Skin Conditions

How to Get Rid of a Hickey in 5 Simple Quick Ways?

In the heat of the moment, a session of making out can end up at your back, neck, or other body parts. While a hickey or love bite is not bad, it may take around a week to subside. What is annoying, though, is that you have to think of answers to all sorts of questions that come running at you due to the hickeys. So, it is not something you would think of flaunting in front of your colleagues or folks.

If you do not have a wardrobe underlying with turtlenecks or a dozen scarfs, you have come to the right place to find out how to get rid of a hickey with some light home remedies.

What is a Hickey?

A hickey also referred to as a kiss mark or a love bite, is a bruise, which is a result of broken blood vessels beneath the surface of the skin. It is a bruise like a mark that occurs due to biting or sucking during making out or intimate activities. A hickey usually takes time to heal. Take a look below to know how it looks like and how much time do hickeys go away.

How Long Does a Hickey Last?

If hickeys are left untreated, a hickey may last for a few days ranging from 5 to 12 days. However, the hickey mark may linger for some time due to the damage made to the blood vessels.

What Does a Hickey Look Like?

Due to the bursting of blood vessels underneath the skin, a bruise appears on the surface of the skin as a hickey. It seems just like a bruise and range from being blue, green, or purple. Usually, it appears in red initially and turns dark with time as a sign of healing.

CURE 1: Foods

  1. Orange

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Orange is an incredible recipe for skincare issues, but did you know it is helpful in healing love bites? Yes, oranges are an excellent option if you want to get rid of hickeys. It is so because oranges are rich in vitamin C.

How to Use?

  • After you get a hickey, make sure you drink two glasses of orange juice daily. It will help repair your skin fast.
  • Along with drinking orange juice, make sure you apply orange peel on the kiss mark and rub it gently.

Benefits

Vitamin C in orange is a powerful healer and works on strengthening the capillaries. It repairs the skin and stabilizes the collagen, ultimately reducing the appearance of hickeys by healing the skin.

[Read: Surprising Benefits of Orange Peel ]

  1. Potato and Lemon Solution

Potato juice works wonder for skin lightening due to its natural bleaching properties. The same goes for lemon.

How to Use?

  • Mix1 tablespoons of the two juices together in a bowl
  • Mix the contents thoroughly
  • Dip a clean cotton swab in the mix
  • Place the swab on the love bite
  • Let it stay for five minutes
  • Remove it and apply coconut oil or olive oil

Benefits

Applying potato juice on the kiss mark will reduce the visibility of the hickey scar and lighten the discoloration of the affected area. Lemon juice is an adequate source of Vitamin C and reduces inflammation. It also helps in healing the discoloration of the skin, which gets associated with a hickey.

Precaution

If the lime juice causes stinginess, use a carrier oil along. You can also avoid lime juice and only use potato juice.

  1. Banana Peels

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Banana peels(1) are highly abundant in nutrients. Use the following simple technique to learn how to get rid of a hickey with a banana peel:

How to Use?

  • Take out the peel of a ripe banana
  • Cut into small portions which suit the size of the hickey
  • Place the peel on the love bite and cover with a band-aid or duct tape
  • Let it stay for fifteen minutes
  • Take off the peels and wipe the area gently
  • Repeat the process three times a day for a reduction in the appearance of a kiss mark

Benefits

The fiber content in the banana peel is also high. They compile for plenty of unique uses for your body, which includes healing of your kiss mark.

  1. Garlic and Onion Paste

Garlic and onions are helpful in reducing redness, swelling, and many other topical traumas.

How to Use?

  • Take four cloves of garlic and half an onion in a blender
  • Blend the till they form a paste
  • Add a little water if needed
  • Take a clean cloth and add a tablespoon of the onion and garlic paste on it
  • Twist the fabric firmly from its open ends
  • Apply the compress of onion and garlic paste on the affected area for 4 minutes
  • Do not apply it on your skin for more than 5 minutes as they may cause burns
  • Repeat the same again after a break of 3 minutes
  • Do not do this more than two times a day

Benefits

A mix of garlic and onion paste is an excellent remedy to remove hickeys from the skin and reduces its appearance, along with boosting the healing process of the blood vessels.

