Dark under eye circles can be very annoying. They act as a giant sign to the world that tells people you are tired. As someone who has had dark circles for many years, I can tell you that these treatments work, especially the dietary changes and cucumber slices. You just have to give it some time.

1) Bananas

As you already know, too little sleep can result in dark circles. While you may not be getting enough sleep because you are too busy, it is possible that you are not getting enough sleep because you are tossing and turning. If the latter is the reason for your sleepless nights and dark circles, bananas could really help you. Bananas are rich in vitamin B6 and magnesium, which are nutrients that promote restful sleep. When you are able to sleep better, your dark circles will begin to lighten. Bananas can also help reduce your dark circles through the skin brightening vitamin C they contain. To really help diminish your dark circles, have a collard green and banana smoothie. If you do this every day for a few weeks, your eyes will look much more rested.

2) Cucumber slices

One of the best remedies for dark circles is also one of the most commonly used remedies. Laying cold cucumber slices on your eyes for 10 minutes will work wonders for dark circles. The coolness from the cucumbers soothes the skin, and the nutrients in the cucumber help reduce the circles. Specifically, cucumbers contain skin brightening vitamin C and caffeic acid. Caffeic acid is a phytochemical that has skin lightening effects, which is why cucumbers are so effective at decreasing darkness. In addition to laying cucumber slices on your eyes, you can also eat cucumbers for decreased circles. Although, resting with them on your eyes for 10 minutes will certainly give you more immediate results.

3) Collard greens

Adding collard greens to you diet is one of the ways to reduce under eye circles. They are huge leafy greens that can help decrease your dark circles when you add them to your diet. They contain chlorophyll and magnesium, which both work to decrease stress, a common cause of dark circles. Collard greens also contain the amazing antioxidant, lipoic acid. Lipoic acid regenerates vitamins C and E, which helps decrease under eye circles. In addition to lipoic acid, collard greens have a whopping amount of vitamin C. Vitamin C is an important nutrient when you are trying to reduce under eye circles because it brightens the skin and reduces any darkness. If you want to add collard greens into your diet but are not sure what to do with them, try them in a green smoothie.

4) Apple slices

If you prefer not to put raw potatoes on your eyes, perhaps you wouldn’t mind apple slices. Apples have tannic acid, which lightens your skin tone. They also have vitamin B, vitamin C, and potassium. All of these nutrients nourish your skin and keep it looking healthy. To benefit from the tannic acid and nutrients in apples, place apple slices on your eyes for 30 minutes. This will allow the nutrients to soak into your skin, and you should start to see a benefit over time.

5) Almond oil

One of the easiest ways to reduce under eye circles is to use almond oil as an eye cream every night. Almond oil has nutrients that will lighten the skin around your eyes. Vitamin E is one of the nutrients almond oil contains that makes it so effective. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that will eliminate dark patches over time. If you are consistent about using almond oil every night, you will start to see a difference.