I’ve been trying to rely on makeup less and on simple skincare routines more. With WFH culture on the rise, there’s less reason to heavily conceal blemishes and imperfections. After all, the blur filter takes care of those basics. That means my tea and grocery supplies are multiplying while my foundation sits in the makeup drawer untouched.
I drink a lot of green and herbal teas and nourish my body with plenty of anti-oxidant rich foods. I’m also taking care not to clog up my pores topically by keeping my routine simple on a day-to-day basis.
This means I spend more time in my pajamas trying out various DIY beauty routines. No complaints there- I find the practice fun and relaxing. Latest discovery? Parsley. I get dark circles under my eyes, and it turns out those bunches of parsley in my fridge help in that department.
What Causes Dark Circles?
The primary culprits for that dark shade under your eyes might be fatigue and lack of sleep. Your first step in tackling their appearance is adjusting your lifestyle habits. Get yourself to bed earlier, invest in techniques to help with restful sleep, and amp up those self-care habits.
The other major offender? Aging. As we get older, our skin gets thinner, revealing unsightly blue veins underneath. There’s not much we can do about it permanently, but we can target these veins with vessel-constricting ingredients to reduce the appearance of the veins. This is where our natural solution comes in.
Your Vitamin K Solution
The body uses Vitamin K for blood clotting. According to WebMD:
“People apply vitamin K to the skin to remove spider veins, bruises, scars, stretch marks, and burns. It is also used topically to treat rosacea, a skin condition that causes redness and pimples on the face. After surgery, vitamin K is used to speed up skin healing and reduce bruising and swelling.”
Makes sense. Applying Vitamin K topically thus constricts blood flow, reducing the appearance of larger veins and diminishing the appearance of dark circles.
This is where parsley appears as our knight-in-shining-armor. Raw parsley is incredibly rich in vitamin K, making it the perfect ingredient for topical vessel constriction. Mix up some of this herb with Greek yogurt to get the valuable benefits of the formula.
DIY dark circle brightening eye ‘cream’
– several sprigs of parsley (about 5-6)
– 2 tbsp warm water or 2 tbsp PLAIN yogurt (Greek if possible)
-flat cotton pads or cotton balls
Pulse the parsley several times in a food processor. Add the water or the yogurt (the yogurt will also act as a soothing exfoliant). Soak the cotton pads in the mix and place under eyes for 10 minutes.
Keep this up as part of a skincare regimen to notice changes in the skin underneath your eye area. If you have rosacea or other skin redness, apply the mixture to the entire face.
If you’d rather skip the natural route, there are many ready-made vitamin K rich moisturizers and masks available:
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