Let’s face it that dark circles under our eye are now a days is a common phenomenon. The only silver lining about their existence is that they aren’t due to any underlying disease. They are originated from family history of dark circles, exhaustion, lack of sleep, allergies, eye rubbing or excessive sun exposure.

However, genetics and skin tone would play a bigger role when we talk about them. The skin below your eyes is thin and translucent that you can easily see the underlying veins, this is more applicable in people with fair skin, and those with very little fat supporting the area under the lower lid. And then some people—especially those with darker skin tones, like the Indian skin tone —produce extra pigment around the eye area, which can cause a general darkening of the skin under the eyes and on the lids.

Even in general, Indian skin tone is prone to pigmentation and darkening of skin when exposed to sunlight and or other environmental pollutants. This is well explained by Roxanne Patel in vouge.in when she writes that Dark circles are a common bugbear for Indian women, because darker skin is richer in melanin, which leaves dark circles and other pigmentation more pronounced and harder to treat than with Caucasian skin.

Dark circles actually remain with you till the last, a fact that cannot be dissolved. If there is any self-proclaimed product that says you can 100% remove the dark skin around your eyes is untrue. Yet you can make it look better and brighter by indulging in various treatments and skin care products.

Natural treatments are a favorite with brown, Indian skin tone in general and have no side effects unlike the costly cosmetic treatments. However, it is advised to consult dermatologist in order to specifically address and treat any of your major skin problem.

According to Kama Ayurveda, some of the common natural remedies to treat dark circles are:-

* Applying tomato, it contains bleaching properties which help in lightening the skin tone of dark circle prone area. Pick a medium sized tomato, get the juice out of it. Strain the juice and take two cotton pads. Leave it for 15 mins and then wash it off with cold water

*Use rosewater to soothe the under eye skin

*Apply cold tea bags on your eyes

*Apply ice cubes under your eyes

*Apply orange juice, freshly squeezed for orange to fight dark circles.

*Apply cucumber or potato slices to soothe your eyes.

*Apply crushed mint leaves on your dark circles

*Turmeric powder paste – Take few mint leaves, crush them and strain the juice. Take one teaspoon gram flour, half teaspoon turmeric powder and add it to the juice of mint leaves to make a paste. Apply this mixture onto the affected area, leave for 15-20 minutes

And to end the list, my favorite pick for on-going season is essential oils for treating not only dark circles but also other skin problems. The greatest advantage of using these oils is, when used in correct proportions with base/carrier oils, that it gives the skin much needed nutrients. Using them directly like any normal oil is not recommended as the potency of main element is strong. One such disadvantage I faced was the appearance of red/brown bruise like spots on my face for rigorously rubbing essential oil directly onto my skin. Henceforth, applying it with base oils like olive, almond, sunflower, castor oil etc. is recommended.

Sweet almond oil is my go to every night before bed. This is a base oil and can be applied directly onto your dark circles. At present, I use sweet almond oil from Valley Oils made in New Zealand. Supporting the initiative shop local and support local businesses, these oils are absolutely amazing and are cost effective. The Valley Oils usually have a stall at Takapuna and Matakana markets owned by Jenny. Look for these oils at the market or you can also order them online at www.valleyoils.co.nz

Using oil on face is not everyone’s favorite choice, major reason being that it leaves skin sticky. In that case we have end number of creams available in the market, which I will talk about in coming articles. But if you want to keep it natural and not hurt your pocket, this is a good choice and need of the hour.

Picture courtesy: Vogue.in & Valley oils

-Vritti Parasher