Writers’ Paradise

Dark circles can be a result of a number of factors, including fatigue, anemia, poor digestion and lack of fresh air. Dark circles can also be hereditary. If in doubt, consult your doctor for advice. Take steps to ensure that you’re cutting out the cause-for example, getting a good night’s sleep and keeping to a low fat, high-fiber diet really helps reduce black circles under the eyes. Listed below are some home remedies for dark circle.
Home Remedies for dark circles:

• Make a paste of tomato juice, lemon juice and gram flour.Apply this paste the morning, 15 minutes before taking a bath. Both tomato and lemon have bleaching quality. So does Milk.My skin is extra sensitive, and I feel burning sensation, after applying tomato and lemon paste, so I use milk instead of tomato and lemon juice.

• Put potato or cucumber slices on your eyes and lie down for a few minutes. Potatoes and cucumber reduce puffiness around the eyes. Caffeine has the same anti inflammatory effect, so you can put squeezed and cooled tea bags too.

• Apply almond oil daily before going to sleep. Gently apply the oil in circular motion.

• Sometimes tiredness and lack of sleep causes dark shadows under the eyes. To remove this effect, take cotton pads, dip in rose water and place on your eyes.Your eyes will feel rejuvenated and refreshed.

• For special occasions, you can bathe the area with pads soaked in ice-cold water for 15 minutes.This will help lessen the shadow effect temporarily. Or cover dark shadows by dotting on some concealer over the affected area.
• Vitamin A is good for eyes, so try including vitamin A rich vegetables in your diet.

Try not to strain your eyes. I have noticed that whenever I watch too much TV ( which is quite often), I get dark shadows under my eyes. So stressing or straining your eyes can cause dark circles.

Two-thirds of women in the northern hemisphere suffer from dry skin in the winter months. Harsh cosmetics,air conditioning, strong exfoliators and excessive bathing with strong detergents all result in loss of moisture, thus adding to the problem of dry skin.

Here are a few tips for how to take care of your dry skin:

• Avoid going from very hot to very cold environments.
• Keep rooms moist, especially in winter, by placing bowls of water by the radiator or use a humidifier.
• Avoid excess exposure to sun, and apply a good sunscreen to exposed areas of your skin.
• Get plenty of sleep, as cellular repair is at its best when you are at rest.
• Regular exercise nourishes and cleanses your skin from within.
• Choose a gentle alcohol free cleanser. If it is creamy then all the more better. Leave the cleanser on for a few minutes for it to work, before removing it with a cotton pad. Use gentle upward movements to prevent stretching the skin and encouraging lines.
• Avoid very hot water to wash your face.
• Use a facial mist or pure mineral water to freshen your face everyday.
• Always apply moisturizer to face and neck with light, tapping upward motions while the skin is still slightly damp. This helps to lock the moisture and stimulate blood circulation in your face, which means a brighter complexion.
• Once a week, use a facial mask to clarify the skin and remove dull, dry surface skin cells.

Diet for Dry Skin:

• Limit alcohol and caffeine, which have a diuretic effect and aggravate dry skin.
• Snack on sunflower and pumpkin seeds and nuts.
• Include plenty of oily fish in your diet. also try unrefined cold-compressed vegetable oils or omega essential oils. These oils can be used daily on salads and baked potatoes,or mixed into cold dishes.
• Garlic, onions, eggs and asparagus are high in sulphur, which helps to keep the skin smooth and youthful.
• Avoid fried foods and animal fat which increase the production of destructive free radicals.