15 Fruitful Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Hickeys Super Fast
For those of you who don’t know what it means, no need to worry, as we have got you covered. It is on us to tell you what it means and why someone would need to get rid of, or hide, hickeys.
What are Hickeys?
Hickeys are the dark marks on the skin that are bruises, or similar to bruises, caused due to kissing or sucking on the skin for a prolonged duration. It works in such a way that capillaries beneath the skin burst, resulting in a clot of some manner on the superficial level.
In other words, when the pressure on the capillaries under the skin increases, they tend to rupture, and the skin develops a clot. This is because the capillaries have very thin walls. The clots you see due to other injuries also happen because of the same reason.
If you are British and can’t get a hold of the word, it is okay. In your part of the world, people refer to hickeys as love bites. And to be honest, this is not an exaggeration because that is what these really are, kisses gone way too far. Remember the friends of your trying to hide an injury on the neck? And when you asked them about it, very shyly they tried to pass it off as an accident they had with a curling rod or a clothing iron, remember? Yes, that was definitely a hickey.
Why Get Rid of Hickeys?
The reason most people want to hide those is mainly simple. No one wants the world to see how far their passion took them. These may be good reminders for the person bearing it, but that certainly is not the way others might feel about it.
Another reason is that, despite the name, they may not really look lovely or pleasing to others. A hickey may look horrible to some and almost as bad as a careless injury.
In the end, it is just that, an injury. And that is why everyone tries their best to hide it in some manner or the other, and go on to look for some home remedies for hickeys.
How Long Does a Hickey Take to Go Away?
A hickey may take up to two weeks to heal completely. The advantage of a hickey is that since it is a superficial injury and doesn’t harm the inner tissue, it leaves behind no scar at all, once it heals. Now you may ask what to do while the crucial two weeks pass at their own pace? Well, most people try to hide it. And almost everyone has got a different method to go about it.
Mostly, they just believe in putting the mark out of sight of everyone, so there are about zero chances of anyone seeing them in the first place. This may include the use of clothing, hair or accessories.
The most common example is the use of scarves, neckbands or letting the hair open if you have long hair. But then, wearing a scarf in the middle of summer or wearing a neckband out of nowhere rings alarms in everyone’s head. If not all, we still have that one friend who is smart enough to guess what happened. And plus, it is not possible to hide some of these love bites.
For the extreme ones, concealment using a bit of makeup is a better alternative, than hiding with clothing. One can use concealers to hide marks on the skin and it may just prove to be useful in hiding/concealing hickeys.
How to Make Hickeys Go Away?
Don’t lose hope if it takes a long time to heal as there certainly are methods to speed up the process. You can get rid of the nasty marks using some of the things that are easily available in any regular household. There are methods or remedial procedures that just might prove to be of great help in hiding traces of last night’s escapades.
Before beginning the list of remedies, you need to keep one thing in mind. When talking about hickeys, “the earlier, the better” is an ideal policy. The first 12 hours of getting the hickey are like the golden hours to begin working. Here is how:
How To Get Rid Of Hickeys Using Home Remedies
- Ice
Cold treatments are generally recommended because they reduce swelling, inflammation and pain by numbing the affected areas. Using an ice compress is a recommended way to reduce any kind of swelling.
In case of hickeys, too, ice is the best remedy that really works. Again, you have to start the work on it within the first 12 hours. Put the ice pack on the swollen hickey for 10-20 minutes. Repeat the process several times in a day for the best results.
The swelling will subside sooner than you expect it too. (
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- Heat Pack
It should be kept in mind that for the first 48 hours, you should keep the swollen area of the hickey away from hot tubs, hot showers or heat packs. And that is advised not only for hickeys but also for any similar injuries.
