7 Natural Remedies to Resolve Under Eye Bags, Dark Circles, and Wrinkles

You wake up and it’s the big day. 
Except you look in the mirror and wonder what happened to your eyes?! 

Where did those under-eye bags come from? 
Surely those dark circles didn’t appear overnight. 
Have they always been there? 

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. The delicate eye area is one of the first to reveal lack of sleep or signs of aging. It’s a common area of concern for so many people. Things like this can pop up without warning, sending you into a negative spiral of self-doom. But we’re here to help you leave the doom and gloom behind with these natural remedies for under-eye bags. 

The exact cause of under-eye bags, dark circles, and signs of aging around the eyes are tough to pinpoint. There are so many internal and external factors to consider. That’s why we put together these natural, holistic remedies for under-eye bags – both preventative and restorative.

So before you give up all hope or settle for  Botox and fillers, take a look at our list of easy and effective ways to reduce under-eye bags. Store these tips in your back pocket for a rainy day. ;)

Get back to the life you love with confidence + bright, healthy skin. These are our seven best natural remedies for under-eye bags, dark circles, and signs of aging around the eyes.

1. Everything Balm: Provide Nutrients + Hydrate to Reduce Signs of Aging Around the Eyes

Our Everything Balm is perfectly suited to care for your delicate under-eye area, diminishing fine lines and wrinkles with all-natural ingredients. One of our best-kept secrets for multitasking, it’s a holy grail for under-eye bags and calming tired eyes. 

This balm is packed with ingredients to heal under-eye bags like:

• Tallow – a highly biocompatible ingredient (meaning it's easily absorbed by your body) + packed with the following fatty acids:
• Palmitic acid: prevents moisture loss and improves skin texture for youthful skin.
• Oleic acid: A non-essential fatty acid found in human sebum balances moisture barrier, regulates oil production and soothes inflammatory responses.
• Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) – an anti-inflammatory omega-6 essential fatty acid (that your body doesn’t produce). It promotes cell regeneration, retains moisture, and protects the moisture barrier.³ 

• Palmitoleic acid – an antimicrobial omega-7 fatty acid that protects against oxidative stress, promotes collagen, and encourages new cell formation.⁴

• Marshmallow root – known as nature’s hyaluronic acid. It helps hydrate + plump the skin to minimize the appearance of fine lines and signs of aging around the eyes.

• Olive oil infused with calendula – perfect for sensitive skin like the areas around the eyes.

• Lavender Essential Oil – provides extra healing properties to soothe inflammation and smooth fine lines and wrinkles.

A word to the wise: Skip the eye creams that contain industrial seed oils, synthetic vitamins, and filler ingredients. Our potent balm is all-natural, nourishing, and calming for tired eyes. 

How to use: Gently pat it around your eyes, with extra attention on your under-eye area. Apply before bedtime to prevent water loss and nourish the skin while you sleep.

2. Gua Sha: Stimulate Lymphatic Flow and Gentle Detox for Under Eye Bags

If you’ve been around Primally Pure long, you know we love using gua sha to restore brilliance to the skin. It’s stood the test of time, as part of Traditional Chinese Medicine practices for centuries. This is no exception when it comes to resolving under-eye bags. 

Here’s why you’ll love gua sha as a home remedy for under-eye bags.

• Stimulates lymphatic flow. Lymphatic flow is crucial to detox your skin. It boosts blood flow and oxygen to the skin to brighten and repair signs of aging around the eyes.

• Opens energetic healing pathways to send more nutrients to the skin where it’s needed most. Especially for under-eye bags or dark circles.

• Powerful depuffing. Using this specific technique, you’ll notice fewer under-eye bags, dark circles, and tired skin.

Gua sha is a calming practice to use to wind down after a long day. Stress can affect your skin too, so embrace this moment of peaceful solitude. 

You’ll notice immediate results with taught skin + fresh blood flow to the area. This works as both a preventative and active home remedy for under-eye bags.

