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Skin Care

How to Get Rid of Hickies

Amanda Gurton 10 min read Beginner
how to get rid of hickies

Quick summary

This article explains how to fade a hickey by applying a cold compress during the first day, then switching to warm compresses and gentle massage afterward. It also covers remedies like peppermint oil, aloe vera, banana peel, vitamin K cream, and cocoa butter, plus makeup tips to conceal the bruise while it heals.

Key Takeaways

  • A hickey is a bruise, so it usually needs time to fade rather than a single instant cure.
  • Cold compresses work best during the first 24 hours, while gentle warmth is better after the bruise has settled.
  • Avoid harsh rubbing, scraping, or irritating products because they can make the mark darker or more inflamed.
  • Makeup color correction is often the quickest way to hide a visible hickey while it heals.

How to Get Rid of Hickies? Hickies are mark or bruise created due to kissing or sucking. Kissing the skin very hard kills the capillaries resulting in red or purple skin. It does not last more than a week in general. But, if it is on your face or neck, you definitely want it gone overnight.

It is not something that needs medical attention, you can deal with it easily by trying the following home remedies. The remedies I am about to share are safe and tested. You can select anyone of the following tips.

how to get rid of hickies

How to Get Rid of Hickies

Peppermint

Peppermint is commodious in increasing blood circulation. Which makes it extremely useful to get rid of hickies. Almost everybody has peppermint at the house in some form. Even if you don’t, you can get it easily from any nearby store. I am about to share two different ways you can use to heal your hickey via peppermint. Both of these tips are effective and trusted.

  • Apply peppermint oil on the affected area of your skin, be very gentle when you apply the oil. The oil will have tingling affect in the beginning and it may last for a few minutes. You can massage the affected area of the skin gently, using your hands. Make sure you do not rub your skin too much. You can use warm water or a smooth washcloth to remove the peppermint oil once the tingling stops. Use it once or twice a day, not more than that.
  • If you cannot get a hand on peppermint oil or something like that, you can use peppermint toothpaste that you already have in your bathroom. It may not be as effective as pure peppermint products, but it is still good enough to heal a hickey. Gently apply peppermint toothpaste on the affected area of your skin and wait until the tingling stops. Do not rub your skin. Applying the paste is good enough. You can use warm water or a smooth washcloth to wipe out the paste once the tingling stops. However, it is recommended to use warm water instead of washcloth. You can apply peppermint paste as soon as you get a hickey, but do not repeat the process more than twice a day.

Alcohol

Alcohol is a disinfectant. Yeah! That’s what you just read. You can use alcohol to get rid of hickies. It is not only a disinfectant but also a quick healer. Here is how you can use your drink to heal your hickey.

  • Apply alcohol to the affected area of your skin using a bar of cotton. You can use tissue papers if you do not have a bar of cotton at home. The point is to apply the alcohol gently.
  • Rub the affected area very gently using tissue papers or a bar of cotton. Don’t be hard on yourself.
  • Use a lotion as lubricant after you have applied alcohol, and leave it for some time.
  • Repeat the process a few times and you will see the color of the hickey fading away. Once it starts healing your body will generate more antibodies and the process will boost up.

Use Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a natural moisturizer and it helps your skin to fight against bruises. It strengthens capillaries that boosts up the healing process. It also gives a soothing affect and provides relief. The inflammatory effect of the hickey will also go away if you use Aloe Vera. Read the following points carefully to use it.

  • Apply Aloe Vera oil to the affected area of your skin, massage it for a few minutes and then leave it for ten to fifteen minutes. You can extract fresh Aloe Vera gel from the Aloe Vera plant at home. If you do not have the plant then you can buy Aloe Vera oil or gel from the market. Make sure you buy a good brand.
  • Wash your skin using warm water and then wipe it out using smooth washcloth. Be very gentle and do not rub the affected area hardly. It will make it worse.

Banana peel

Experts suggest banana peel as a natural diet for the skin, a healthy skin is definitely more likely to deal with problems such as hickies. We can buy banana easily from the market. Here is how you can use banana peel to get rid of a hickey.

  • Gently massage your skin with a banana peel.
  • Do not rub it hard
  • Wash your skin using warm water
  • Another way of using banana peel is to place it on the affected area for about twenty minutes. Wash your skin after that. Use warm water or smooth washcloth.
  • Repeat the process three to four times a day to get rid of the hickey quickly.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K prevents blood clotting, since a hickey is also a result of blood clotting, vitamin K becomes all important in dealing with the aforementioned problem.

You can get a tube of cream or gel rich in vitamin K and apply it to the affected area. Do not massage it. Just leave it for at least thirty minutes so that the skin absorbs the most of it. Washing the skin will not be necessary unless you want to go out, in which case you can use lukewarm water to wash the skin. Repeat the process three to four times a day for quick results.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is valuable in healing marks and bruises, it is found in many natural fruits and vegetables. Orange is rich in Vitamin C, which makes it valuable to get rid of hickies. You cannot use oranges orally to heal hickies, but you can drink fresh orange juices to boost up the healing process. So if you are already using any of the above home based remedies, you should also drink a few glasses or orange juice a day. Make sure you drink fresh orange juice instead of synthesized ones.

Warm Washcloth

Once your hickey gets two or three days older, you can use warm water to heal it. Heat stimulates your skin and allows the fresh blood to replace the clotted blood. However, you have to be careful when about apply heat to your skin, especially if you have a sensitive one. Use the following method.

  • Dip a washcloth in warm water and keep it on the affected area of your skin. Keep it there for as long as you feel the warmth of the washcloth.
  • Repeat the process five to six times a day.

