The morning after is no one’s proudest moment, especially when looking in the mirror and seeing a fist size hickey on the front of your neck. It is especially mortifying when you realize that you have a sorority meeting, a meeting with scholars in your major and a job interview that same day. With the internet failing me in attempts to hide my hickeys I turned to more experienced women in my life, I figured out how to actually get over those pesky bruises.
There is no way to instantly get rid of hickeys.
After a panicked phone call to my sister (who is a senior at Ohio State), I felt even more panicked. Kendall informed me that no matter how many Pinterest articles and clickbait YouTube videos you watch, there is no solid way to get a hickey gone the same day. Hickies are essentially a bruise on your neck, meaning that the red blood cells in your neck’s soft tissue have leaked causing a reddish-purple look. When the skin heals itself, it causes the bruise to change colors through metabolizing. Spoiler, this process takes time. Hickies will take from two to five days to heal, depending on their severity. So try to love that bite mark because it’s going to be around for a hot minute.
Apply Ice As SOON as possible
Even though it will not get rid of the hickey, ice will calm down the area around the hickey and can help lessen the life span of it. I got this idea from the many years I have spent playing sports. Girls are vicious, and at times, I would come home with black and blue marks up and down my arms. Ice always calmed down the red spots but ice works the best if you put it on as soon as you know that you have a hickey. I know “Hey I need some ice for this puppy sized hickey” is not the sexiest thing to say to a guy but you will thank yourself in the morning.
Invest in color correcting makeup
Even if green is not your color, get it. Here is a cheat sheet for color correcting makeup:
- Green= cancels red
- Orange= cancels purple
- Purple= dulls yellow
Though makeup is not my strong suit, that is why God made my moms and sisters. I remember my sister, Tyler, giving me a color correcting palate right before I left for college saying, “just remember, a little goes a long way “. Pro tip, don’t forget to put a layer of concealer on top so that it doesn’t look like a unicorn threw up on your neck.
Scarves, high collared shirts and hair is your best friend.
One tip I got from almost everyone I talked to was the oldest trick in the book and don’t under estimate it. Wear. A. Scarf. Especially in the winter, layer it up. You can almost never go wrong with a half zip and a cute infinity scarf. Out of sight out of mind as my gandma always said. As for your hair, wear it down. It will cast a shadow on your neck that will hide the love bite, and it takes no time at all. Just remember to rock whatever you wear, you are a strong independent woman who can rock a turtle neck. It might feel like everyone knows your little secret but trust me they don’t.
Own that motherf**ker
I hear people saying that hickeys are trashy and so taboo but honestly, it is what you make it. A good friend of mine used to say “it’s only awkward if you make it awkward”. If someone sees your hickey, don’t be ashamed. First of all, it is none of their business what you do in your free time, and they shouldn’t care because it’s not their life. And second, it doesn’t define you as ‘trashy’. Own that hickey, you probably had fun getting it so don’t think twice to what other people think or say. Some might be jealous of you for them. Never doubt that you are an amazing human being and you deserve the world.