Back to Basics: All About Eyes
Our eyes do so much for us every day, and how often have you thanked them for it? Be prepared to thank the heck out of them when you’re done reading this post! This Back to Basics, we are going to uncover the mysteries of eye creams, eye health, eye masks, cucumbers on the eyes and more! But first, in order to understand the skin we are treating, we also need to understand the actual eye and the health of our eye as our lids and under eye skin all work together. Right now, it is all about eyes!
“UV radiation, whether from natural sunlight or indoor artificial rays, can damage the eye’s surface tissues as well as the cornea and lens. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the dangers UV light can pose. By wearing UV-blocking sunglasses, you can enjoy the summer safely while lowering your risk for potentially blinding eye diseases and tumors”
In my Summer Skin Series: June blog post I wrote about the importance of good sunglasses and how it can really help prevent eye issues later. Well this point could not be said enough! In order to make sure you are protecting your eyes, you should only be wearing sunglasses with 100% UV blocking power. Polarized sunglasses only reflect glare, not UV Rays so toss them out! Damaging your eyes from UV radiation can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, growths on your eye and even cancer. Why gamble with your health when you can be fashionable and sun smart!? It is also important to note though that a high price doesn’t equal better protection. As long as your sunglasses say 100% UV block than you are good! The hardest part for me personally is the indoor UV rays or blue light that also cause eye disturbances and can even affect our sleep.
UV damage can lead to so many eye issues, make sure to protect your delicate eyes and skin!
Let’s say that you are doing all the things to protect your eyes, you have UV blocking sunglasses and you are diligent about hats. But what else should we be doing to take care of our eye health? Surprisingly, the same things we should be doing to take care of our whole body! Drinking your proper amount of water daily will help all your body systems in functioning as well as helping the lubrication of your eye. Consuming a diet rich in dark, leafy greens and antioxidant rich food will also support your eye health and your skin health. I’ll never forget a study we learned about in Beauty School: two groups of college students were given diets to follow for I think a month or 6 weeks, one was mostly plant-based and the other was your typical college diet of beer and pizza. The group that ate the plant-based diet were not only perceived as “more attractive in appearance”, but the group noted how great they felt and their skin tone had improved greatly and some skin issues had cleared up. It is true, you are what you eat! Getting proper sleep can also help in eye health and just in general, but the most important thing is the easiest for some and hardest for most. No smoking (cigarettes, I know in this day and age I need to clarify these things), it is a leading producer in many skin and eye concerns. Let’s just say that from here on out we are all going to take better care of ourselves as it is all connected and only we can protect it!
“Likewise, additional under eye wrinkles might appear in that area due to tugging, rubbing and stretching when putting on and removing makeup. Those who do not take care of their skin might notice signs of crow’s feet and under eye wrinkles during their early twenties, but those who take good care of their skin, crow’s feet and under eye wrinkles might appear later.”
Eye health is one thing, but why do we have to have a separate product just for that skin? Why do some people have dark areas under their eyes while others don’t?? Can we forever get rid of or prevent crows feet?! The simple answer is that the skin around our eyeball is different than the rest of the skin on our face. For starters it is thinner, this is why some people have visible “dark circle” under their eyes constantly, you can see blood and capillaries through the thin skin. Also, we will all get crow’s feet, embrace them, for they show that you lived a life worth smiling about!
Another important fact about the eye skin is that there are no sebaceous (oil) glands located there. Which means there is no lubrication to the skin like there is on the rest of our face. This lack of oil leads to the skin around the eye being dryer, and dry skin can be an annoyance for many reasons.
When the skin is dry, you will see fine lines and a crepe-like skin surface, this is a visible sign of a lack of oil. You might even see something that resembles small goosebumps on the lower inner eye skin, this typically means that your skin is dehydrated. Stress can also lead our eyes to becoming drier, and even those damaging UV Rays can lead to skin dryness. With so many factors, and quite a few that we can manage, we just need to be more conscious of doing the work.
Now we know why the eye skin is so unique compared to our facial skin, and some triggers to create more issues topically. There are many ways in which eye health can be compromised, so taking care of our daily health and wellbeing are helpful but not the only solution. For more eye-deas (get it?! like ideas!!) speak to your doctor or optometrist and stay on top of your eye health! Now, let’s talk about treating the ever so lovely under eye skin!
Taking care of our eye area is an integral part of the skincare routine. If you’re not sure when to put it on, here’s my rule of thumb that I tell my clients; after applying your serums, use an uncooked kernel of rice amount (1x) for both eyes on your ring finger and gently tap or spread into the skin in and inward upward motion. Follow with your facial moisturizer avoiding the area where you already spread your eye cream.
I am guilty of this and I am sure many of you are to. We go online, or on to Pinterest and look up DIY hacks to create our own skincare with stuff from our kitchen. It sounds really eco-friendly and cost efficient, but what is it really doing? Is it worth it to make this potions and apply to skin right under your eyes!?!?
