My Skincare Problem Series: My Dark Circles

   

   For the next couple of weeks, I just want to talk about some of the skin problems that I have been dealing with and how I plan on managing them. I might make this a mini-series since I have so many of them. But first, I want to say that I am officially a skincare junkie. I just bought like 4-5 different face products today. Hopefully, they work. I do have a problem with buying skin care products and just throwing them away when they don’t work. So, essentially I waste a lot of money. Anyways, let's get into my actual skincare problems.

So the first problem is my dark circles. I have been dealing with this problem for years. Some people say they're not dark at all. So I can’t tell if it is just the fact that I look at my face too much, or the fact that my dark circles are actually there. Either way, I still want to lighten them. So Initially, I tried Cerave eye cream. I used this eye cream for about a year. I really like the fact that it hydrated I under eye and it wasn’t irritating. However, it didn’t lighten them, so I don’t plan on repurchasing the cream after my bottle is empty. 

In addition to trying the cream, I have tried The Ordinary granactive retinoid 2% with squalane. Retinol is one of the most researched ingredients in the skincare industry. It has great benefits for the under-eye area. It is known to reduce wrinkles, puffiness, and dark circles. I picked a retinol product over actual retinol because it supposed to be more gentle. The Ordinary carries two different percentages of the retinoid serum- 5% and 2%. I picked the 2% because I want to start off with a smaller dosage. Since I have very sensitive skin, I have to make sure I choose products that don’t break me out.

Overall, I am not a fan of this product. Although I tried my best to pick a  product that wasn’t irritating, it still broke me out. I develop mild milia ( tiny bumps) under my eye. Even though it is not a big deal, I would be less annoyed if the product actually helped with my dark circles. I also don’t like the consistency of this product. The ordinary carry two versions of the 2% retinoid serum- squalene and emulsion. The squalene is an oil and the emulsion is similar to a moisturizer texture. I got the squalene because squalene is good for people with dry skin because of its moisturizing properties. As y'all might know, I have dry skin. However, the oil is very runny, and it's hard to use a spot treatment. It has a tendency to run down my face onto my cheeks. My cheeks are the most sensitive part of my face and I didn’t want them to break out from the retinoid, so I had to rewash my cheeks a lot. So overall, not my favorite product. So, for now, I am staying away from buying under-eye treatment products. But I am still going to try to get rid of dark circles.

A couple of weeks ago I ran across a video on youtube of a woman who used turmeric powder to get rid of her dark circles. She made a paste out of the turmeric and did a 5-day treatment. This seemed like it worked for her. So I plan on trying it this week because I am running out of options and most of the ingredients are already in my kitchen. I think I might post an update on if it works next week. So stay tuned to see the results!