Do you suffer from crow’s feet, dark circles, or puffy bags under the eyes? Even if you hydrate throughout the day, those pesky bags show up the morning after. Sometimes, you just don’t get the sleep you need and you wake up looking like a zombie. Whatever the reason, puffy eyes and dark circles are not welcome and we have a great cooling face mask to help get rid of them. 

Don’t you just love getting food on your face? Sorry, let’s rephrase that. Don’t you love putting food on your face because it has healing properties that can improve the health of your skin? You don’t need a lot of food; rather, a cucumber, coconut oil, and some aloe vera will do the trick! If you want to get fancy and take things up a notch, add a few drops of carrot seed essential oil to help regenerate and renew the skin under your eyes. 

Unlike other face masks that we’ve posted in the past, this face mask is not a concoction that you lather on your face. After blending the ingredients together to form a smooth cream, you transfer the mixture to an ice tray and freeze. When your eyes are puffy, pop out a cube, apply all around the eye area, leave on for 10-15 minutes, and then rinse away. It’s so refreshing and cooling!

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil contains small- and medium-chain fatty acids that help reduce inflammation and enhance circulation. Both of those abilities make coconut oil an excellent ingredient for under-eye care, because the skin under the eyes is prone to puffiness and dark circles. The skin under the eyes becomes thinner as you age, making the blood vessels more visible, which explains the darkness that you see. Coconut oil works to strengthen the skin barrier, making those blood vessels less prominent. Additionally, coconut oil may help accelerate cell regeneration, leading to a quicker replacement of damaged skin cells with new, healthy ones.

Cucumber

One study found that cucumbers work to soothe the skin and reduce the appearance of swelling. Due to their water content, cucumbers help to replenish dry skin. Some research indicates that cooled cucumbers can help reduce inflammation and offer vasoconstriction to vessels in the eye area. Vasoconstriction helps to drive fluid away from the eye area, which helps reduce the appearance of puffiness and bags.

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is highly beneficial for the skin, and is often used around the eyes to help relieve swelling, moisturize dry skin, and relieve redness. It may also help to repair damaged skin and treat sunburned skin. According to research, aloe vera contains nutrients (zinc, magnesium, potassium, and selenium), which offer antioxidant benefits. Antioxidants help repair damaged cells, which works to strengthen the skin and repair damage. Aloe vera also contains enzymes and fatty acids that help reduce inflammation. The amino acids may help reduce puffiness or general redness. Finally, aloe vera offers moisturizing properties that may help reduce irritation and inflammation. 

DIY Cooling Cucumber Face Mask

Ingredients:

• 1 large cucumber, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
• 1/4 cup aloe vera gel
• 8 drops carrot seed essential oil (optional)

Instructions:

• Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until you achieve a smooth, creamy consistency. 
• Transfer the mixture to an ice cube tray (preferably made of silicone for easy removal) and place in the freezer until frozen. 
• When ready, pop out one cube, apply to the eye area, and leave on for 10-15 minutes. If you added carrot seed essential oil to the face mask, make sure not to get it in your eyes, otherwise they will burn.
• Rinse with lukewarm water and pat your face gently to dry.

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Get ready for a little zing on your taste buds! This cucumber smoothie is packed with nutrient-dense ingredients, including avocado, spinach, hemp seeds, cucumber, and ginger. It is both light and creamy and avoids the common banana as a thickening ingredient. Plus, this smoothie helps incorporate a variety of ingredients that you may not otherwise use in a smoothie. That is just one of the reasons we love this smoothie! The more diverse your intake of fruit and vegetables is, the healthier you can be!

Cucumber is not an ingredient that typically shows up in a smoothie. It is, however, a common ingredient in juice because it has a high water content. Cucumbers offer some pretty amazing health benefits, including:

• Easing feelings of anxiety
• Reducing the risk of certain cancers
• Supporting optimal brain, digestive, and heart health
• Freshening your breath

Additionally, cucumbers provide a lot of water to help you meet your daily hydration needs. One medium cucumber contains 287 grams of fluid, or about 10 ounces of water. Cucumbers also contain dozens of antioxidants, including flavonoids that work to protect against heart disease. Flavonoids exhibit antioxidant properties that help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. That is the type of cholesterol that increases the risk of stroke and heart disease. It’s safe to say that cucumbers are health superstars!