CURE 2: Herbs for Hickey

  1. Tea Bags

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Teabags have countless benefits. They tend to reduce swellings and helps in reducing the inflammation and helps in healing the broken blood vessels

How to Use?

  • Take a used tea bag and place it on the hickey for a few minutes
  • Continue to do so till the tea bag cools off
  • Repeat the same process for about five times a day
  • After many applications of the tea bags on the hickey, you will experience a soothing and cooling effect on the skin which will help you to get rid of the dark spots of your skin and the scars of a love bite

Benefits

They work on reducing the damage of the cells, and the best part is that the used tea bags are as beneficial as the unused tea bags. While they are still warm, you can make use of the used tea bags and make a pleasant change in your skin.

CURE 3: Essential Oils

  1. Peppermint oil

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Find out further how to get rid of a hickey with peppermint essential oil. Peppermint essential oil is a fast alternative to get rid of a hickey.

How to Use?

  • Take a small bowl and add a carrier oil to a few drops of peppermint essential oil
  • Mix well and apply it to the hickey
  • Wrap your skin with a clean towel or a bandage
  • Wash off after a few hours

Benefits

It gives a soothing sensation to the affected area and calms the skin. It relieves sore muscles and reduces any redness or burning feeling of the love bite.

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Precaution

  • Check for open cuts and wounds on the skin before application. Do not apply it on open cuts or bruises as it is stingy.
  • Other than peppermint essential oil, a few more essential oils boost up the healing process of hickeys.
  1. Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender essential oil(2) is a known anti-inflammatory agent and helps in reducing the inflammation and helps in repairing the broken blood vessels.

How to Use?

  • Take a small bowl and add a carrier oil to a few drops of lavender essential oil
  • Mix well and apply it to the hickey
  • Wrap your skin with a clean towel or a bandage
  • Wash off after a few hours

CURE 4: Home Remedies for Hickey

  1. Toothpaste for Hickey

Image:ShutterStock

An incredible yet straightforward treatment for a hickey is the application of toothpaste. It helps in minimizing and fading the scar caused by the hickey.

How to Use?

  • Dab the mint toothpaste on your hickey
  • Massage gently for a few minutes
  • Let it stay for a while
  • After the toothpaste dries up, wash off with lukewarm water
  • Wait for some time and do the process again
  • You can also let the toothpaste stay for an overnight to get fast result

Benefits

The content of baking soda in the toothpaste helps in reducing the appearance of the kiss mark, and the menthol content in the toothpaste helps in soothing and cooling the affected area of the skin.

Precaution

The application of toothpaste may tingle a little. If the sensation continues to get severe, then wash off immediately. Check for cuts before application.

  1. Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter has numerous benefits. It is an excellent moisturizer for skin and strengthens damaged skin. It is a beautiful healer for hickey scars. So, if you are looking for a simple how to get rid of hickey remedy, follow the steps with cocoa butter:

How to Use?

  • Take a clean towel and soak it in warm water
  • After wringing it out, place the sheet on the kiss marks
  • Remove the towel
  • Take small pieces of cocoa butter (raw) and massage gently on the love bit for about ten minutes
  • Repeat the same five times a day

Instead of raw butter, you can also use cocoa butter in slather form, in lotion, oil, or as cream.

Benefits

Cocoa but is high in antioxidants and is best for battling love bites. A derivative of fatty acids, cocoa butter hydrates skin, fights free radicals and leaves behind a supple and soft skin. It is very gentle and is safe to use on sensitive areas like for a nipple hickey or a hickey on the penis.