Heat tends to increase swelling in fresh injuries. Only after about 48 hours of the hickey and constant use of ice pack on it, you should use a heat pack. Heat increases the amount of blood flowing to that region and is incredibly useful in treating spasms. All you have to make sure is that the device does not come in direct contact with sensitive skin and that you don’t burn your skin. (
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- Metal Spoon
Well, yes, you read that right. A metal spoon can also help you to heal and get rid of that hickey faster. How, you ask? If you happen to find yourself in such a situation where you can’t get your hands on an ice pack, you can use a spoon instead. All you need to do is put a metal spoon into the freezer for about an hour. After that, take it out and apply on the hickey. Do not forget to use necessary force and you will see it working within minutes. (
- Coin Scrapping
Well, not all remedies ever are supposed to be painless. And we have all heard that age-old golden piece of advice: “no pain, no gain.” But if you are one of those who is probably looking to get rid of hickeys fast, this method is definitely for you. Coin scrapping is a painful yet immensely effective method of getting rid of hickeys. But at the same time, you have to be careful enough not to make your hickey more worse than it is currently.
For this, you need a coin. Any coin would do, there is no specific size or weight required. Using your fingers, pull the skin around your hickey flat and tight. Then, using the coin and beginning from the center of the bite, scrape the hickey. What this does is that it pushes the blood that has accumulated around the injury, making it easier to absorb by the skin. If you use this, you will experience very effective results overnight. (
- Scrapping By Toothbrush
Very similar to coin scrapping, this is another agonizing method of getting rid of hickeys. You need to keep the same thing in mind that while you are at it, try and not make it worse than the current situation.
Get a toothbrush with hard bristles for this. Pull on your skin to get it flat and tightened up. Put the brush and try to “brush” the hickey, beginning from the center and towards the edges. Remember to put pressure, but not too much otherwise you will end up with a far worse injury and swelling. This will, again, spread the blood around the hickey enough to make it easy for the skin to absorb. After scraping, use an ice pack on the hickey for 5 to 10 minutes and then repeat the scrapping.
The thing to remember is that both, coin scrapping and toothbrush scrapping will leave you with scrapes. But, scrapes heal at a better pace, almost overnight, and no one would be able to point a finger at them raising suspicions. (
- Massaging
Getting a massage is a relaxing thing. You feel all the stress leaving your body as all the muscles, which were tensed and taut, begin to loosen up one by one. You get the sensation on muscles that you didn’t even know existed in your body.
And believe it or not, massaging can be a working remedy against visible hickeys. Put a warm cloth on the hickey and take it off after a few minutes. You then have to simply massage the area with soft hands to get the blood flow rate up and take away some of the pain. The increased blood flow will help remove the clot. (
- Peppermint Oil
People have been using essential oils for treatment and health purposes since centuries. There are hundreds of essential oils which come handy for different kind of things, ranging from cleaning the house to treating wounds and muscle pains. Peppermint is one such essential oil, which is known for it’s cooling and numbing effects.
Also, many products use peppermint widely that require antimicrobial properties, like toothpaste. But did you know that you can also use peppermint oil for getting rid of hickeys?
If there is anything close to a hickey remover, it certainly is peppermint oil. You can use the oil with a cold compress as it proves to be very beneficial for bruises. Or you can use any gel or toothpaste, which contains peppermint, directly over the hickey.
But be sure to not keep it for long and do not use it for more than 4 times a day. It is advised to do it as soon, after the hickey, as possible. (
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- Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is a plant that is found almost everywhere in the world. People grow it for agricultural and medicinal reasons. Cosmetic and medicine industries use it in several of their products.
Also, one can easily grow it inside the house. For centuries, ancient people have been using the gel from an Aloe vera plant for treating burns and scrapes. Aloe vera gel can help regenerate cells and prevents scarring. People also use Aloe to heal bruises as well.