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How many products have you seen that are intended to get rid of bags under the eyes? So many creams and serums claim to de-puff and lighten the area under the eyes, but they don’t always work. That’s especially true if you genetically inherited dark circles or eye bags. It’s also true if you have sensitive skin and easily react to ingredients in skin care products. Common causes of bags under the eyes include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Pigmentation issues
• Aging
• Allergies
• Eczema
• Sun exposure

Stay Hydrated

Dehydration can contribute to dark circles under the eyes. Since nearly half the world’s population doesn’t meet daily water intake recommendations, drinking water is a great place to start. How much water you need to properly hydrate the body will depend on weight and level of physical activity. Generally speaking, drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day to hydrate the body. If you weigh 150 pounds and divide that by two to get 75, you should be drinking 75 ounces of water per day. 

Apply Tea Bags

It’s lovely to sip a warm cup of tea, but what do you do with the tea bag once you finish your cup? You probably throw it away, which is a huge mistake. If you drink a cup of green tea, chamomile tea, or peppermint tea, save the tea bag and put it on your eyes to help fight dark circles. Caffeinated teas work best because they help increase blood flow to the skin. According to research, green tea exhibits anti-inflammatory properties that help decrease puffiness. 

Wear Sunscreen Daily

One of the main reasons to apply sunscreen every day is to reduce the risk of skin cancer, premature aging, and skin discoloration. The American Academy of Dermatology Association encourages all people to wear sunscreen. Broad spectrum sunscreens help protect against UVA and UVB rays. Ideally, choose a mineral sunscreen and it may help protect against darkness under the eyes. You can also protect your eyes even more by wearing sunglasses and hats.

Wash Your Face Before Bed

If you improve your nightly skin care routine, you may not notice dark circles or bags when you wake up. You should always cleanse your face and remove makeup before bed. Sleeping with makeup, especially makeup around the eyes, can cause general irritation, allergic reaction, or infection that causes puffiness, redness, or other symptoms. Forgetting to wash your face at night may also increase your risk of wrinkles or general skin damage. 

Use A Cold Compress

If you need relief from under-eye bags, a cold compress may help relieve the inflammation. Applying a cold compress to the eyes also works to constrict the blood vessels quickly, which provides temporary relief. If you don’t have a cold compress, try some chilled cucumbers, a cold teaspoon, a wet washcloth, or a bag of frozen vegetables. Before you apply your cold compress, wrap it in a soft cloth to protect your skin from getting too clothes. Allow the cold compress to sit on your skin for about five minutes. 

Eat More Collagen-Rich Foods

The muscles and tissues that support your eyelids weaken as you get older. That means that you can experience sagging or bags under the eyes. If you increase your intake of vitamin C, the body has an easier time absorbing more hyaluronic acid, which naturally exists in the body. The amount that’s stored in the body, however, decreases with age. Foods that are rich in vitamin C work to boost collagen production by increasing hyaluronic acid levels. Great sources of vitamin C include kiwis, oranges, bell peppers, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, kale, and broccoli.

Cut Back On Alcohol

Decreasing your intake of alcohol relates to the first tip we gave in this article. Alcohol contributes to dehydration, and dehydration can increase the risk of under-eye bags or darkness under the eyes. If you crave that special drink, consider swapping it for sparkling water or infusing regular water with fruits and herbs. 

Keep Your Head Elevated While You Sleep

If you can fall asleep while elevating your head higher, then experiment with this method. Add an extra pillow to prop your head up higher in order to prevent fluid from accumulating in your lower eyelids, which creates puffiness while you sleep. If that is not doable, causes pain, or makes it too difficult to fall asleep, try to elevate the top end of your mattress a couple inches. There are special bed risers that can make this process easier.

