Hickeys or love bites are bruises of a kind, and like all bruises, they take time to heal. However, they also look unprofessional, whether or not you are married. One can always wear full sleeve shirts, scarves, and turtleneck dresses to hide a hickey but what do you when the weather is too hot for such restrictive clothing? The following home remedies for a hickey can help reduce the discoloration and speed up the healing process:

1. Ice the area

You can easily get rid of a hickey using ice. Apply frozen vegetable packets or an ice pack to the hickey and leave it on the skin for at least 3-5 minutes. Ice reduces inflammation and soothes the blood vessels. This simple remedy can quickly speed up the healing of the skin. If you have neither an ice bag nor frozen vegetable packs, you can apply a cold spoon (placed in the refrigerator for a few hours or washed under cold water) to the hickey to get rid of hickeys quickly.

2. Vitamin K cream

As soon as you develop a hickey, apply some vitamin K cream on the skin. Vitamin K speeds up healing by encouraging blood clotting. It also lightens up bruises and hickeys overnight. Reapply as often as needed.

3. Arnica

Arnica herb is a great remedy for all kinds of bruising, including hickeys. It is available in different forms such as creams, gels, homeopathic pills, oil, tinctures, and salves. Apply Arnica poultice or gel on the hickey and also take Arnica 6 C pills a couple of times a day to speed up the healing of bruises and hickeys.

4. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that speeds up the healing of bruises and restores the skin to its natural state. This powerful antioxidant also carries oxygen to the area that needs it the most and speeds up the healing process. You can take up to 1000 mg of Vitamin C twice a day. Also, apply vitamin C based cream or lotion to the hickey and leave it on overnight for quick healing.

5. Comfrey

Comfrey salve made using dried comfrey leaves or comfrey tea bags can also reduce discoloration and lighten up the hickey. Brew a comfrey tea bag and apply the warm bag on your hickey. Leave it on the skin for a few minutes. Repeat with a freshly brewed bag. You can also drink comfrey tea to speed up the healing internally. Comfrey salves and creams are also available readily in drug stores.

6. Colloidal silver

Applying a cream, gel, or lotion containing colloidal silver can also eliminate hickeys overnight. Colloidal silver is a natural antibacterial and antiviral agent that lightens up blackish-bluish bruises and speeds up the healing of the skin.

7. Yarrow

This herb, like comfrey, heals bruises and hickeys quickly. Make a poultice or use salve containing yarrow on the hickey several times to get rid of them fast.

8. Witch hazel

Witch hazel is an astringent and it contains natural salicylates. These speed up the healing of bruises and lighten the skin tone. Apply witch hazel on the skin using a clean cotton ball. Repeat as needed.

9. Aloe vera

Aloe vera gel is another quick fix for a hickey. You can apply the gel from inside the leaf directly to the bruised areas. These days, aloe gel is readily available in the market in the form of creams and lotions. Make sure to use a product that is free from chemicals, fragrances, and dyes. Repeat application several times until the hickey lightens.

10. Bilberry extracts

The antioxidants in Bilberry extract speed up the skin’s healing. Apply bilberry based cream or ointment all over the skin to get rid of a hickey in less than an hour.

11. Coin remedy for a hickey

Take a coin (nickel, quarter, or a dime) and use its side to ‘scrub’ the hickey out. This helps distribute the blood underneath the skin and catalyzes the healing process. In the absence of a coin, you can use the side of a comb, a toothbrush, lipstick, or even the cap of a pen for rubbing into the hickey.

12. Toothpaste

To get rid of a hickey quickly using toothpaste, simply apply peppermint-based toothpaste on the discolored skin. Let the toothpaste dry. Peppermint is a healing herb and it lightens the skin quickly. You must repeat this remedy several times a day to see quick results.

13. Chapstick

Many people have successfully rid themselves of a hickey using chapstick. Rub the chapstick on the hickey and then also rub the side of the stick on the skin to promote blood circulation. Use a gentle, circular motion to massage the skin using the chapstick.

14. Tea bags

Brew any tea bag (black, green, oolong, herbal) and apply it on the hickey while it is still warm. The tannins in tea speed up the healing process and also soothe away inflammation and redness.

15. Butter

Apply a bit of butter on the hickey. Do not use oil or margarine, only butter. Rub the butter on your bruised skin for 3-4 minutes. Wipe off the butter using a cloth. You can even wash the area with warm water and soap to eliminate the oiliness.

16. Lavender oil

As soon as you see a hickey forming, apply a few drops of pure lavender essential oil on the skin. This remedy heals, soothes, and reduces the reddish-purple coloring of the hickey.

17. Apple cider vinegar

Take concentrated apple cider vinegar on a cotton ball and press it down gently on the hickey. The vinegar will lighten the bruise and heal it quickly. Reapply the vinegar on the hickey several times until it vanishes.

18. Castor oil

Apply castor oil on the hickey and leave it on overnight. By morning, the hickey would have lightened considerably.

19. Eat pineapples

To speed up the healing of any bruising, eat plenty of pineapples and drink fresh pineapple juice. The bromelain enzyme contained in pineapples quickly heals the skin and helps you get rid of hickeys overnight.

20. Banana peel

The inner skin of the banana peel contains many enzymes that are beneficial for healing skin wounds, bruises, and hickeys. Rub the skin directly over the hickey to eliminate them fast.