Many of us would love to eradicate the dark circles under our eyes for good.
Sadly some people suffer from this condition due to medical reasons such as anaemia, or as a result of a hereditary excess pigmentation.
But dark circles can also be caused by fatigue, allergies, dehydration or even lifestyle choices such as drinking and smoking or excess caffeine, salt and refined sugars.
The best way to eliminate this factor is to make sure you eat a healthy balanced diet and get plenty of rest.
Eating fresh produce, fruit and vegetables and nourishing meals with spices such as turmeric and ginger is very beneficial.
Drink plenty of water (room temperature) which aids the body and its digestive system. Cold water can actually inhibit optimal digestion because the body has to waste more energy on warming the temperature of the water.
Watch your salt intake and just use a small pinch of sea salt before meals or avoid altogether.
Drink plenty of hot water and lemon, it’s a great way to start your day and also reduces your adrenal stress levels.
Once you have made these changes to your lifestyle you can then try these seven simple methods to say goodbye to those dark circles for good.
Celebrity nutritionist Kimberly Snyder and best-selling author has taken a deep look into what causes them and how to get rid of them.
Top 7 Tips To Banish Dark Circles
1. Place fresh cucumber slices or cooled green tea bags soaked in almond milk or rose water on your closed eyelids for a cool, refreshing treat
This will naturally help reduce inflammation around your eyes, relieving those ageing signs of fatigue.
2. Add more celery, collard greens, asparagus, and bananas to your diet.
Kimberly’s second book, The Beauty Detox Foods, offers a detailed list of over 50 foods that will help you transform your body and uncover your naturally beautiful, healthy glow—and these are great ones to start with in combating dark under-eye circles. They balance important electrolytes such as potassium (it controls fluid levels in the body to lessen the puffiness around your eyes, which exacerbates the dark circles), while adding healthy fibre and essential beauty nutrients that help alleviate this specific issue.
3. Incorporate adaptogens into your routine
By definition, adaptogens are plants and herbs that boost your resistance to stress, anxiety and fatigue. Kimberly recommends a tea made from ashwagandha to help to relieve the stress in the body that is often a root cause of those nasty dark circles. The powerful adaptogenic herb, otherwise known as Indian ginseng, is so rejuvenating! Some other great adaptogens to add into your diet is maca, which you can add in a powdered form into smoothies, and tulsi, which you can also find easily in a tea form.
4. Take fresh, cool natural antioxidant water with you everywhere you go
Add some sliced orange, cucumber, lemons, or lime for extra vitamin C, to help naturally reduce inflammation and puffiness, and support your supple, healthy skin. And, bonus: It’s a naturally flavoured, refreshing drink that you won’t mind sipping all day long.
5. Make sure that you are getting plenty of rest
Your body goes into hard-core repair mode during a healthy sleep cycle, regenerating damaged tissue. Try to eat dinner at roughly the same time every night and follow an evening routine (shower, meditation time, evening elixir, whatever) to get into a regular cycle so your body “knows” it’s sleepy time. (Kimberly does this with her four-month-old son and with herself. We all need routine!)
6. Make sure you use a good SPF30 non-nano zinc oxide sunscreen for sunny days
And don’t forget to wear your dark glasses!
7. Take an excellent probiotic
Kimberly likes to use the SBO (soil-borne organism) varieties, which mimic nature and can survive stomach acid and implant in our gut. A balanced gut microbiome helps to support the absorption of B vitamins, which are also essential to beautiful, healthy skin all around.
