We’re very immersed in the digital world. Especially since the shift in lockdown period, we’ve spent long days working from home, bingeing on Netflix to watch ‘One more episode’ even when our eyes were giving up. Also, not to forget the mindless scrolling we do on Instagram under our blankets.
These bring a lot of harm to our eyes. The more we strain our eyes, the more likely it is to get puffy, red, and dark. Most of us already struggle to have a work-life balance, which makes it easy to neglect eye care. Most of us know its causes are: besides the long screen hours, poor diet, stressful weeks, poor sleep schedule, and sun exposure can make it wrong.
The telltale signs of these factors are dark circles that can make the blood vessels around our eyes get bigger and darker. The puffy eyes right after you wake up with barely 4 hours of sleep further make them dry and difficult to focus on your day. Even your everyday beauty habits or forgetting to remove your makeup can make the eye area very itchy and irritating.
Don’t neglect and deprive your eyes of nourishment. They are the apple of your eye!
We’ve put together six simple tips to create the perfect eye care routine for you all!
1. Use an eye cream or eye serum to treat dark circles
The skin around our eyes doesn’t have oil glands, making it extra sensitive and dry. It’s the right time to use an eye cream for a moisture boost. Eye creams have potent ingredients that help eliminate puffiness and dark circles gradually.
Dr. Sheth's Chamomile & Caffeine Under Eye Cream helps depuff, nourish, and tackle dark circles. Its skin-based tightening formula helps in reducing melanin production and builds collagen by keeping your skin hydrated.
Whereas for dry skin around your eyes, using a serum with hydrating properties like hyaluronic acid is beneficial for your skin. Sublime recommends Nature Trail's AM to PM eye serum.
Additionally, you can use a jade roller to massage the area around your eyes to ensure the eye cream or serum is deeply absorbed. A two-minute massage can help depuff your eyes.
2. Dab your eyes with ice or cucumber slices!
Old age remedies are as good as new. De-puff and oxygenate dark circles using cucumber slices or icy cotton pads. It’s a great way to wake you up, besides coffee.
3. Use an eye patch or eye masks
You must have seen pictures of many people using eye patches nowadays. Eye patches have become a ‘must-have’ as they all claim to do their magic by hydrating and diminishing the redness and puffiness around your skin. It’s a win-win because most eyepatches are reusable and will last a long time!
To target specific concerns, look out for these ingredients before buying eye patches:
Puffiness/Redness: Hyaluronic Acid, Caffeine, Ceramides
Dark Circles: Caffeine, Panthenol, and Chamomile Essential Oil
Dryness: Vitamin C and Tri-Peptides
4. The 20-20-20 rule
Most of us spend 8-9 hours in front of our laptops daily, leading to dry eyes and headaches. Develop a routine where you take the needed breaks in between by lowering your screen time.
The 20-20-20 rule will protect your vision and your eyes from constant strain. All you have to do is look 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes. Get up, walk around, and drink water to recharge yourself so that the blue light screen is not detrimental.
5. Wear sunscreen and sunglasses
Sunglasses are more than a fashion statement. UV rays can harm your vision in the longer run. Wear sunglasses that block both UV and UVB rays.
And this goes without saying, quite literally: WEAR SUNSCREEN DAILY.
It’s good to get that Vitamin D, but unprotected sun exposure can lead to issues like wrinkles, fine lines, and dark bags under the eyes. Apply sunscreen around your eyes (including your eyelid) too. It will shield them from sun damage and delay the appearance of age-related changes.
Sunscoop Fluid Sunscreen SPF 60 is a water-based, broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects from harmful sun rays and blue light exposure.
Get an anti-glare screen to shield your eyes from blue light.
6. Get plenty of sleep
Lastly, get those 7 to 8 hours of sleep! Your efforts to follow the tips might not work if you don't do that one thing your eyes crave – uninterrupted sleep. Getting less sleep gives you a puffy look in the morning, making you look dull and tired.
Extra tips to always follow:
We do things that can be bad for us in the long run. Make sure you follow these tips too!
1. Remove your eye makeup before sleep:
You might find ways to conceal your dark circles and puffiness, but don’t forget to clean them off. Double-cleansing before going to bed is a must. Use micellar water makeup remover with a gentle face wash to keep your skin hydrated. Make sure the mascaras and eye pencils are waterproof and long-lasting so that it doesn’t damage your eye area.
2. Don’t rub your eyes:
While massaging your eye area is needed, make sure you don’t aggressively rub your eye area.
3. Eat healthy:
Following an anti-inflammatory diet full of fresh vegetables, fruits, and lean protein can improve your skin. Fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, watermelon, and berries can boost blood circulation.
4. Reduce your intake of alcohol and caffeine:
Instead of drinking or consuming caffeine to stay awake, limit your intake and find ways to end your day early. Waking up early to do things instead of pulling all-nighters is a much better solution!
5. Go for eye checkups:
Essential eye care doesn’t just involve lowering your screen time. Going for checkups will allow you to know your eye health better. If you’re experiencing a lot of strain, there’s a possibility you have a problem with your vision.
When it comes to a holistic eye care routine, it’s more than just using eye creams or serums. You’ve to give your eyes the much-needed rest from digital screens. Stick to this routine and make it an integral part of your day-to-day activities.
- Salonee Salian
