I have been on a mission finding a solution to make the circles under my eyes less, well, black. And the puffiness less puffy. I am all for experiments and am quite daring when it comes to fix-it-out-of-the-kitchen-cupboard remedies. I saw a pin that said something in the lines of “Use this one ingredient for dark circles and you won’t believe what happens instantly!” I hate these type of post headings. But I am desperate, especially after a week like this. Baking soda. That’s the one single ingredient to their instant solution of a badly photoshopped image of eyes – you guessed it – that looks exactly like the before photo, just skin without any freckles or lines. Wow. Baking soda is amazing!
So, I decided to give this a go. It did not work instantly. Not after 20 minutes walking around the house dropping baking soda in my coffee and everywhere else. It did, however, make the skin under my eyes less dry. Well worth doing if you don’t have anything better to do, but it does not work as an immediate I-need-to-look-presentable fix. I did take before and after images, which I won’t show you for two reasons: a) I suck at taking selfies b) there was no difference and I refuse to photoshop it so it looks like it worked.
From all the things I have tried to date (and I have tried some random gross recipes on my face), the only thing that shows an immediate improvement so far is ice and hot water. Get two mugs ready. Fill the one with slightly cooled down boiling water (the point is to fix your eyes, not burn it!) and in the other a couple of ice cubes and water. Put the teaspoon in each mug and let the spoons cool down / warm up. Hold the hot spoon – careful now! – under your eyes. It helps to tap tap tap it on your eye bags first to test the temperature, and then hold the spoon until it is cooled down. Put it back into the boiling water and do the same with the ice water spoon. Repeat the process until you look slightly better. It won’t fix it completely, I have to be honest, but of all the things I have tried, this is the quickest way to get it as good as it gets. It helps to slide the spoon gently in an outward direction to make the puffiness spread a little. I added a couple of chamomile essential oil drops to the water, as it makes the spoon slide easier over the sensitive skin around your eyes. Please make sure you don’t get allergic reactions or something. I don’t take responsibility for your stuff-ups.
Recently, I also made an eye cream which seems to be working a little for red and puffiness. It definitely makes your eyes feel smoother and you look less asleep. Simple as this:
- A teaspoon aqueous cream
- Half a teaspoon sweet almond oil
- 2-3 drops frankincense essential oil (my Reiki therapist believes this is the eternal youth potion! I agree 😏)
- 5-10 drops chamomile essential oil
Mix the ingredients well and voila! Use as needed.