You’ll find eye black in the baseball aisle at any sporting goods store, as well as the sports section of your local supercenter. Always lower your eye black stick and replace the cap when you’re not using it. If you throw it back in your bag without the cap on, you’re in for a big mess!
If you prefer, you can also start on the nose side of your eye and drag it outward toward your cheekbone.
It may help to watch yourself in the mirror the first few times you apply eye black. You’ll sometimes see baseball players smudging their eye black into triangles or similar designs beneath their eyes. This is just an aesthetic choice, and doesn’t make the grease any more effective.
For maximum protection, your finished stripe should be 1–2 inches (2. 5–5. 1 cm) thick at every point. Be careful not to bring the stick too close to your lower eyelid. Getting eye black in your eye itself could cause a stinging or burning sensation or excessive tearing.
Your stripes don’t have to be perfect. The important thing is that they completely cover the area around your lower eye sockets that tend to tend to reflect the most light.
It may be a good idea to pack a small hand mirror in your gear bag if you’re in the habit of applying your eye black on the field or in the dugout.
Be sure to follow the removal directions listed on the packaging of the product you’re using. If you don’t have any rubbing alcohol lying around, you can also wash off your eye black the old fashioned way using soap and warm water, though this may take longer.
Your local sporting goods store may carry eye black stickers in the baseball or football section. If not, look for them online. A package of eye black stickers typically only costs $4-5, and often includes around 12 pairs of stickers.
Some eye black stickers are curved slightly to fit along the contour of the player’s eye. If the stickers you’re using are curved, arrange them so that the curve is pointed upwards like a smile. Take your time to double-check that each sticker is positioned correctly before you smooth it down.
There’s no need to bear down too hard—just be sure that every part of the adhesive back is making contact with your skin.
Resist the urge to mess with your eye black stickers once you’ve got them where you want them.
Don’t attempt to use the same stickers more than once. There’s a good chance that they could come unstuck during a crucial part of the game.
