15 Effective Ways To Get Rid Of A Hickey Fast & Easily

You got caught up in an intimate moment with your significant other, the kind of moment where it is an out-of-body experience, and you are not quite sure which way is up and which is down. You head to the bathroom to get ready for dinner with your parents. You look in the mirror and scream in horror. It appears Dracula joined you in bed and you have hickeys all over your neck to prove it. You panic, because what else could you do? Not only will you be sitting across the table from your mom and dad later that night, but you also have school the next day. No way are you going to school looking like a cheetah. It’s moments like these that you wish you knew home remedies to make hickeys go away faster. You’re in luck! There are some very easy things you can do to make sure that hickey (or those hickeys) disappear from your neck and your life a lot quicker. It should be noted that all of the methods will not take the hickey away overnight (because honestly, what annoyance disappears overnight?). The hickey, like any kind of bruise or injury, still needs time to heal. These methods will just help the healing process come and go more quickly.

A hickey is simply a bruise caused by a sucking action done to the skin. The blood capillaries underneath the skin break from the pressure and cause a pooling of blood to form (the dark mark that results from that intimate moment). If treated immediately after the hickey is given, you want to try methods that are specifically for clotting the blood. You want the blood to clot so that no more blood pools underneath the skin. If you do not treat the hickey right away (say you fell asleep and it went unnoticed overnight) and it has already settled, then treatments to unclot the blood are what you want; you want blood to keep moving so that new blood makes its way to the broken capillaries to repair them and speed up the healing process. You may notice when the hickey is fresh that it is also raised and inflamed. Many of the following methods will also help reduce the inflammation and get rid of the hickey quicker. A hickey may be given as a sign of affection, may be done in the height of pleasure, or may result from someone “claiming their territory.” Either way, it can be humiliating for the receiver to have to face the public with an obvious sign of a private moment (especially if that moment is with someone it shouldn’t be with!). Trust me…I once had a fling with a “vampire” who bit my back and my neck and left more than just a few bruises, and then I had to go to my mom’s the day after. However, you’re in good hands. I have seen my way through every hickey given, and I have home remedies of all sorts that will work for you! Here are the 15 fastest and easiest ways to get rid of a hickey to avoid embarrassing public outings.

The easiest way to get rid of a hickey is to hide it and pretend it isn’t there until it heals. This is the method most people suggest, as it doesn’t require much effort. It is also used most often because all the following methods make the hickey go away quicker than not doing anything at all, but they are not a cure-all. They will not make the hickey go away overnight, and you might need to do some face saving before it does disappear. This method is easiest done in the winter, as it would be obvious if a person had a huge wool scarf or a turtleneck on in the middle of summer, but it can be done in the summer with some creativity and style! Makeup! For hickeys, it is recommended to get a concealer one skin tone darker than yours. You may think getting a lighter concealer will cover the hickey better, but it doesn’t. (Hint: this is also a great tip for under-eye dark circles!) Scarves! If it’s scarf season, bonus points! A cute scarf can make any outfit look put together, and also it can hide that huge hickey on your neck. Even if it is not scarf season, make it scarf season with lighter, more silk-like scarves.

Turtlenecks! Thankfully, these are coming back in style. Once an 80s and 90s trend, turtlenecks were seen as “mom” shirts and were often deemed “uncool.” However, they are slowly coming back, with different variations on a classic. A turtleneck or any kind of sweatshirt that hides the neck is a must-have in your closet for the “oh God” mirror moments after an intimate session. Chokers and other chunky necklaces! These are also thankfully coming back in style from the 90s. Look edgy, not easy by getting a thick choker to mask the hickey on your neck. Thick, black velvet chokers have a posh look to them, while thick diamond-studded chokers are ready for the night scene.

