Who of you out there are guilty of using extra concealer or foundation under the eyes to hide the dark circles of everyday life? Or using oily and chemical enhanced make up removers & wipes due to the low cost and ease of use? These are a few of many reasons why we can suffer from dryness and irritation around the eyes.
Your eyes are an extremely delicate feature of the body and the skin around them is much thinner than other areas of the face, meaning we need to do everything we can to help it retain moisture. However, where people go wrong is they apply so much product to add moisture that it clogs up the area under the eye, this then increases the chances of looking like you’ve been out until 4am the night before.
Every one person out there is different, you may have certain foods or products that increase irritation to your skin, you may have mild or extreme skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis. Coming into summer we have the added effects of over exposure to the sun and air conditioning at school, work, the mall etc. Its all about listening to your body and even noting down things that cause dry patches or sore redness, that way you can begin to learn what works and what doesn’t for you.
Firstly, Listen to your body
Our bodies are funny things, if they're not happy they like to be heard one way or another. For some it may be a sore tummy, for others it may be bags under the eyes, this is why noting things down can be so helpful in recognizing a pattern for the problems you may be facing. These are just a few of the reasons you may experience dryness, heaviness or irritation around the eyes.
- Allergies to foods or environments, such as hay fever and eczema may cause the skin to flare up - getting to the bottom of the problem and treating that will allow you to soothe the effected areas and treat it from the base of the issue rather than from the outside.
- High sodium (salt) intake - sodium is found in so many of todays processed foods and if we consumer too much it can cause us to retain fluid and cause puffiness and swelling around the body. Try and base your diet around wholesome, grown food to keep your sodium intake at a healthy level.
- Keep hydrated - Water helps the body flush out any toxins and if we are consuming enough we don't tend to hold onto water weight causing fluid retention, also it's other hydrating effects on the skin can help with redness in and around the eyes.
- Make sure you're getting enough sleep, while we sleep our eyes rest and repair any dryness from the day
Skin care and make up routines
One of the main preventable causes of irritation around the eyes for woman is the use of make up and the process it involves. Now i'm not saying you have to go make up free in order to have healthy skin (although this would help) because I, myself like to practice what I preach, but there are a few habits to get into which will work to improve the skin around the eye. As you may know we promote 100% natural products here at Oxygen and believe what your putting into your skin is what you will get out.
- Clean your make up brushes regularly - this will ensure you are not spreading bacteria around such a sensitive area of the face.
- Choose your make up for your skin type - using thick and oily make up will increase the chances of blocking your pores. Be extra careful when applying make up around the eye and be sure not to poke or rub anything coarse over the skin.
- Choose your make up removers wisely - while make up wipes are an amazing invention its important that you don't rub the eye area to roughly or with products containing parabens and other nasties. I use the Oxygen Skincare Creme Cleanser, the Jojoba oils help with removing make up and I find it even removes my eye make-up such as mascara, without any added products. Ensure you are toning and moisturising after each cleanse so you are replenishing your pores with goodness after giving them a good clean out.
- Our Oxygen Skincare eye creme has avocado oil, NZ organic hops and NZ tree fern working its magic in it's little pot. These ingredients all promote healthy collagen production and its richness in vitamins helps the skin absorb the moisture and fight away fine lines and protect from infection.
In times where your finding irritation some of my personal soothing remedies include:
- The good old cucumber on the eyes - I like to lather on some soothing Oxygen Skincare Purifying Honey Masque and sit back with some nicely refrigerated cucumber slices on my eyes. Our honey masque is NZ Manuka Honey and Organic hops which both naturally soothe the skin and stimulate your senses - you can literally eat it, its that good for you ;)
- Dip green or chamomile tea bags in chilled water and rest under your eyes.
- Minimise make up around the eyes until irritation subsides.
Be sure to let me know if you have any home remedies
you think work wonders!