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If you love Mediterranean food, then you are going to love this recipe. Spiced to perfection, this cauliflower shawarma bowl shows you that vegan entrees are filling, tasty, and may sway you away from meat-centric options. Serve the roasted cauliflower over rice and with optional sides, such as cucumbers, roasted chickpeas, chopped tomatoes, fresh herbs, and vegan tzatziki.

To get that classic shawarma flavor, you have to mix several spices together. Curry powder, paprika, cumin, and an optional dash of cayenne pepper take this cauliflower to the next level. To get the perfect cook on the cauliflower, roasting is the way to go. Roasting perfectly crisps up the exterior of the florets, while bringing out the veggie’s natural flavor. Plus, roasting cauliflower helps establish two textures: caramelized on the outside and soft on the inside.

Should you so desire, add a can of chickpeas to the cauliflower and roast both of them together in the spice mixture. While the cauliflower is roasting, cook the rice and prepare the vegan tzatziki sauce. The key to a great tzatziki is to grate the cucumber with the skin on and then strain the water out through a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve. That step will keep your sauce nice and thick, as opposed to watery. It pairs beautifully with the roasted cauliflower and rice.

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Isn’t it amazing when you get to wake up a little later on a Saturday morning? The sun peaks through your curtains/blinds and helps you wake up when you enter the rest of your house. Basking in the glow of morning sunshine helps to boost your mood and provide natural energy. Maybe you sip some morning tea or lemon water and pop a squat on your couch while doing so. The only other thing that can enhance a morning such as this is a refreshing and nourishing cucumber grapefruit juice.

Juice is so easy to make, even if you don’t have a juicer. As a quick note for people who want to make juice without juicers, blend your ingredients in a blender and then pour the blended mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible. You may end up with some bits and pieces in your juice, but the flavor is there and that’s what matters! Just keep in mind that your blended mixture will not yield as much juice as is in the blender. This is because you remove the fiber from the ingredients, which is leftover in the pulp.

This cucumber grapefruit juice is low in calories and incredibly refreshing. The spicy kick from the ginger adds a little zing that wakes up your palate. Both cucumber and grapefruit have a water content that exceeds 90%, so they aid your hydration efforts. Grapefruit is rich in vitamin C, which aids immune function, and it may help prevent insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes. Studies suggest that eating grapefruit can help regulate blood sugar levels and keep insulin levels controlled. How amazing is that?!

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Are you ready to embark on a flavorful adventure to the Mediterranean? This salad will make your taste buds stand up and scream, “Opa!” A Mediterranean salad, or shirazi salad, is vibrantly colored and packed with bright, citrusy, and satisfying flavors. The acidic, juicy burst from the tomato pairs with the crisp cucumber. Hold onto your fork, though, because the flavors don’t stop there.

Although red onion has an assertive flavor, it doesn’t overpower the rest of the ingredient in the salad. In fact, the brightness from the three different herbs, in addition to the fresh lemon juice, tame that signature allium flavor. What you are left with is a combination of crunchy and juice textures that makes each bite more enjoyable than the last. It’s as if the flavors dance on your palate!

To achieve the perfect Mediterranean salad, we encourage you to cut the cucumber, onion, and tomatoes in uniform size. Doing so helps every bite burst with flavor. Plus, it makes for an easy and enjoyable eating experience. Speaking of chopping, do not over chop your herbs. Give the parsley, mint, and dill a quick chop and then add them to the salad bowl. A light toss in the olive oil and lemon juice will be perfect. Allow the flavors to marinate for about 15 minutes in the fridge and then enjoy. We hope you love it!

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If there is one thing that is consistent with the beginning of the year, it is the desire to either get healthy, get fit, or lose weight. Losing weight, or detoxing, is a common New Year’s resolution because of all the holiday eating that happens before the beginning of the year. Most holiday meals are heavy, carb-centric, and full of unhealthy fats, sugar and sodium. People have the power to eat unhealthy throughout the year, though. We want to help you dig yourself out of the hole of heavy meals and into a healthier, lighter self. 