A cold compress will help heal the hickey and get rid of it faster. The cold will clot the blood and close the capillaries off. However, this is best done as soon as the hickey is given. Applying anything frozen right onto your skin is dangerous. Suggestions are: - Put a spoon in the freezer for 10 minutes, put a paper towel over it, and then apply it to your hickey. - Wrap an ice pack in a towel and hold it up to the hickey. - Use a frozen bag of peas. - Only apply cold compresses for a short amount of time (5-10 minutes). Never leave cold compress on overnight! Although the cold compress should be done for only 5-10 minutes, it can be done multiple times during the day.

On the opposite end, if you left a hickey alone for a while (about two days), but it is not healing, a hot compress will help you out. Instead of closing the capillaries off and preventing further bleeding, the hot compress will help circulate the blood more. The heat will also reduce any inflammation. Suggestions for hot compresses are: - Wet a towel with hot water and apply to the hickey. - Use a hot pack and follow directions to heat the pack. - Hot stones will also work. - Keep hot compresses on for about 10 minutes. Again, do not use this method overnight. - After taking off the hot compress, massage the area lightly. Repeat day and night until the hickey has disappeared.

This may sound dangerous and painful, but it is more beneficial than it sounds! (Disclaimer: it might hurt a little, but remember it is the price to pay to avoid public embarrassment from having a hickey on your neck). Take something with a smooth edge, such as a coin or a spoon. The skin should be stretched out, so if the hickey is on your neck, just bend your neck to expose the hickey more. Use your smooth-edged object to scrape the skin on and around the hickey (going from the inside to the outside). This should be done with enough pressure to feel it, but not enough pressure to break the skin and cause bleeding. This method does cause some redness and inflammation, but if you double up on some other methods, you can abate these symptoms. Otherwise, the hickey will go away much quicker than the hickey healing on its own. Also, if you do this method at night, let it do its thing overnight and then try again in the morning.

Your toothbrush can be used for more than fighting plaque…and if you have an electric toothbrush, whatever that else can be used for. Like massaging, lightly scrubbing your hickey with a toothbrush will stimulate the blood flow, ensuring the hickey heals more quickly. Think of this method as exfoliating the skin around the hickey to promote a quicker recovery time for the bruise. It also reduces the bright red mark, so the hickey is less conspicuous.

Toothpaste seems to do magical things—gets rid of acne, fixes scratches on a CD, whitens teeth, and, now, helps a hickey heal faster. The ingredients in toothpaste leave skin tingly, and there’s a reason why. It is actually enhancing blood circulation, which allows the hickey to heal in a quicker amount of time. Put a small pea-sized amount on your finger (or Q-tip) and rub the toothpaste into your skin on and around the hickey. Like the method to get rid of acne, the toothpaste can be left on the hickey overnight.

Just like you would do if you get a bruise, massaging the affected area of a hickey boosts blood flow and prevents blood clots, which is what creates the deep color. Do not press too hard, as too much force can further damage the blood vessels and make the hickey worse. Rather, the hickey should be gently rubbed. What you should notice after massaging it for 10 minutes is the redness of the hickey spreads, but ultimately dulls out, and the color is not as strong.

There has been a huge surge in the essential oil trend. Many people swear by these; they use them for massaging, in diffusers to make a room smell nice, and take advantage of essential oils' varying benefits. Each essential oil helps with something different — focus, sleepiness, alertness, calmness, anti-anxiety, anti-depression, and even overall health. Essential oils such as peppermint help blood flow, which will help heal the affected area in a hickey. Peppermint oil also has chemicals that are anti-inflammatory. Tea tree oil and lavender are best to use for skin health and help heal injuries, such as the hickey on your neck. Use these essential oils with a Q-tip or cotton ball and massage it into your skin. You should leave the oil on your skin for 15 minutes before washing it off or showering. However, you may leave the oil on for as long as you want, even overnight for best results.

