Friday, September 19, 2014

Top 11 Beauty Tips For Dark Circles

dark circles under eyes

Dark circles also known as “racoon eyes” and are one of the most common skin problemsamongst all age groups. In present day, lifestyle for the adults, youngster and teens has become quite stressful. Hectic work, school and college schedule, inadequate sleep, lack of nutritional diet, excessive smoking and drinking alcohol are the major factors of dark circles.  Some of them also inherit the problem of dark circles. Whatever the reason may be, dark circles make you look tired, aged and sick. They also hide away the beautiful eyes making them look dull.

Nowadays there are various creams and gels available in the market which helps in reducing the puffiness and dark patches under your eyes.  Many clinical procedures also claim to reduce the dark patches instantly, but many skin experts have always recommended home remedies for dark circles.


Read further to know 11 tips on how to remove dark circles naturally and reduce the puffiness under eyes.

1. Cucumber:

Cucumber is an ancient and widely known home remedy for dark circles. Even the professional clinics and spa use cucumber to provide an instant cooling effect. It works as an astringent and lighten the dark areas under the eyes. It also increases the blood flow and reduces the puffiness.
  • Grate a small sized cucumber and extract the juice.
  • Dip cotton balls into the juice and apply it under the eyes.
  • Do not rinse it off as the juice would be absorbed by the skin after some time.
  • You can also keep thin slices of cucumber over your eyes.

2. Raw potato:

Potato is known to reduce dark spots, blemishes, tan and pigmentation. It also reduces the puffiness under the eyes.
  • Grate and extract the juice of a raw potato.
Raw potato
  • Soak the cotton balls into it and apply it under your eyes.
  • You can also keep thin slices of potato over your eyes.
Raw potato 1

3. Potato and Cucumber:

Here is something that you can try by mixing the goodness of both potatos and cucumbers.

What you will need for this:

  1. One Potato
  2. One Cucumber
  3. Little Coconut Oil/Almond Oil

How to Prepare:

  • Peel the potato and cucumber and grate them separately.
  • Take equal quantities of both and mix well.

How to use this?

  • Apply on the area around the eyes and leave on for 20-25 minutes.
  • Rinse with cold water.
  • Take a little coconut oil on the tips of your fingers and massage on the dark circles in circular motion, first clockwise and then anticlockwise.
  • Leave this on overnight.

Benefits of this DIY recipe:

  • Potato, a good bleaching agent is useful for skin that has turned dark or pigmented.
  • Cucumber is a cooling agent and improves the appearance of the under-eye area.
  • Coconut oil keeps the delicate area around the eyes naturally moisturized and eliminates dark circles, wrinkles and blemishes.

Frequency of Application:

Do this every day for a minimum of 2 weeks to start noticing a difference. Once you achieve the desired results, you can apply this every alternate day.

4. Tomato:

Tomatoes contain “lycopene” which is an anti oxidant and hence help for skin lightening. It also keeps wrinkles away.
  • Make a paste of a small tomato.
Tomato
By Softeis (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
  • To this add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice and mix well.
Tomato 1
  • Apply this under your eyes and keep for 15 minutes.
Tomato 2

5. Rose water:

Rose water is an important ingredient in most of the face packs. It has anti inflammatory properties which help in reducing the puffiness under the eyes.
  • Dip cotton balls in pure rose water.
Rose water
  • Apply it under your eyes for a cooling and refreshing effect. It immediately reduces the puffiness under the eyes.

6. Fenugreek seeds:

It contains high amount of vitamin C, potassium and protein which help in lightening the dark patches under the eyes. 
  • Soak 2 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) in water and keep it for 3 hours.
Fenugreek seeds
  • Grind the seeds to form a smooth paste.
Fenugreek seeds 1
  • To this add a pinch of turmeric.
  • Then add 1 teaspoon of raw milk and mix well.
Fenugreek seeds 2
  • Apply this under your eyes and keep for 15 minutes.
home remedies to remove dark circles 3
  • Rinse off with cold water.

7. Orange lentils ( masoor):

  • Soak 3 teaspoon of masoor dal overnight.
  • Make a smooth paste of it the next day.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of tomato paste and lemon juice.
home remedies to remove dark circles 2
  • Then add a pinch of turmeric and mix well.
home remedies to remove dark circles 1
  • Apply this under your eye and let it dry.
home remedies to remove dark circles
  • Wash it off with cool water.

8. Ice pack:

This is an instant eye pack for reducing the puffiness and provides a relaxing effect.
  • Take 2-3 ice cubes and wrap in into a soft cloth.
Ice pack
  • Keep it over your eyes till the ice melts off completely.
Ice pack 1

9. Mint leaves:

  • Crush a few mint leaves in a pestle and mortar.
  • Apply these leaves under your eyes and keep for 20 minutes.

