You can usually kiss again once the person’s cold is clearly over and they’ve been symptom‑free for at least a couple of days, but there’s no 100% “safe” cutoff because people can still shed virus briefly after they feel better.

The quick answer

  • Common colds are most contagious in the first 2–3 days of symptoms and generally remain contagious for about 5–7 days total.
  • Many doctors and clinics advise waiting until:
    • No fever for 24 hours (without fever-reducing medicine), and
    • Cough, runny nose, and sore throat have mostly resolved, then add
    • An extra 1–2 symptom‑free days before close‑contact kissing.
  • So in everyday, practical terms, many couples wait about a week from the start of the cold, or 2–3 days after the person “feels normal” again, before going back to deep kissing.

Why timing matters

Cold viruses spread mainly through:

  • Respiratory droplets (coughing, sneezing, talking at close range).
  • Mucus and saliva on hands, cups, utensils, and of course kissing.

Viral load (how much virus is present) is highest early in the illness, then falls as symptoms improve, which is why the risk gradually drops instead of suddenly turning off.

A simple rule of thumb

If you want to be cautious:

  1. Count from when symptoms started , not from the day you realized “oh, I’m really sick.”
  2. Avoid kissing while there is:
    • Fever
    • Active coughing or sneezing
    • Obvious congestion and runny nose
    • Really sore or scratchy throat
  1. Once symptoms are mild or gone, wait another 48 hours before resuming close‑contact kissing.

That doesn’t eliminate risk, but it keeps it reasonably low for everyday life.

What about cold sores (herpes) vs. “a cold”?

If by “cold” you actually mean cold sores (oral herpes), the rules are stricter:

  • Cold sores are contagious from the tingling phase through blister, scab, and healing , typically about 10–14 days.
  • You should not kiss at all (or share drinks, lip balm, or have oral sex) until the skin looks completely normal again, not just scabbed.

So:

  • “Regular” viral cold → usually okay to kiss again when symptoms are gone plus ~2 days.
  • Cold sore on the lip → wait until the sore is fully healed and skin looks normal.

Practical example

Imagine your partner’s cold started Monday:

  • Mon–Thu: high‑risk period; avoid kissing.
  • Fri–Sat: they’re feeling much better but still a little stuffy; risk is lower but still there.
  • Sun–Mon: no symptoms at all; this is when many people feel comfortable kissing again.

If you, or the person you kissed, have health issues that make infections riskier (pregnancy, weak immune system, chronic lung disease), it’s best to be more conservative and follow your doctor’s personalized advice.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.