. First, you have to research the appropriate ingredients for your specific skin concerns, then comes factoring in the price of each ingredient and time you have to dedicate to the process. But as it turns out, having an arsenal of acne-fighting, brightening, and calming cleansers, serums, moisturizers, and masks at your disposal are only as crucial as the order in which you apply.

“The order in which products are applied to your skin is critical,” says Dr. Alicia Zalka, an East Coast-based dermatologist. “Most of us spend hard-earned dollars and precious time on our skincare routine, so why lose out on the optimization of the effort?”

As a dermatologist, Dr. Zalka has access to loads of products but finds that if too many layers go on someone’s face, the products dilute and cancel each other out. Before spending an absurd amount of money on any more products, I turned Dr. Alicia Zalka to break it all down.

What is the correct order to apply skincare products?

When performing your skincare routine, Dr. Zalka suggests focusing on products that “protect” your skin—SPF, primers, BB and CC creams—for the morning time, and “correct” your skin in the night, such as heavier moisturizers, retinol products, and hand creams.

Morning

  1. Cleanse
  2. Serum or toner or exfoliating pad
  3. Moisturizer or oil (or both)
  4. Sunscreen

Night

  1. Cleanse
  2. Serum or toner or exfoliating pad
  3. Retinol
  4. Heavier moisturizer or oil (or both)

How long wait should you wait between skincare steps?

Slathering on product after product isn’t effective if you’re not pausing after each application. “You should wait about 30 seconds to one minute [between application], which allows the product to penetrate and gives you time to do other steps in your beauty routine (e.g., brushing your hair, brushing your teeth, and flossing your teeth),” says Dr. Zalka.

Remember: SPF should always go last!

You Can Worry Less

We are literally covered in beauty products. From your shampoo to your foot lotion, it’s inescapable. Instead of sitting on top of your skin, most formulas can sink into the body. That’s especially true for your lip products — which, at some point, you will accidentally eat. (It’s like a law of the universe.) If you needed a good reason to switch to a natural option which nourishes lips with a blend of beeswax, colloidal oatmeal, and fruit seed oil, this is it.