How to use: 

1. Start from the outer corner of your eye moving towards the inner eye. Repeat each step 3x.
2. Use stone for light lymphatic pumps near your nose to clear congestion.
3. Sweep down your nose and under your cheekbone to clear drainage pathways.
4. Complete with a full lymphatic flush down – front of ear, under ear, and beneath ear.

3. Facial Cupping: Plump and Balance Under Eye Bags

Facial cupping is one of the latest holistic tools in our full product lineup. A remedy from ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine, these silicone cups can do wonders for under-eye bags in just a few minutes! 

Here’s how a facial cupping set can help resolve under-eye bags:

• Moves out stagnant blood and qi (TCM energy life force). This encourages microcirculation which can significantly reduce under-eye bags + brightens your skin.

• Eases tension/tightness that contribute to aging around the eyes. This brings back balance to the facial muscles + structure.

• Moves excess fluids from the face with gentle, yet effective suction.

• Stimulates collagen production + fibroblasts which fight signs of aging around the eyes and keep the skin plump. 

• Can even help hooded eyelids + awaken the eye area with this specialized technique.

Similar to gua sha, facial cupping is an effective home remedy for under-eye bags. You’ll notice a difference right away as it reawakens + stimulates your skin’s natural ability to heal + balance itself. 

How to use: After applying serums, creams and mists, use the smaller cup in your facial cupping set to target your delicate eye areas.

1. Use a flash-cupping technique 3x following the orbital bone and then under the brow bone.
2. Next, use the fluid-cupping technique 3x with the same areas.

*Don’t know what flash-cupping or fluid-cupping is? Check out this quick tutorial. 

4. Facial Mapping: A Home Remedy for Under Eye Bags that Looks Within

Facial mapping is another sacred practice used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It aligns the internal body with the external appearance of the skin. We love referencing this practice to uncover holistic solutions to balance the skin from the inside out. 

Often, external symptoms are a sign of an internal imbalance that needs to be addressed. It’s the heart of holistic skincare.

→ We know from face mapping that the delicate area under the eyes is often associated with adrenal fatigue. This can result in under-eye bags and dark circles.

Adrenal fatigue is caused by being in constant fight-or-flight mode. This constant state of stress overworks the adrenal glands – which sit on top of your kidneys. Your adrenal glands provide critical hormones to keep your body healthy + functioning, so you definitely want to address this.

The Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation says to support your kidneys by:⁵

• Eating more seafood + beans to support kidney function.

• Rubbing your ears for several minutes each day. Your ears are connected energetically to the kidney organ and meridian.

• Stomping your feet, slowly and with flat feet, for about 5 minutes a day. Your feet are associated with the kidney and bladder meridians, which run through the heel to the sole of the foot.

• Pressing the acupressure point for kidney 1 to support kidney function.

And don’t forget to hydrate! Your kidneys need hydration for proper function.

Holistic doctors aren’t the only ones who’ve made this link. Even Western medicine is catching on to the connection between dark circles, swollen eyes, and kidney disease. 

*It doesn’t mean you have kidney disease just because you have under-eye bags. But the connection does exist and it’s helpful to be aware.

Knowing that the external body reflects the internal body, you can intuitively listen to what it might be trying to tell you. Sure, kidney health may not be the cause of your under-eye bags. And without the help of a qualified TCM expert, it would be difficult to confirm this is the issue.

But staying in tune with your internal health always benefits your skin.

How to use: Check out this post on face mapping or consult with a TCM practitioner.

5. Cold Jade Roller: De-puff Under Eye Bags With a Cooling Sensation

You’ve probably heard this before to help de-puff under-eye bags: pull a cold pack out of the freezer and apply it to areas of congestion. 

But let’s elevate this concept even more by using a cold jade roller. 

Green jade has natural cooling properties that calm inflammation, boost circulation, cleanse skin tissue, and de-puffs. 

Here’s why we love this for under-eye bags: 

Cold temperatures help tighten skin – immediately. ;)

Rolling action stimulates lymphatic circulation + blood flow to get things moving.

