Approximately 60% of the human body consists of water. It is one of the most important components that help in the process of digestion, blood circulation, mineral absorption and even excretion, ensuring smooth functioning of your system. A mere drop in the water content of your body can lead to dehydration, which can affect your body in more than one ways. Dehydration can also take a toll on your skin leaving it dry and life less. In order to ensure the health of your skin, it is highly recommended to keep your system hydrated.

How drinking water affects the skin?

Keeps skin soft: Skin is made up of 3 layers namely, epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue. When the water content of the outermost layer of the epidermis is insufficient, your skin tends to lose elasticity and feel rough. Intake of adequate water hydrates the skin cells and makes them function properly, making your skin soft and supple.

Moisturizes dry skin and lessens the appearance of wrinkles: Insufficient intake of water makes your skin appear dry and flaky; such a skin is more prone to wrinkling. When you drink sufficient water your skin cells hydrate from within. Hydrated skin is resilient in nature and therefore, it has less chance of suffering from premature wrinkling.

Improves skin tone: Water is known for its abilities to flush out toxins from your system and for maintaining the proper functioning of your kidneys. Sufficient intake of water ensures that harmful toxins and impurities are regularly flushed out of your system, thereby, adding a healthy glow to your skin.

Makes your skin appear younger: It is advised to drink a minimum 8 glasses of water daily to keep your body hydrated. The condition of your health can be analyzed from the condition of your skin as a body that is hydrated well, makes your skin appear healthy too.

Gets rid of dark circles: The problem of dark circle arise over the years due to the damage of the capillaries under the eyes. The skin around the eyes is thinner than facial skin which hinders the smooth flow of fluid through them. Plenty intake of water on a regular basis can reduce the appearance of dark circles dramatically, making your skin appear healthy.

Mosambi, also known as sweet lime, is one the most delicious and nutrient-dense citrus fruits. Apart from being immensely versatile in nature, sweet lime is a rich source of vital nutrients as well. Including it in daily diet can provide you with a lot of health benefiting properties. However, what makes this fruit more versatile is its ability to treat a lot of skin woes as well. Yes, you read that right! Mosambi can be easily used on face, either as a whole or as a face pack. It is an inexpensive way to treat skin problems. Here's how you can use mosambi to get a soft and supple skin that too in the comforts of your kitchen. Just get hold of few ingredients and get going.

Mosambi For Face Cleansing

Mosambi is an excellent source of vitamin C and the citric juice present in it acts as a great cleansing agent. To begin with, cut a mosambi in two halves and use one half to gently scrub your face in a circular motion. Continue doing this for 7-8 minutes and then wash off your face with water. Pat dry your skin and feel refreshed.

Mosambi Face Pack For Stubborn Tan

If you are suffering from summer tan and wish to get rid of the same, then this face pack will come to great use. All you need is ground mosambi peel, just a pinch of cosmetic turmeric, and 1 tbsp of natural honey. Mix the ingredients thoroughly till a fine paste-like consistency is attained. Apply on the face and allow it to stay for 5 minutes. Rinse off with water. Repeat this procedure twice a week and say bye-bye to stubborn tan.

Mosambi For Dark Circles And Puffy Eyes

Sweet lime is known to effectively reduce dark circles. If you happen to have puffed eyes, then apply this mixture on your under-eye skin and watch out for results. For this, you need is 1/2 tsp of sweet lime juice, 1 tsp of banana paste, 1 tsp of cucumber juice and 1 tsp of vitamin E gel. Add the four ingredients in a bowl and combine them to form a smooth paste. Refrigerate the bowl for 3-4 minutes and with the help of a cotton pad, apply this paste on your under-eye are. Let it sit for 10-12 minutes and after that massage for few seconds and rinse off with water.

So, make your skin feel rejuvenated by using this inexpensive home remedy.

When it comes to skin and hair care, natural oils can prove to be quite beneficial. If you wish to have a soft, supple and nourished skin, then natural oils can do wonders as they have their own unique set of skin benefitting properties. Rice bran oil is used as a dressing in salads. It is not only great for cooking but is also widely used as a natural skin care product. It is quite rich in various vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Rice bran is the outer layer of rice grain. According to Bangalore-based nutritionist Dr. Anju Sood, "Rice bran oil has the right amount of poly unsaturated fatty acids in it. Apart from this, it also has flavonoids present which can do wonders for skin and hair health." Here's a list of 5 benefits that rice bran oil has to offer. Read on to know more about them.

1. Nourishes Hair:

Rice bran oil is rich in omega 3 and 6 fatty acids which help nourish the hair. If you happen to have frizzy hair, then bring this oil to your rescue as regular use of this use oil could possibly make your hair thicker and easily manageable. To reap its benefits, massage your hair using this oil before hair wash. It will keep your hair follicles healthy.

2. Protects Skin From UV Rays:

Take 2 drops of rice bran oil and gently massage it over your face until it is fully absorbed. This oil will protect your skin from pollution and also act as a natural sun screen.

3. Acts As A Makeup Remover:

The natural antioxidants present in the rice bran oil could also help you get rid of excessive makeup, making your skin look supple and soft. It is an excellent source of vitamin E which has the tendency to penetrate deep into your skin's layers.

4. Prevents Early Hair Greying:

The antioxidants present in the oil not only provide skin nourishment but also help in keeping the skin young. It prevents early signs of hair greying. Use warm rice bran oil and massage your hair twice a week. To make the most of it, add 2-3 drops of this oil to your shampoo as well.

5. Prevents Dark Circles:

Rice bran oil enhances the blood circulation around the eye area and prevents puffy eyes and dark circles. The high concentration of sterol in it lightens the under eye skin and prevents dark circles.

So what are you waiting for? Bring this natural oil to your rescue and reap all its benefits!

