A brighter skin under and around the eyes can give you a great appearance. Dark circles under eyes make you look tired, dull, old and bored.
Here’s how to remove dark circles under eyes overnight, with options including natural and home remedies for dark circles under eyes, makeup and lightening remedies.
Dark eye circles are small dark lines under the eyes. They are all distinguishable, so when you get them, you will have a problem concealing them without makeup.
When you don’t want to use concealers and other such makeups, other ways of removing them fast will suffice. Below, we explore methods of removing dark circles instantly, fast, in a week and overnight.
How to get rid of dark circles under eyes fast
Before you start, you have to address the causes. Some people will have their dark lines around eyes caused by excessive crying or poor sleeping posture.
In babies, the problem could be allergies, while in other people, smoking will cause under eye circles. So, what is the fastest way to get rid of dark circles?
1. Treat allergies
If you have allergies, you are likely to develop this symptom. Regardless of the different attempts to remove the lines, you will not be able to eliminate them if you do not get rid of the allergy that is causing discoloration under your eyes.
See a doctor for a prescription to treat the underlying allergy and you will see a quick improvement. You could also opt to remove the allergen that is causing the reaction. Hay fever is a seasonal allergy that can be treated easily with over the counter prescription medicines.
Also, find out if the cause of the allergy is in the food you eat. Whatever the allergen is, you will need to find it and get rid of it. A dermatologist should be able to help you with finding out the allergen. Gluten intolerance is a common allergy related to wheat product consumption. In order to remove dark eye circles permanently, find out if you have gluten intolerance or celiac disease, then have it treated.
2. Relieve any swelling under eyes from crying
Believe it or not, some people will form some circles under their eyes from crying. How does this cause circles? Eye bags or puffy eyes are the most common symptoms that result from too much crying. When you cry too much, you are likely to rub your eyes a lot, and end up inflaming them.
To get rid of dark circles under eyes fast, ensure you relieve the inflammation that caused them in the first place.
One of the best quick remedies for swollen eyes is cold compress. Sometimes, cold compresses are found to work instantly!
3. Get quality sleep for faster results, change sleeping posture
We are all used to the fact that less sleep will cause puffy eyes. That is not all. Those puffy eyes are a predecessor to dark likes under eyes. Inadequate sleep will cause dark circles below your eyes.
Also, lack of sleep will cause the skin to be pale, making the darkness under eyes to appear more clearly.
In order to get rid of dark circles under eyes fast, get adequate sleep. Remove any makeup around your eyes and get at least eight hours of sleep.
You can use adequate vitamins that will help you sleep better. Avoid alcohol as it is one of the causes of the darkening of under eyes.
4. Quit smoking
Did you start smoking recently – one week or a few days ago? If yes, then raccoon eyes are not a coincidence. Smoking is known to be the root cause of vascular problems. Research has shown that blood vessel problems are likely to cause dark eye circles.
An important step towards removing dark circles under eyes quickly is to quit smoking. When you smoke, your blood vessels shrink and become bluer and more prominent as the thin skin under the eyes is affected. As soon as you eliminate this cause, you will see dark eye circles disappear almost instantly.
5. Use concealer makeup
I have to warn you that this is a temporary solution. However, if you are looking for an immediate solution, then concealer makeup will work well for you. Here are a few tips on how to get rid of dark eye circles fast or instantly using concealer makeup.
- Apply adequate moisturizer below your eyes. This will help avoid the concealer makeup from caking up after a few hours.
- Buy the right concealer makeup specifically for hiding dark eye circles. Consider your skin tone when buying the concealer makeup. It should be at least a shade or two lighter than the foundation you will use.
- The best concealers for hiding the lines under your eyes have yellow undertones. They blend much better.
- For heavier coverage, cream concealers are good when you want to put on a heavy cover on the eye circles. However, they cake up easily, so it would be better if you used liquid concealers. Use them for just a few hours because they can easily form creases under your eyes.
- Avoid concealers that are scented or contain salicyclic acid and glycolic acid – they can irritate the delicate eye skin tissue and cause redness and swelling.
Red lipstick
I didn’t believe this one, until I read about it. Angella Falleta of BuzzFeed and Lauren Smith of BirchBox have recommended this as quick way to get rid of dark circles under eyes. Yes, use red lipstick. It is said that orange-red lipstick works well to conceal dark and red circles.