10. Green tea bags:

Green tea is rich in anti oxidants and tannins. It also helps in skin lightening and reducing wrinkles.
  • Boil the tea bags in half a cup of water.
  • Then keep these tea bags over your eyes for about 15 minutes to get instant relief.
  • You can also dip cotton balls in boiled tea leaves and apply under your eyes.

11. Healthy routine:

  • Drink at least 10 glasses of water daily.
  • Include green leafy vegetables especially which contains vitamin K like Sprouts, broccoli, cabbage etc.
  • Most importantly sleep for at least 8 hours a day.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Beauty Bible beauty clinic: What's the best self-tanner for people with de-pigmentation problems?

Our weekly Q&A from the Beauty Bible experts Sarah Stacey and Josephine Fairley, whose latest book is The Ultimate Natural Beauty Bible. Their series of Beauty Bible books are now bestsellers worldwide – and this column solves your beauty dilemmas. Visit their website, beautybible.com, for lots more information, tips and exclusive offers. If you have any beauty dilemma you would like them to answer, you can e-mail them there too.
Beauty Bible Beauty Clinic
Visit their website, beautybible.com, to source any of the products mentioned below online – and for lots more information, tips and exclusive offers.
 
Q I have vitiligo, a long-term skin problem that produces white patches of de-pigmentation. Can you tell me which fake tan is best to use? I need one that doesn't work on your own melanin.
A While we understand your concern, in fact, DHA (dihydroxyacetone), the active ingredient in sunless tanners, doesn't actually stimulate melanin production from your own melanocytes, which are found in the basal layer of the epidermis.
DHA, itself a colourless 3-carbon sugar acts on proteins in the very top layer of the skin – the stratum corneum  to produce pigments called melanoidins, which produces a skin-darkening effect. 
Both NHS Choices and Vitiligo Support International recommend any self-tan you choose. The tricky bit is to match the white patches of vitiligo with the rest of your skin. So experts suggest applying self-tan all over then taking a paint-brush and colouring in the patches.  (NB tinted self-tan is easier as you can see where it goes.) Instead of self-tan, you may want to try an instant bronzer, although this will wash off and need to be reapplied the next day.  
A Beauty Bible winning self-tanner, Omorovicza Glam Glow
If you have a spray tan professionally applied at a salon, they can apply tan top to toe (always shield eyes, nose and mouth) then pinpoint the white patches and even them up. (St Tropez comes top of most salon tanners’ wish list, see here for details.)
You can also find waterproof camouflage make-up that last up to four days on your body, which may be available on prescription. Discuss this with your health professional. More information from Changing Faces Skin Camouflage Service.
You may never be able to camouflage the patches totally by these means but you can end up with a much more even skin tone.
Finally, one word of caution: self-tanners give you absolutely no protection against UV rays and, by definition, the de-pigmented patches of vitiligo are vulnerable. So you must be sure to apply SPF30 regularly whenever you are exposed to the sun and top up every two hours or so. Also, do not use sunbeds.
For best products, see the ongoing installments of our Summer Sun Guide on beautybible.com  we'll be looking at the winning self-tanners in more depth, but these include TanOrganic Self-Tanning Oil, £24.99 for 100ml, and Omorovicza Glam Glow, £35 for 150ml.
 
Beauty Bible ♥ Ogario London Travel Kits
We have been hooked on this fantastic haircare range - 'super-care', we'd call it - since we first encountered it at a Cosmetics Executive Women product demo evening. Then we encouraged Ogario London to enter it for our Beauty Bible Awards - and testers raved about the products as enthusiastically as we have.
Now, there are two travel kits so that you can - like us - always have your Ogario to hand. (Or to head.) And if you haven't tried the products before, it's a brilliant way to find out what all the fuss is about.
Ogario London Travel Kits
Ogario London Travel Kits
Ogario The Weekend Set, left, and The Jet Set
First off, three dinky-sized products in the Ogario London Weekend Set: three 15 ml pots of shampoo, conditioner and the hair masque we love so much, stashed in a cotton travel bag. It's enough to discover how brilliantly the formulas - moringa, baobab, avocado and tamarind - help hydrate, and boost shine. (And enough for you to fall head over heels for the delicious zesty scent, too.)
Perfect for longer getaways is the Jet Set Collection - enough to get you through your summer holiday (enough product to get you through three weeks, they suggest - 100 ml of shampoo and conditioner, so it's security-friendly, plus 50 ml of the hair masque). Again, there's a drawstring pouch.
We're happy - because these smaller sizes means we're no longer lugging bottles to our hairdresser. (Ogario don't yet do a 'Sneak It Into Your Salon' kit, so we're making do with these.)
All the best things really do come in smaller sizes, now. £6.50 for The Weekend Set and £26.50 for The Jet Set.