You might need to rummage through the garbage for this one! Just kidding…please don’t dig through garbage. Banana peels are no longer just going to be seen as garbage or something you can throw at a car behind you to throw them off course. Instead, eat a banana (because they’re delicious!) and save the peel. The banana peel we usually just toss is actually full of nutrients that are great for promoting blood circulation and reducing the inflammation associated with hickeys. Cut a piece of the banana peel that is slightly bigger than the hickey itself. Either hold it in place, or use medical tape to tape it down, and leave it there for 10-15 minutes. Don't leave it on overnight though because it'll get pretty gross after a while.

It’s almost summer, and pineapples are in season. Pineapple juice has a lot of nutrients and vitamins, in particular, an enzyme called bromelain. This enzyme is great in aiding in the fading of bruising by breaking up blood clots and helping the blood flow easier. Either slice a piece of pineapple and keep it on the hickey or take pineapple juice and massage it into your skin (a cotton ball can be used for this one!). Keep the pineapple on the hickey for 5-10 minutes and then make sure you clean the skin (pineapple has a lot of natural sugar in it and will make you super sticky, so not something you want to sleep with overnight!). You can do this multiple times in a day. Besides pineapple, bromelain can also be found in pill form, which can be taken as a substitute for the pineapple treatment.

Although this method isn’t as quick of a fix, it will get rid of the hickey faster than not doing anything at all. Eating foods that are high in vitamin C, like oranges, help the healing process and help repair your skin’s health. If vitamin C can prevent you from getting sick, imagine how it can help heal a hickey! Vitamin K promotes blood clotting. This is important in the beginning process of the hickey forming, as blood clotting will prevent the hickey from continuing to bleed and make the bruise worse. Foods high in vitamin K include lettuces (romaine, spinach, kale), broccoli, and cabbage. Vitamin K cream may also work just as well.

Lotions with high amounts of aloe vera or cocoa butter in them will help speed up the healing process of a hickey. Aloe vera is good for soothing burns, and cocoa butter is used to reduce stretch marks, but these two ingredients also work wonders on hickeys. The vitamins in the ingredients work to repair the broken capillaries in hickeys and soothe the irritation of the skin. Massage the lotion in immediately after your shower, when your pores are open from the hot water. Lotions do their best work if applied within 5 minutes of ending your shower. If you shower at night and apply the lotion after your shower, reapply lotion in the morning. If you shower in the morning, reapply at night.

This is another method to try if not much time has passed since “ohhh yeaaaa” and “oh no!” (the moment the hickey was created and the time you realized you had it and needed to rid of it ASAP). With a cotton ball, pour rubbing alcohol on to it to make the cotton ball slightly moist. Dab it on your hickey and massage it into your skin for 2 minutes. When you are done, use a lotion to avoid the skin from drying out from the alcohol.

Vitamin supplements (Vitamin E, Vitamin K, and Vitamin C) will do wonders when you have a hickey (although it is important to take your vitamins every day!). Some vitamins will help ensure a faster healing process for hickeys, and some will make sure the blood keeps flowing and doesn’t clot right under the skin. Aspirin or ibuprofen are anti-inflammatories that will also work as blood thinners, preventing blood clots from happening and helping the hickey heal faster. These should be taken shortly after being bitten.

This one sounds a little repulsive, but give me a chance to explain. Fish, specifically tuna fish, has Omega-3, which is a natural remedy for bruises. The Omega-3 and vitamin E in the tuna fish should work wonders at healing the skin around the hickey and ultimately get rid of it faster. Take some tuna fish oil and rub it into the hickey. Keep it in for about 10 minutes and then wash thoroughly (otherwise, you’ll be walking around smelling like a fish).

It’s easy to say “the easiest way to get rid of a hickey is to not get it in the first place.” But c’mon…we’re human. We have needs. We getcaught up in the intimate and passionate moments of life. However, remind your significant other that hickeys closer to the shoulder and on the breasts are easier to hide but just as intimate to give and receive (and you don't need to worry about trying to get rid of them overnight)!