According to Lauren, bright red lipstick works well on green undertones under eyes. It does so by “neutralizing darkness and minimizing the appearance of circles. See the video at the end for more on how to apply red lipstick for hiding dark circles.
For overnight results
Can you remove dark eye circles overnight? It is possible, but a lot here depends on what exactly caused the problem. Overnight remedies include the use of cucumbers, eye masks, tea tree oil, cold spoons and even cold water.
If you are used to getting dark eye circles in the morning, you might notice that they go away on their own after some time. One of the most recommended methods of getting rid of dark circles under eyes without makeup, and overnight or quickly is through laser treatment or plastic surgery.
Surgery and Laser
With surgery, you are likely to spend quite a lot in order to have the discoloration under your eyes, dark spots and eye circles treated and removed. Laser surgery is one of the most common methods used for this treatment.
Phi Clinic recommends laser surgery to remove discoloration, dark spots under eyes and lines as well. The treatment goes beyond circles as it also tightens, smoothens and removes wrinkles under eyes fast. So far, this is likely one of the most successful overnight treatments.
Chemical peels
Another quick way to improve the appearance of dark undereyes is to use chemical peels. While they may not cure the problem or get rid of it really fast, they will improve the complexion under your eyes.
Chemical peels work by exfoliating the dead skin under eyes and allowing new cells to grow. This will give you a younger appearance.
How to lighten black spots
One of the fastest methods to remove dark eye circles is lightening them. If you do not have stubborn lines, you can use simple home ingredients or some dark spot correctors and under eye circle creams for fading them to clear them. Lemons, aloe vera and other natural ingredients are some of the best to use.
Lemon
Dark shadows and dark rings around eyes can be caused by skin discoloration. In order to get rid of them, you will need to do some skin lightening.
- Lemon juice contains vitamin C, which is known to bleach the skin and get rid of dark spots. As a bleaching agent, it will remove the dark circles fast.
- Use a cotton ball to apply lemon juice to the dark rings around your eyes and then rinse it off after 10 minutes.
- Do this until you lighten the dark circles under eyes.
Removing them permanently
Permanent solutions to dark circles involve a lot of treatments to underlying problems that cause them. For instance, people who complain of under-eye discoloration due to glasses can change them or wear contact lenses. Here are important tips to help you get rid of dark circles permanently and forever.
- Under eye creams and serums: Creams and serums, especially those with anti-inflammatory properties will go a long way in helping you reduce under eye darkness. Some creams contain green tea and grape seed oil. These are the best for healing the under eye capillaries. A good pick is Replenix Intensive Eye Lightening Serum.
- Prevent under eye discoloration using SPF. Wearing sunscreen under the eyes will go a long way in preventing eye wrinkles and eliminating dark spots forever. Most dark spots under eyes are caused by too much exposure to sunlight.
- To get rid of dark eye circles permanently in men, teenagers and children, ensure that you treat allergies if they are the main cause of the problem. See a doctor for proper medication avoid over-the-counter medications even if they promise fast results.
- Skin lightening is another option you have here. Skin lightening remedies that work fast in a week or a few days will also give promising results.
In babies…
In babies, allergies, medication, fatigue, inflammation, congestion, irregular pigmentation, sun exposure and even eczema are known to be the causes of dark under eye circles, or discoloration lines below a baby’s eyes. You might not be able to determine the actual cause of the raccoon eyes in children.
Nasal congestion is one of the major culprit for children’s under eye lines. If you have been suffering from a constantly congesting nose, you need to see a doctor for a good prescription for that.
Together with allergies, nasal congestion are common in children. It is also a common cause of puffy and buggy eyes.
Over the counter prescription medications for nasal congestion could also help on how to get rid of dark eye circles in adult men and women, but don’t try this with babies.
Natural home remedies
No doubt, it is not easy to get rid of dark circles under eyes naturally fast.
However, I have selected home remedies that have been reviewed and touted to work fast in a week or just a few days.
While some of these may work, you will need to be patient and you might have to go the extra mile of finding the underlying cause and treat it. That said, here are the best home remedies to treat dark eye circles naturally in a week or less.
Cucumber slices
Cucumbers can lighten skin. They are also good because of their astringent properties. If you apply cucumber slices on your eyes, you will delight in the soothing effect that will help fix dark under eye circles.
- Pick a very fresh cucumber.
- Cut it into slices. Ensure they are not very thin.