Detoxifies skin tissue by moving out toxins + fluid build-up that contribute to under-eye bags.

Strengthens the skin barrier and cleanses the skin tissue.

Naturally plumps the skin for taught, youthful skin.

We love this natural home remedy for under-eye bags and dark circles because it’s so simple and requires only a few minutes of your time. Plus the sensation of the ridged roller is a deeply relaxing way to start your day.

How to use: Stick it in your fridge overnight and pull it out in the morning if you notice under-eye bags or dark circles when starting your skincare routine. 

Roll over the entire face, working your way out from the center towards the hairline. 

6. Sleep Hygiene: Get Better Sleep to Reduce Dryness + Tired Skin 

Lack of sleep can do a number on your skin – and your stress levels. Without proper sleep, fluids pool under the thin tissues around the eyes, causing under-eye bags and dark circles.⁷ Prioritizing healthy amounts + quality sleep can go a long way as a preventative measure for under-eye bags. 

Here are some tips to improve sleep hygiene for a deeper + better night of sleep:

• Put that phone away and wind down with a book or a bath instead. Synthetic blue light disrupts circadian rhythms – which disrupts your sleep!

• Turn down the thermostat. Cooler temperatures ensure you get a restful sleep.

• Take a magnesium supplement. Magnesium is shown to improve the quality + duration of sleep.⁸

• Limit caffeine intake. Especially within 4-5 hours of bedtime. 

Bad sleep habits are hard to break, we’ll be the first to admit. But these changes positively impact your health in so many ways once you commit to getting better sleep. 

And you’ll be much less likely to struggle with under-eye bags. ;)

7. Limit Direct Sun Exposure to Prevent Premature Aging Around the Eyes

It’s true, we have a controversial opinion on your skin + the sun. We believe in responsible direct sun exposure – daily! And we don’t believe in wearing sunscreen every day, especially if you’re staying inside (more on that here).

But it’s all about context, right? 

If you struggle with under-eye bags, dark circles, or signs of aging around the eyes, you may be overdoing it with sun exposure. 

Here are a few ideas to limit sun exposure and prevent signs of aging around the eyes:

• Wear a hat to prevent sun damage. (Keep one in the car for when you’re out and about.) 

• Limit your exposure to morning + late afternoon when the rays aren’t as strong. (Morning light is best, plus it helps reset your body’s sleep schedule.)

• Keep sunglasses on hand to help shield the delicate skin around your eyes from too much exposure.

Our skin needs vitamin D and other benefits from the sun. But be mindful of your exposure as premature aging and oxidation from sun damage are a very real thing!  

Prevent + Resolve Under Eye Bags Without Expensive Treatments and Procedures

The recurrence of under-eye bags can be stressful and tiring to deal with. It’s normal to feel tempted to resort to more intense “remedies” in times of desperation. 

But taking care of your full body, mind, and spirit brings everything into balance. When your body is in balance, it reduces the occurrences of skin ailments + unwanted issues. 

Many of these home remedies for under-eye bags, dark circles, and signs of aging around the eyes are easy to implement + don’t take up a ton of time. Give these holistic practices a try before settling for those expensive, risky procedures.

We’re here for the journey, 

XO

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Sources: 

1. Cleveland Clinic | Vitamin E for Skin: What Does It Do? 
2. The Derm Review | Vitamin K Cream 
3. National Library of Medicine | [Essential Fatty Acids and the Skin]
4. National Library of Medicine | Effects of 7-MEGATM 500 on Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Skin Regeneration in H2o2-Treated Skin Cells
5. Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation | Kidney/Bladder Health 
6. Best Life | If You Notice This on Your Face, Have Your Kidneys Checked
7. TCM Simple | Traditional Chinese Medicine for Dark Circles
8. National Library of Medicine | Association of Magnesium Intake With Sleep Duration and Sleep Quality: Findings From the Cardia Study

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