Massage

A massage is an option if your hickey is two to three days old. Massage strengthens the skin and stimulates the particular area of the skin to improve blood circulation. You can use lotion or oil and gently massage the affected area of your skin. Repeat the process for about fifteen minutes and two times a day. Wash out after the massage using warm water. Do not use cold water after the massage. The cold water will make it worse.

Moisturizers such as Cocoa Butter or Almond Oil

Cocoa Butter is extremely good in healing the hickies, if you do not have cocoa butter at home you can use olive oil or almond oil instead. Use the following method to get quick results.

  • Dip a smooth washcloth in warm water and then keep it on the affected area of your skin. Leave it on your skin for two minutes.
  • Once the skin is warm apply cocoa butter or olive oil and gently massage the skin.
  • Massage the skin for at least fifteen minutes.
  • Repeat the process two to three times a day.
  • Cocoa Butter is the best option among all the moisturizers, however, if it is not easily available then use olive oil or almond oil instead. They too have effective healing properties.

Stimulation Techniques

A hickey is basically a result of blood clotting under your skin, stimulation helps in replacing the blood clots with fresh blood. There are several methods that you can use to increase stimulation. You need to be careful using stimulation method as apply too much pressure or sharp tools can make the case worst for you. You can use the following ways to stimulate your skin.

  • A comb increases the stimulation of the skin, you can use hair brush, or a plastic comb not having sharp ends. Gently comb the affected area for ten minutes. Repeat the process twice a day.
  • You can use a vibrating toothbrush to increase stimulation of your skin. It is a safer way than using a comb or a hair brush.
  • Take a coin or a penny and press the affected area of your skin using the coin or the penny. You need to apply some pressure in the method. Be very careful when you apply pressure as you can end up hurting yourself.

You just learned ten ways to deal with your hickies, these are very effective and tested home based remedies, if you use the method prescribed, you are likely to get rid of hickies very soon.

What to Do in the First 24 Hours

A fresh hickey is a small bruise, so the first goal is to calm the area and limit extra bleeding under the skin. During the first day, use a cold compress instead of heat. Wrap ice, a chilled spoon, or a cold pack in a thin cloth and hold it on the mark for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Give your skin a break between sessions. Do not press hard, scrape the skin, or use anything sharp, because extra irritation can make the hickey darker and more noticeable.

When to Use Heat Instead of Cold

After 24 to 48 hours, the hickey is no longer forming in the same way. At that point, gentle warmth may help circulation and support the body as it clears the pooled blood. Use a warm washcloth for several minutes, then follow with light fingertip massage around the edge of the bruise. The pressure should feel comfortable, not painful. If the area becomes redder, swollen, or sore, stop and let the skin rest.

How to Hide a Hickey While It Heals

No home remedy can guarantee that a hickey disappears overnight, so covering it may be the fastest practical fix. Use a color corrector before concealer: green can soften redness, while peach or orange can balance purple or blue tones depending on your skin tone. Tap the product on gently instead of rubbing. Set it lightly with powder so it does not transfer to collars, scarves, or hair.

What Not to Put on a Hickey

Avoid harsh ingredients such as lemon juice, undiluted essential oils, strong exfoliating acids, or toothpaste if your skin stings or burns. These can irritate the skin and make the mark look worse. Peppermint products may feel cooling, but they should be used carefully and stopped immediately if they cause burning, rash, or peeling.

For related advice, see [Back Acne Treatment. Get rid of back Acne](/back-acne-treatment-get-rid-of-back-acne), [Beauty Tips for Face at Home: Simple Remedies for a Radiant Glow](/beauty-tips-for-face-at-home-simple-remedies-for-a-radiant-glow) and [Best Vegetables Good for Skin](/best-vegetables-good-for-skin).

Dermatologists commonly recommend treating hickies like minor bruises: cool the area early, avoid trauma or aggressive rubbing, and allow the skin time to repair itself. Gentle moisturizing and warm compresses after the first day can be reasonable, but irritating ingredients or forceful stimulation are more likely to inflame the skin than speed healing.

Amanda Gurton Expert opinion

Conclusion

Hickies are bruises caused by broken tiny blood vessels under the skin, which is why they usually change from red or purple to brown, yellow, or green as they heal. Most fade on their own within several days to about a week, but cold compresses early, gentle warmth later, and careful moisturizing can make the process more comfortable.

The most important rule is to be gentle. Rubbing hard, scraping, or applying irritating products can worsen the bruise instead of helping it fade. If the mark is painful, spreading, unusually swollen, or appears without a clear cause, it is better to get medical advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Usually no. You may reduce swelling or redness overnight with a cold compress, but the discoloration often takes several days to fade because the body needs time to clear the trapped blood.
Use cold during the first 24 hours to calm the bruise. After one or two days, gentle warmth may help circulation and support fading.
Light massage may help after the first day or two, but hard rubbing can irritate the skin and make the hickey darker. Stop if it hurts.
Toothpaste does not reliably remove hickies and may irritate sensitive skin. If used, it should be applied briefly and washed off if it stings, burns, or causes redness.
Seek medical advice if the bruise is very painful, keeps spreading, appears without a known reason, does not fade after about two weeks, or comes with swelling, dizziness, or unusual bleeding elsewhere.

Last updated

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a licensed dermatologist or healthcare provider before starting any new treatment.

A
Amanda Gurton

Beauty & Hair Care Editor

Amanda Gurton is a beauty editor and researcher with a focus on translating dermatology and trichology insights into clear, actionable advice. She covers skincare routines, hair health, ingredient science, and everyday beauty habits.

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