Life seems perfect, you spent a hot evening with that someone very special last night and today you're all excited about the interview for a great new job. Or maybe you have some family reunion you can't miss. Or perhaps have plans for a day with friends who will needle and third-degree you the whole time. But, whatever the case, it's a blow to discover the unintended result of last night's passion. The love bite. The scarlet mark of shame.
Yes, that's right, that's a hickey! No, not you? I'm afraid so. You better come to terms with it in a hurry, because the big question now is, what are you doing about it? We know there are naysayers out there who say there's nothing you can do. We're not riding that Debbie-downer ship off into the sunset. Still, it isn't obvious what to do. There are all kinds of theories. Which is the best strategy for you?
As timeless as the old wives tale themselves is the popularity of the cold spoon. And be clear, when we say cold, we mean ice cold spoon. The story goes, if you place it on the hickey you'll observe a noticeable reduction in its spread. However, be forewarned, there are others who insist this method actually makes the hickey worse. This might be one of those personal physiology things. You might have to experiment to discover if this method works for you. If you do decide that's a good idea, we recommend experimenting when there's not quite so much at stake. (Hey, you could even get the hickey on purpose, just so as to experiment!)
After the ice cold spoon crowd, we have the advice from the crowd that apparently have difficulty distinguishing their neck from their teeth. There are a bunch of ideas for hickey management employing dental hygiene measures. One is to briskly brush the hickey with a tooth brush. The theory here is that you'll break up the clotting which is the cause of the hickey. Better circulation will get rid of the love bit faster. Also from the dentally misdirected crowd is the suggestion to use mint flavored toothpaste. You apply it to the spot just like it were a cream. I don't think you need to use the brush, but, heck, at that point, why not? And if that's not getting the job done for you, how about flagellating the darn thing with some dental floss? That's just my idea; I don't know if it would do anything.
Less theatrical means to promote blood circulation lie in the homely old true blue use of massage. It will circulate the blood. If that's too vanilla for you, though, try the coin method? This one is for all you masochists out there. A bit out there, but it's supposed to work. Stretch out the skin on which you have the hickey, using the forefinger and thumb of one hand. In the other hand, holding the coin, scrape at the hickey with the coin's edge. You're trying to disperse the blood, so it's important to do your scraping in a pattern that draws the blood out from the center of the hickey, toward its perimeter. Once you're done, don't freak out if you have a red mark from the scraping. Did I mention you're not actually supposed to scrape off the skin? Well, you're not. And, if you didn't, the red mark should clear up quickly after which you'll see a marked improvement, to coin a phrase, (Sorry.)
If the hickey is not from the night before, but as least 48 hours earlier then when you want to get rid of it, warm compresses can be quite effective, too. This one is tricky, though. It definitely has to be at least 48 hours since you got the hickey! (You do know when you got the hickey, right? This hasn't been like a three day bender, I trust?) If you use the warm compress method too soon, it will definitely make the hickey worse.
And, naturally, when you're really pressed for time to get rid of your hickey, well, that's the time for a little creative cheating. I mean, nothing gets rid of a hickey faster than hiding it. The old school turtle neck sweater is a classic. If your fashion IQ allows you to pull off scarves, that's always another reliable contingency plan. Unfortunately, sometimes weather makes these strategies just a tad transparent, if you know what I mean. When that's the case, our last resort is to turn to make-up.
I haven't any experience with this, but my interior designer says that a little green powered over the hickey neutralizes its redness. This allows you to apply a flesh tone that matches yours for an effective camouflage approach.
So, you see, I wasn't leading you down the garden path: you have a whole bunch of options. Choosing the right one requires figuring out your personal taste, timing needs and perhaps pain tolerance.
They say, once bitten, twice shy. I don't know if that applies to you, but probably better to avoid dating the vampires. If you just can't help yourself, you know we always have you covered, here at How to Get Rid of Hickeys Fast.
Yes, that's right, that's a hickey! No, not you? I'm afraid so. You better come to terms with it in a hurry, because the big question now is, what are you doing about it? We know there are naysayers out there who say there's nothing you can do. We're not riding that Debbie-downer ship off into the sunset. Still, it isn't obvious what to do. There are all kinds of theories. Which is the best strategy for you?
As timeless as the old wives tale themselves is the popularity of the cold spoon. And be clear, when we say cold, we mean ice cold spoon. The story goes, if you place it on the hickey you'll observe a noticeable reduction in its spread. However, be forewarned, there are others who insist this method actually makes the hickey worse. This might be one of those personal physiology things. You might have to experiment to discover if this method works for you. If you do decide that's a good idea, we recommend experimenting when there's not quite so much at stake. (Hey, you could even get the hickey on purpose, just so as to experiment!)
After the ice cold spoon crowd, we have the advice from the crowd that apparently have difficulty distinguishing their neck from their teeth. There are a bunch of ideas for hickey management employing dental hygiene measures. One is to briskly brush the hickey with a tooth brush. The theory here is that you'll break up the clotting which is the cause of the hickey. Better circulation will get rid of the love bit faster. Also from the dentally misdirected crowd is the suggestion to use mint flavored toothpaste. You apply it to the spot just like it were a cream. I don't think you need to use the brush, but, heck, at that point, why not? And if that's not getting the job done for you, how about flagellating the darn thing with some dental floss? That's just my idea; I don't know if it would do anything.
Less theatrical means to promote blood circulation lie in the homely old true blue use of massage. It will circulate the blood. If that's too vanilla for you, though, try the coin method? This one is for all you masochists out there. A bit out there, but it's supposed to work. Stretch out the skin on which you have the hickey, using the forefinger and thumb of one hand. In the other hand, holding the coin, scrape at the hickey with the coin's edge. You're trying to disperse the blood, so it's important to do your scraping in a pattern that draws the blood out from the center of the hickey, toward its perimeter. Once you're done, don't freak out if you have a red mark from the scraping. Did I mention you're not actually supposed to scrape off the skin? Well, you're not. And, if you didn't, the red mark should clear up quickly after which you'll see a marked improvement, to coin a phrase, (Sorry.)
If the hickey is not from the night before, but as least 48 hours earlier then when you want to get rid of it, warm compresses can be quite effective, too. This one is tricky, though. It definitely has to be at least 48 hours since you got the hickey! (You do know when you got the hickey, right? This hasn't been like a three day bender, I trust?) If you use the warm compress method too soon, it will definitely make the hickey worse.
And, naturally, when you're really pressed for time to get rid of your hickey, well, that's the time for a little creative cheating. I mean, nothing gets rid of a hickey faster than hiding it. The old school turtle neck sweater is a classic. If your fashion IQ allows you to pull off scarves, that's always another reliable contingency plan. Unfortunately, sometimes weather makes these strategies just a tad transparent, if you know what I mean. When that's the case, our last resort is to turn to make-up.
I haven't any experience with this, but my interior designer says that a little green powered over the hickey neutralizes its redness. This allows you to apply a flesh tone that matches yours for an effective camouflage approach.
So, you see, I wasn't leading you down the garden path: you have a whole bunch of options. Choosing the right one requires figuring out your personal taste, timing needs and perhaps pain tolerance.
They say, once bitten, twice shy. I don't know if that applies to you, but probably better to avoid dating the vampires. If you just can't help yourself, you know we always have you covered, here at How to Get Rid of Hickeys Fast.
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