Even some of the most stunning women often have to resort to concealers and make-up to hide their dark circles. Not only do these under-eye circles make you look much older than what you actually are, but they also have you looking ill or unhealthy.

Before we even begin this natural journey, let me tell you that dark circles take time to cure and require great discipline. A regular skin and health care program should be followed, by the book, so do not expect magic to happen overnight.

Causes of Dark Circles

Firstly let’s get down to some of the basic causes of dark circles.

1. Lack of proper intake of water – It is important to flush out toxins from your body constantly and store them lest they harm you. Start with atleast 10-12 glasses of water in your daily intake.

2. Haemoglobin Levels - You need to also check on internal problems with regards to your haemoglobin levels and get an appointment with your doctor to see if there is any internal weakness for which you may have to take vitamin supplements. This, however, can also be substituted with a high protein and balanced diet.

3. Genetic causes - Many times, the reason for dark circles may be genetic and not be directly related to your nutritional intake. In such a case, you will not be able to get rid of them completely but once worked on properly, will definitely be able to reduce them drastically.
4. Sleeplessness - For the night owls who party hard, smoke or drink, dark circles are bound to appear. Balance out your lifestyle and get proper rest.

5. Stress - Most people who are very stressed out also have sleep problems. Either they suffer from disturbed sleep and toss and turn or due to incessantly thinking don’t get to sleep. They often wake up groggy in the morning.

6. Lack of proper diet - Junk, preservative-heavy food and lack of fresh salads and adequate nourishing food in your diet will also cause the skin to look sallow and give you dark circles.

7. Prolonged illness - When recovering from a long illness, dark circles could begin to appear due to internal weakness.

8. Computer hours - Long hours in front of the computer can be harrowing for the eyes and can lead to eye stress and dark circles. Cup your eyes in your palms every hour to relax eye muscles and improve blood circulation.

The Solution

So how do we combat them? How do we look younger and most of all how do we even out our complexion?

For all of you who have internal problems, whether it is weakness, bad diet or irregular lifestyles, you know exactly how to change it. Lessen stress in your life by incorporating yoga, meditation or even a hobby at least three times a week into your life. This will change the way you look and feel.

Vitamin supplements are often needed and I would recommend Vitamin B & C which help repair and improve the skin texture. Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, kiwi fruits, apricots and melons have high contents of Vitamin C and should be included in your diet.

You can also follow the following skin care tips that help reduce panda eyes in no time at all:

1. Massage

Mix coconut oil and almond oil and massage gently in circular motion around the eyes. Leave on for about an hour. This should be done daily.

You can also make the following eye mask that lightens dark circles if used regularly. My suggestion is that you make the mask and store it in the fridge. It will easily last up to 1 week without going bad.

2. Eye Pack

Ground fresh coconut
A few drops of lemon juice
2 tsp grated cucumber
1 tsp fresh cream
3 tsp china clay

Mix all these ingredients together and keep in the fridge. Cover the eyes with cotton gauge and apply the mask over it taking care that the pack does not drip into the eyes. You can lie down in a cool place and relax. This should ideally be left on for a minimum of 20 minutes before gently washing off with milk and then water.

3. Tomato Eye Toner

Mix lemon juice and fresh tomato juice and massage the eye area with this daily. Leave the toner on for about 20 minutes and wash with coconut water.

4. Grated Potato

Raw grated potato or even cold raw potato slices have proven to have lightening effects on the skin. I have used this ingredients many a times with positive results to lighten dark circles.

5. Herbal Teas

Most of us have smartened up and realized the vagaries of too much sugar in tea and coffee. We have switched over to healthier substitutes like herbal teas and non-sugary drinks. If you too have crossed over and drink herbal teas, never throw the tea bags in the bin but keep them refrigerated. Use these on the eyes especially after doing an eye massage. Chamomile tea bags are wonderful for this and have proven to lighten the eye area dramatically!

With these wonderful natural recipes you are now geared up to reduce dark circles. But let me warn you, no skin care routine can ever be complete without its magical ingredient and that is regularity and discipline. So start right away!

Dark circles can affect both men and women. Now there are many reasons for dark circles to appear under your eyes; from stress , lack of sleep, hormonal changes, a disturbed lifestyle, hereditary and many more. But if not treated on time, they will not only dull your overall appearance, it can also lead to serious health issues.

We list down some easy and doable home remedies to make your 'how to get rid of dark circles in 2 days ' easy.

1. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are an excellent solution for getting rid of dark circle, as it naturally helps to decrease the dark circles and also makes the skin soft and supple.

2. Grated potatoes
Acing the list of 'how to remove dark circles in a week' is potatoes. Grate some raw potato and extract the juice of the same. Now take a cotton ball and soak it in the potato juice. Close your eyes and place these cotton balls on your eyes. Make sure they cover the entire area of the dark circles under your eyes as well as the eyelids. Leave it on for 10 minutes and wash off with cold water!

3. Cold tea bags
Another simple technique to get rid of the dark circles is using cold tea bags. Soak a tea bag preferably a chamomile or green tea bags in water. Chill it by placing it in the refrigerator for a while. Now, place them over your eyes. Use this remedy on a regular basis to see considerable difference.

4. Almond Oil
Almonds are loaded with vitamin E and its oil is as an emollient which helps in making the skin supple. With no tantrums, this 'how to get rid of dark circles in a week' ' routine is easy to do. Just apply little almond oil on your dark circles and massage gently. Just leave it overnight and wash it next morning.

5. Cold milk
Regular use of cold milk will also decrease the dark circles and also soothes your eyes and skin. Take a cotton ball and place it in a bowl of cold milk for a while. Now apply the cotton ball making sure that it covers the entire eye with the affected area. Keep it for a while. Wash it regular water.