Detoxing does not mean that you have to abstain from food. On the contrary, you want to eat food, but it has to be food that provides essential nutrients to the body. Additionally, you want to eliminate unwanted sugars, processed foods, and excess carbohydrates. Finally, flood the body with water and herbal teas to properly hydrate and flush toxins from your system. Below, you’ll find some helpful tips to detox after a lot of heavy eating.

Drink Healthy Waters

This is not an endorsement to purchase bottled sugary, electrolyte beverages from the store. If the color is reminiscent of a nuclear fluid (think lime green, blue, or bright yellow), you can count that out. Good old fashioned filtered water is life, but you can enhance this water to encourage detoxification. Add fresh cucumber slices, lime wedges, orange wheels, berries, pineapple cubes, and herbs to your water. Infusing these types of ingredients into your water can impart their nutrients into the liquid. Not only do they enhance the nutritional properties of your water, but they also make your water taste that much better!

Load Up On Negative Calorie Foods

There is no such thing as a food that has zero calories. There are, however, foods that are so light in calories that the body burns just as much or more calories digesting them. The idea behind detoxing is that you want to give the body a lot of nutrients and water. Foods that are very low in calories and high in water include cucumbers, asparagus, apples, watermelon, blueberries, lettuce, cantaloupe, broccoli, and cauliflower. The combination of the nutrients and water content will help the body flush out all the excess food you consumed. 

Don’t Be Afraid To Nap

It should be noted that you can nap too much. If you decide to nap, especially in the afternoon, try to keep naps to 20-30 minutes in length. Sleeping too much can negatively affect your sleep cycle, or make it difficult to fall asleep at night. Sleep is necessary for the body, as it is the body’s way of rejuvenating itself. Just don’t rest too much, or you will feel groggy and out of sorts. Lack of sleep can negatively affect digestion, metabolism, and energy levels, which impairs your ability to naturally detox.

Dry Brush Your Body

Dry brushing is a way of stimulating lymphatic flow. The lymphatic system helps remove waste and toxins, but you need to activate it in order to facilitate this process. In order to promote lymphatic detoxification, you just have to move, but you can also use a technique called dry brushing. You can give yourself a lymphatic massage with your hands, or you can use a brush with firm bristles. The easiest way to start is to brush is to start with the feet and legs, always brushing up towards the heart. Once you get to your thighs, start at your palms and work inwards toward the heart. You can then do the abdomen and armpits, followed by the back and face. Click here to learn more about dry brushing. 

Get To Sweating

The gyms are more crowded than ever in the beginning of the year. People are filled with ambition and ready to drop some pounds! You don’t need a gym membership to get your sweat on, though. Not only does exercise encourage you to sweat, but it also boosts your mood. Sweating is one of the body’s way of getting rid of excess toxins. If you feel puffy after a lot of heavy eating, your body is most likely retaining water, especially if that food was heavy on the salt and sugar. A good sweat session can help you de-puff and get you out of your funk. After an aerobic workout, consider getting in the sauna to sweat even more.

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First of all, we just want to explain that there is nothing wrong with celebrating Thanksgiving by yourself. Although it may be unfamiliar territory, considering that this holiday is traditionally spent with family and friends, you may find yourself alone this year or in the future. There are also those who do not enjoy the Thanksgiving meal and simply want to enjoy a night alone. Whichever way you choose to celebrate Thanksgiving is the right way, but should you be alone on this holiday, we have a few fun activities for you. 

Whether it is by choice or an unlucky circumstance, being alone on Thanksgiving can be a challenge. You may lack the funds to celebrate it, or you may live in a city with no family or friends, and travel may be difficult due to budget restrictions or weather. You can spend Thanksgiving by yourself without feeling lonely or bored. Continue reading to learn how you can do just that. 

Cook Your Favorite Food

You don’t have to cook a turkey and stuffing just because it is Thanksgiving. When you celebrate this holiday alone, you have the freedom to take the reins in the kitchen and cook what your heart desires. Make enough for yourself and yourself alone, or make a little extra if you want to have some leftovers. Throw on a record or pop in your headphones to listen to a podcast while you are doing your thing in the kitchen. When the meal is ready, you will be too, and that’s a beautiful thing. If you don’t feel like cooking, simply order takeout!