Ok, calm down as chances are you aren’t going to be hurting yourself with an avocado eye mask! So let’s break down some at home tricks and tips for your eyes. If you are using DIY for your skincare, and you want to test for any reactions, you can always test a patch of neck skin behind your ear, or the inside of your forearm. If you react, don’t use it on your face! Or anywhere really, and maybe use some hydrocortisone or see a doctor for any rashes…
DIY Tips for Dark Circles Under the Eye
There are so many tips on this one, but unfortunately many don’t work. What might help could actually be some lifestyle changes that might surprise you. Keep reading to see if some of these “lifestyle habits” pertain to you!
Aloe vera- this little wonder plant is just great for skin health! Break a piece off if you have a plant, or use a gel with only 100% aloe gel in it. Apply to skin.
Almond oil- a very healthy oil for the skin, this will act as that missing oil barrier on your eye skin which can also help reduce dryness.
Get 6-8 hours of sleep a night.
Keep your head raised to prevent fluid retention
Drink your water! Lots and lots and lots of it!
Eat foods high in iron
When removing makeup (nightly) use gently, inward sweeping motions with a soft cotton wipe under the eyes to reduce pulling. This will help reduce loss of skin elasticity.
*Please note that if you use turmeric on your skin it most likely will dye your skin oompa-loompa orange. Hence why I didn’t add it here.
DIY Tips for De-puffing the Eye Area
You will notice a trend with tips to de-puff the eyes, they are almost always chilled. This is because the cool temperature reduces inflammation and constricts the skin thus leading to a nicely de-puffed eye.
Cold spoons- chill spoons in your fridge, and hold over eye bowl side in for a minute. Flip spoon and hold bottom of spoon flush up to under eye skin, hold for 1 minute. Repeat process if needed.
Green Tea bags- soak in cold water, apply tea bags to your eyes and leave on for 15-20 minutes.
Chilled cucumber- slice a chilled cucumber and place slice over eye for 10 minutes or until warm. You can repeat this process several times a day if needed.
Jade Roller- if you have one, great! If you don’t, it’s up to you if you want to invest in tools for your skincare routine and are going to use them! The Jade stone possesses a natural cold property, making it ideal for de-puffing our sad eyes. Also great if you’re battling allergies or sickness as it can aid in lymphatic drainage. More on how to use the Jade Roller on our IG stories in the Eri the Esti tab.
Potato- wipe juice of sliced potato under eye as a tightening eye “serum”.
These are just a few ideas to get you going, I am sure there are so many more options for you out there and you may have even tried some of these and they didn’t work. The main point to know is what counterbalances the reason why you have fine lines, puffy eyes or dark circles. Understanding the cause can help you find a solution faster. This knowledge can also help you when you are selecting your skincare products and don’t know which of the ten thousand eye creams at Ulta is fit for your needs. To refresh, dry skin under the eyes can lead to tiny, fine lines which age us faster. They can also be a sign of UV damage, so taking care of this problem will be a result of your consistency. Use hydrating eye creams twice daily, maybe an eye mask weekly and wear your UV blocking sunglasses.
Puffy eyes come from inflammation, whether its crying, sleepiness or seasonal allergies. If you have a puffiness under your eyes, and they might be of a genetic nature, I am not sure how well the above remedies will work for that as fighting our genes isn’t always a DIY kind of battle. Dark circles also fall into this category of “could be genetic”, so please consult with your esthetician, dermatologist or doctor to know what you’re dealing with. If it is not genetic, it could be lifestyle changes that are needed like blue light deflecting glasses at work or drinking less caffeine. Improving your eye health and fine tuning the why behind what you are seeing topically, you are still going to need an eye cream. So what should you be looking for?
There are certain ingredients that you’ll want to keep an eye out for, pun totally intended. When you are dealing with any of the above mentioned eye concerns, Hyaluronic Acid is going to be awesome for all of them. By deeply hydrating the skin, this will help with tone, texture and dryness of the eye area. Peptides, which we learned a little bit about in the previous Back to Basics blog post on serums, are an amazing product to use in the eye area too! We also learned of some natural ingredients like coconut oil, almond oil and aloe vera. Avocado is also really nourishing and replenishing as well as chamomile (also seen as azulene on some labels) and honey.
Choose an eye cream in the product line you are already using, and one that targets your concerns. If you don’t have a chosen product line, consult with your esthetician or skin savvy friends and get ideas of what they use. I never recommend drugstore or many over-the-counter brands because they don’t do anything so please consult to invest wisely. Once you’ve chosen your eye cream, use it everyday, twice a day if that’s an option (some eye creams contain retinol which should only be used at night), use your ring finger to apply as it has the least amount of muscle pressure resulting in less pull and tug on the skin. Eye masks are great tools as well, and if using one, you only need to use it once weekly. Make sure to not layer your moisturizer over your eye cream as this can lead to stubborn little skin issues know as milia. If you already have milia, use an eye cream that is very hydrating, as hydrating that tissue will enable the milia to loosen and make it extractable. The most important thing is to remember to actually use (daily) the eye cream you just bought.
Whichever of the above spoke to you and steps you choose to take towards your eye skincare and health, be consistent and be intentional. Use the tools you invest in and be diligent with your sun safety. Make healthier choices, and intentionally take care of the skin you’re in. Check out our Instagram @enlightenbodhi for more tips and tricks in taking care of the most important person, you!
Till next time, be good to your skin and even better to yourself,
xx eri