You need to apply fresh gel from the leaf of an Aloe vera plant or use a lotion that contains the extracts of an Aloe Vera leaf. Repeat the process 2-3 times a day for best results. (
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- Turmeric
Turmeric is a famous herb and the majority of South Asian households use the spice very commonly. In fact, turmeric is the reason for the curries to be as tasty as they are. Turmeric is rich in antioxidants and most of the people use it as a treatment for bruises in Chinese and Indian medicine. Also, as it contains antiseptic and antibacterial agents, you can also apply it directly to the wound for these purposes only. A properly made turmeric paste can help you get rid of hickeys. (
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- Banana Peel
It is not always that you have to prepare something, specifically to remove or lighten a hickey. You can also find a little something from your fridge, pantry or while you are on your way to the supermarket. One such commonly available thing you can use is a banana. And no we do not need the fruit, but its peelings. Just peel the banana off and cut a slice from it. Placing the peel on the bruised area will prove to be beneficial for the hickey and help you hide it.
Banana peels are also useful for treating scratches, and hence, you can use them to treat scrapes caused by the coin scrapping method. (
- Making Use Of Cylindrical Objects
Even though it may sound like a crazy idea, but twisting cylindrical objects like a pen cap or a lipstick cap can help you get rid of a hickey sooner than you expected. If you have these handy, put one on the hickey. With enough pressure on the skin, twist the object, trying to get a full or a half twist. Let the object remain in that position for about 5 minutes because this will help break the clot under the skin.
Once the clot breaks, the skin absorbs the blood, giving you relief of making that hickey invisible. But you will have to exercise caution, with the pressure you put, so as to not end up hurting yourself. (
- Witch Hazel
No, we are not referring you to some witch to get yourself healed for that hickey.
Witch hazel
is a flowering plant found mostly in America, China, and Japan. They are really more of shrubs, than really short trees. The oil obtained from the bark of these trees is very commonly used for the treatment of bruises and sores. You can apply this oil directly to the injured area, as it decreases the size of the blood vessels visibly. This contraction can be really beneficial for the reduction and disposal of the dreaded hickeys. (
- Arnica Salve
Arnica
is a flowering herb found very commonly in North America and parts of the continents Europe and Asia. The salve is a special ointment prepared from the flowers of the Arnica herbs and is effective against bruises and sprains. You may apply it like a balm on the affected region. (
- Shea Butter
Shea butter
is a type of fat obtained directly from the nuts of the Shea tree, found in the African continent. It also happens to be a great moisturizer for the skin and cosmetic companies widely use it in moisturizing creams and other cosmetic products.
Applying Shea butter and massaging will help rejuvenate dry skin and help in moisturizing. Studies show that it has anti-inflammatory characteristics and you can use it as a balm to cure bruises and many other skin problems. Hickeys are just another type of bruises, and thus, this remedy can help in getting rid of a hickey too. (
- Vitamin K
Hickeys are the bruises that look ugly because the blood gets clotted under the skin, due to the pressure created on the capillaries. The major role of vitamin k in our bodies is to reduce the blood clotting problems. Hence, you can also use it as a remedial nutrient for hickeys.
The products that are rich in vitamin k include brown rice, spinach, broccoli, kale, prunes, etc. The consumption of these will help your skin absorb the clots at a faster rate. You know what this means? Good news for your hickey problems. Taking about 4-5 ounces (140 grams) of these will help you a lot in your fight against the hickeys. (
How To Hide A Hickey
In the meanwhile the aforementioned remedies show their magic and get you on your way of saving some embarrassment, there are only two options or choices for you to make about your hickey(s). You can either flaunt those, or try your best to hide them so nobody lays their eyes on them. And to be very honest, if you were of the flaunting kind there is a strong chance that you would not have been here, reading this list and searching ways to hide your love bites.
So that means, you have no choice left, but to hide while you apply a few of the remedial techniques from the above collection. So then, how to hide a hickey? Well, here are a few practices that could help you.
Clothes:
If your hickey is in on inconspicuous spot, your everyday clothes are pretty much enough to hide those. All you need to do is to make sure that you wear the right kind of clothing.
But there will be times when these love bites might end up in places that are mostly open for everyone to see, and at the same time are very noticeable and eye-catching. A prime example will be the neck.
So what to do in the situation of a neck hickey? Well, clothes will always come to your rescue whenever it comes to saving you some embarrassment.
