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How To Kiss: New (And Tasty) Ways To Lock Lips

How To Get Creative With Your Kisses

Suck. Kiss. Release. Repeat. It's that easy.

It's that exchange between two lips that can sometimes be super awkward or super sloppy. The key to the ultimate kiss isn't about setting the perfect mood -- it's about moving your mouth.

On this week's How-To, Howcast shows us 11 ways to get more creative while locking lips. And trust us, it's going to be easier than it looks. With a not-so-creative list of chocolate, cinnamon candy, ice chips and mint, the video above provides a step-by-step (and detailed) way to turn your lover on with your tongue and lips.

For starters, kissing is all about using the tools you already have. So before you go out and buy candles and download hours of romantic music, the video suggests sucking on your partner's lips or using your tongue to stroke the roof of their mouth.

And while your face is occupied, try using your hands to stroke your partner hair's, or just simply hold their hands for added pleasure.

That exchange of saliva also has its health perks. A typical French kiss moves at least 29 muscles in our face, according to HappyWorker.com. The site also found that one small peck can burn up to three calories -- so you may want to pack in few kisses in your daily workout routine.

Another 2009 study found that smooching was a way for women to build up an immunity to cytomegalovirus -- a virus that can cause significant harm to a fetus in-utero, according to an article in health journal Medical Hypotheses.

Health Benefits Of Kissing
Kissing Is Good For Your Teeth(01 of05)
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There's a reason a kiss is called a "wet one" -- smooching stimulates saliva production, which can actually wash harmful bacteria off the teeth, Mathew Messina, D.D.S., told WebMD and reduce plaque buildup, according to Glamour.com. Flickr photo by midiman (credit:Flickr: midiman)
Kissing Burns Calories(02 of05)
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Okay, so we're not talking the equivalent of a trip to the gym, but hey, every little bit counts, right? Locking lips can burn anywhere from two to six calories a minute, according to Self.com. You're also putting a whole slew of facial muscles to work when you pucker up, and just a few minutes of extra attention to those muscles can make a big difference when it comes to the appearance of frown lines or less-than-perky cheeks, according to the Daily Mail.Flickr photo by {N}Duran (credit:Flickr: {N}Duran)
Kissing Boosts Immunity(03 of05)
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There's no denying the fact that when you lock lips, there are bound to be some germs, uh, exchanged. One specific bug can be particularly hazardous to pregnant women, but researchers believe kissing is a way to introduce the virus to a woman in small doses before she conceives, triggering her body to build up a resistance to it before she could ever pass it on to a child, according to Popular Science.However, if your partner in crime is visibly ill, it's still a good idea to hold off on that kiss, as it's still an easy way to catch mono, strep throat and herpes, among other things. Flickr photo by lejoe (credit:Flickr: lejoe)
Kissing Eases Stress(04 of05)
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That feeling of relaxation post-kiss isn't all in your head. A small 2009 study measured levels of the bonding hormone oxytocin and the stress hormone cortisol in pairs of kissing college students, the AP reported. Both men and women experienced a decline in cortisol, a sign of relaxation, that was much greater than when they just held hands. Flickr photo by pedrosimoes7 (credit:Flickr: pedrosimoes7)
Kissing Could Ease Allergy Symptoms(05 of05)
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If those sniffles are due to seasonal allergies and not something contagious, it may be a good idea to go through with the smooch, after all.A small Japanese study found that couples who kissed for 30 minutes had lower levels of allergen-specific IgE, the proteins that trigger pesky sypmtoms like sneezing and sniffling. Flickr photo by davitydave (credit:Flickr: davitydave)
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