[Read: Uses & Benefits of Cocoa Butter ]

  1. Apple Cider Vinegar

Many people treat love bites with apple cider vinegar. Be it organic, unpasteurized, or raw, apple cider vinegar is rightfully the mother of health benefits.

How to Use?

  • Mix the same amount of apple cider vinegar and water in a bowl
  • Dip a clean towel in the mix and apply it on the kiss mark
  • Massage it gently
  • Let it stay for a few minutes
  • Wash off with warm water
  • You may as well let it rest for as long as you want
  • You can also use a cotton pad to apply the mix if you use an undiluted solution of apple cider vinegar

Benefits

The product is rich in vitamins, acids, enzymes, and minerals, and is useful in almost all scenarios ranging from long hair, glowing skin, and healing bruises.

CURE 5: Natural Treatments

  1. Heated Massage

The application of heat directly on the affected area is an effective remedy to treat the love bite on your skin.

How to use it?

  • Take a clean towel
  • Soak the towel in a bowl of hot water
  • Wring out the cloth to get rid of the excess water
  • Apply the towel to the affected part of the skin for about five minutes
  • Repeat the same process for three days for an effective and quick hickey removal remedy
  • You can also massage the area with your fingertips to make the healing and faster and better along with the heated massage.
  • You can also go for an alternative method using which is with a hairdryer on the area which has been affected with the love bite. It improves the blood circulation of the skin and aids in quick healing of the hickey naturally and quickly.

Benefits

  • The heat of the heated massage helps to dilate the capillaries of blood and enhances the flow of fresh blood, which in return, clears the hickey blood clot, which got formed.
  • Sounds like too much work? Then there are a few home remedies to help you make the love bite go away. Swipe up to read how to get rid of a hickey with home remedies.

Other Natural and Home Remedies

  • A frozen metal spoon, when pressed upon a hickey, reduces its appearance.
  • Try to make the hickey fade away with a cold compress of ice cubes to improve the circulation and heal the affected area.
  • Massage the area with a love bite with a toothbrush to increase blood flow and make the hickey go away. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush. Do not rub hard with the toothbrush, or it may cause the scar to get worse.
  • You can also try rubbing alcohol on the same with a cotton swab.
  • Aloe Vera gel works wonders. You can also use gels or lotions which have the extract of Aloe Vera gel.
  • Consume a significant amount of food items rich in Vitamin K and Vitamin C.
  • Take a dry heat compress.
  • A pink pencil eraser helps in reducing the discoloration of the skin due to the love bit and helps in diluting the hickey blood clot.
  • You can also resolve to Vitamin e supplements for fast results.

While going forward with the natural remedies and essential oils, it is necessary that you take a few precautions required to encounter an escape from the probable side effects.

Precautions

  • Always dilute the essential oils before applying them on the skin
  • Do not consume food items which cause allergic reactions in your body
  • Before using anything on your skin, make sure you take a patch test.
  • Do not apply essential oils or acidic products on open cuts, if any, on the hickeys.

Do not let the word of caution keep you away from having a romantic time with your partner. Take the thrill of enjoying intimacy with your partner and give up on the worries of developing a love bit mark. Take a follow up with these natural remedies and get rid of that sign of love amazingly fast than you can ever imagine.

Now that you know how to hide a hickey, what is keeping you waiting from a romantic make-out session?


FAQs

1. What does a hickey look like?

Hickeys are usually a dark red or purple mark on the skin that is caused by suction. The neck is the primary site of hickeys.

2. How long does it take for a hickey to go away?

Hickeys form when the minute blood vessels right under the skin are broken. Hence it would last anywhere between 2 days to 2 weeks.

3. Does toothpaste remove love bites?

Yes, it is a tried-and-tested method to remove a hickey. Just apply a liberal amount of toothpaste on the site of the hickey and let it dry, and after 15 minutes, you could wash it off. Do this twice a day for the best results.

4. Do hickeys show up right away?

No, it doesn’t show right away. It takes time to manifest, and as the days keep going, your mark tends to get darker in the shade.