In the case of a neck hickey, try wearing clothes that hide your neck fully or partially. To be suggesting a few, turtlenecks and polo neck t-shirts are the best ones. Where turtlenecks might be a little uncomfortable, polo neck tees run the risk of not covering up the hickey fully. So you have to be careful while making your choices. In the case of marks on arms, you can go to your good friends, the sleeves.
Accessories:
A little extra security never hurt anyone. And a little more concealment will never go wrong in the long run. The same goes with clothes. You can just put on your everyday stuff and go about having fun and doing what you do if you hide the hickey properly. But if it happens to be in a spot not so modest, you can always team up your clothes with some accessory specifically aimed at hiding the difficult spots.
For example, to hide your neck, you can make use of the old faithful scarf. Just wrap it around your neck and, there, achievement unlocked. Or you can always pair your clothes with a nice long necklace, that will hide the hickey and draw attention away from it at the same time.
There’s another way to hide, which depends on your proficiency in the rather gray zone of lies. Just put a band-aid on the hickey and confidently lie to others about how much of a silly cow you are. Excuses like “burnt myself with a curling rod” or “my cat did this” work most of the times.
Hair:
Let’s just say that a turtleneck or a scarf at odd times of the year, like summer, or wearing these when out of the blue, especially when that’s not a part of your daily attire, will raise a lot of eyebrows and people will pose questions that you would really want to avoid. Overall, that might prove to be a negative progress in a situation you really want to come on top of.
So what can we do here? If you happen to have longer hair, it will become really easy for you to hide a hickey. We do not want to sound biased, but this method is almost entirely meant for the females out there.
Long hair will make it easy for you to hide a hickey anywhere on the neck, as well as on the shoulder too. All you need to do is to change the way you do your hair a little. It is also advantageous in emergency situations – such as, when your parents walked into your room and you don’t have enough time to put on a scarf, you can make do with your hair fairly easily. The only thing that you need to take care of is to keep checking that your hair is still in place to fulfill its purpose.
Makeup:
When all else fails to be of any aid to you, you can always look up to the magic of makeup and cosmetics. These were anyway made to accentuate one’s beauty and hide the imperfections. And boys, you don’t have to be sad because makeup is something you can also make use of without any hassle. And we already know the next question.
How to and in what ways can we cover up a hickey with makeup? Well, it’s easy. The product you are looking for is a ‘concealer’ or a ‘color corrector’, and you can use them for hiding irregularities on the skin. When fresh, hickeys are red in color because of all the blood pooled beneath the skin. The
color wheel
tells us that red is right opposite from green. So this means that a green concealer will work miracles on the hickey’s redness.
Next, match a concealer with your skin tone and apply it over the green concealer. With the help of a sponge or cotton, gently touch the area to mix the correctors. If done correctly, you would not even notice that you’re wearing makeup.
Often times, the bruises caused by hickeys change color to yellow or green. Whenever that happens, you should switch to a pink or purple concealers.
Things To Keep In Mind In The Aftermath Of Hickeys
Hickeys are not a sensitive issue and you should never treat the pesky marks with negligence or carelessness. There are a few things that you should never forget about having a hickey and what follows after getting one.
First and foremost, consent is everything. Do not ever give a hickey or receive one without consent and a mutual understanding of what will follow. Ask your partner how they feel about something as intimate as a hickey and only choose your next move based on their response.
Also, you should avoid tobacco and smoking. This is related to the fact that cigarettes contain a strong chemical called
nicotine
, which is the very reason people smoke. Nicotine increases the blood pressure and reduces blood supply. This can be a retardation of the speed at which the body is healing the hickey itself. (
When massaging the area around hickey, try to keep the pressure as light as possible while still maintaining a firm and steady hand. If the pressure goes out of hand, you may end up with a bigger problem.
Hickeys can be fun and pose a lovely reminder of the amazing time you had with your special someone, but can also be somewhat unsettling for others around you, if you are unknowingly flaunting them. So a thought that goes deep into the consequences of getting a hickey is something you should have with you at least once.