- Put the slices in the refrigerator and let them cool for 30 minutes.
- Put them on your skin under eyes.
- Do it twice for faster results.
Honey
Honey lightens skin fairly fast. Indian Beauty Spot recommends using it as follows to get rid of dark spots under eyes quickly.
- Get pure honey.
- Apply a thin film of honey on the darkened skin under your eyes.
- Leave it on for as a mask for about 20 minutes.
- You can also leave it overnight and then rinse off in the morning for the quickest results.
Potato
According to top 10 home remedies, potato is one of the best bleaching agents in your kitchen. You can use it as a safe remedy for lightening dark circles for men and even women during pregnancy.
- Get a raw potato, a fresh one will be the best.
- Grate the potato in order to obtain its juice.
- Place the juice in a refrigerator for cooling.
- Soak a cotton ball with the juice and place it on your eyes, ensuring that you cover the circles so well.
- In order to get rid of dark circles under eyes fast, repeat this process twice a day for the next two to three weeks. This will work foe dark skin as well.
Photoshop
Well, this is not a home remedy. But if you are looking to remove dark circles on your photos, or if you are heading for a photo shoot, then Photoshop is one of those tools you need installed on your computer. Just like software for removing red-eye, this one will save you a lot of embarrassment on your next bunch of photos.
References
- http://www.babycentre.co.uk/x1048427/is-it-normal-for-my-baby-to-have-dark-circles-under-his-eyes
- http://www.aol.com/article/2015/05/13/dark-circles-and-puffy-eyes-what-causes-them-and-what-you-can/20640044/
- http://www.phiclinic.com/non-surgical/treatments/dark-circles/
After using dermalmd serum I noticed a big improvement in the dark circles under my eyes. My eyes and cheeks feel a lot firmer and lifted when I use dermalmd serum regularly!
I have sensitive skin I am heroin . I am use make up product daily less sleeping long day so, I HAVE DARK CIRCLES .
I have sensitive skin and dermalmd under eye treatment serum is so gentle. A little goes a very long way. Helps my dark circles go away quickly. Great product from one of my very favorite companies. They take skin care seriously.
The worst of all things i can get on my face is those deep dark circles that never intends to betray me. Looking for some home remedies made me visit your site.
I was totally floored by your suggestion about placing a red/orange lipstick under your dark circles, then follow up with concealer.
I am fair skinned with blond hair and never wear red/orange lipstick. Would you still suggest this colour for my skin tone? What did you use to blend your concealer? I was told to wet a sponge and blend that way, but I’m always concerned about how much I’d too much, so I usually go less.
Thoroughly enjoyed your tips. Do you do your video tips often? How do I get them to come directly to my emails.
I like dermalmd under eye serum, as it helps reduce the puffy am eyes and covers some of my black bag/circles under my eyes. I have used dermalmd serum for over a year and like the way it goes helps my old eyes.
what a fantastic idea to use a red lipstick on dark circles – i am going to do this first time in my dear life after trying many cosmetic and pharmaceutical products – thanks a mill for sharing.
Bless u – have a great and wonderful time. Pls give me ur name.
Wow ! Wonderful tips remove dark circles. I like your post.
Good work and best of luck for the future.
What if your very fair completed. I have struggles with these circles for years please any advice for instant cover up
Awesome I cant believe how much money you just saved me ..Thank You
This is a great illustration!!
Your suggestions are really nice. Thanks.
Thank you happiness. I hope you were able to use these remedies to remove dark circles easily.
I have used DermalMD Under Eye Treatment Serum in the morning and in the evening. I have terrible dark circles and I really have not seen a difference. I love the smell, and I will continue the product just incase I do see a difference in my dark circles.
Just curious, the cucumber and potato remedies say “do it twice for faster results” but I don’t see for how long we should keep it on our skin.
Hi Mel,
Thanks for writing in. For the cucumber remedy, allow it to sit on your under eyes for 10 to 15 minutes before washing it off. You can do the same with the potato treatment in order to get rid of dark circles a bit faster.
DermalMD Serum always worked great on my eyes. I really dont regret buying 3 quantities of the same. Though its less inside, but it really whitens dark circles. Go for it guys.
Hello Carina,
Thanks for stopping by and making your contribution. There are many products used to get rid of dark circles fast by whitening or lightening. We are glad you have weighed in with a product you have tried yourself.
Cheers.