Catch Up On Your Favorite Shows

Is the movie you never got to see in theaters finally available on a streaming platform? Have you been meaning to catch up on episodes for a series that you enjoy? Entertain yourself with a good binge-watching session! You have the time on this holiday, so use it how you please. If you finish a couple episodes and want to put something else on, consider a classic or modern holiday-inspired movie that you can easily find on streaming platforms. 

Watch Some Football

If you don’t have a favorite show and are not interested in new movies, throw on the football games that happen every Thanksgiving. There is always a game airing on this holiday, and watching it by yourself means you won’t miss a moment. Nobody will be there to interrupt you and you don’t have to listen to negative comments from friends or family members who are not sports fans. You can even use social media to engage with other football fans watching the same game(s).

Give Back To Your Community

Doing something good for someone else, or a lot of people, is often one of the best things to do when celebrating Thanksgiving alone. Even though you may not be with friends or family, you can make a difference by bringing joy to the lives of others. Some people always have to spend Thanksgiving alone, so spending it with those in a worse situation than you may actually make your Thanksgiving that much more enjoyable and wholesome. 

Have A Self-Care Day

If you are alone and don’t have any obligations, spend the day pampering yourself! Self-care and relaxation should take priority on your Thanksgiving Day to-do list. Take this alone time to unwind in a soothing bath, or take an extra long facial skin care routine. You can even go so far as to put on a robe and place cucumbers over your eyelids! By the time the Thanksgiving weekend is over, you will feel recharged, well-rested, and ready to get back to your regular responsibilities. 

Do Some Shopping

If you have the financial means to do so, consider taking part in some retail therapy. Most companies offer Black Friday sales well before Thanksgiving begins, so you will definitely get some deals. Take the time to get a head start on buying holiday gifts for your loved ones, or get something that you’ve been desiring for a while. Splurge on yourself because you deserve it.

Curl Up With A Good Book

Earlier in the article, we suggested that you catch up on your favorite TV shows. If you want to do that, then do just that! If you don’t want to spend your day in front of a screen, consider starting or finishing a book. Books, much like TV or movies, can transport you to fantastical places, or provide excellent and inspiring stories. If the book you choose to read is really captivating, you may finish it in one day! 

Begin A New Tradition

No matter your reasons for spending Thanksgiving alone, you cannot be sure that you won’t spend it alone in the future. What does that mean for you? Well, come up with a new Thanksgiving tradition for yourself. Don’t wait for company in order to celebrate your way! Maybe your new tradition is to play solitaire when you get up, or to do a yoga sequence after breakfast. A great new tradition could be to make one new dish every year!

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Cold soup, or gazpacho, is a typical summer dish. Now, we understand that summer is long gone, but a season of heavy and unhealthy eating is right around the corner. We don’t expect everyone to avoid the classically unhealthy and hardy holiday dishes. This chilled soup, however, may help balance those unhealthy dishes. It is light, refreshing, and full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Just make sure to let it chill in the fridge before you devour it.

If you need a dish to help cleanse your digestive system after a day or weekend of heavy eating, this may be the dish you seek. This chilled soup is fantastic, if we do say so ourselves! In fact, a chilled soup such as this is a popular dish in the Mediterranean diet, which many health experts consider to be the best for heart health. Cold soup contains a high concentration of vegetables with the occasional fruit. Because you do not cook the ingredients, they retain their nutritional compounds, which can break down during the cooking process.

Chilled soups, such as this recipe, do a great job at keeping the body hydrated. Most of the ingredients, especially the cucumbers, contain a high concentration of water and electrolytes, which are necessary for optimal hydration. You can easily dehydrate during the winter, believe it or not, so this will help you up your water intake. It also contains essential vitamins, such as A, E, and C, which work to keep your immune system strong during winter cold and flu season.

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One half-cup serving of honeydew mint smoothie contains about a quarter of your daily recommended intake of Vitamin C, making honeydew an excellent resource for your skin’s health! Along with cucumber and mint, enjoy this refreshing and delicious smoothie for all its health benefits.

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