Have you ever woken from a fabulous night’s sleep, looked in the mirror and screamed: “YIKES, what’s happened to my skin?” Do you sometimes have little breakouts but only on one side of your face? Have you been experiencing blemishes that just don’t seem to be going away, no matter what you do? I’m not talking about acne necessarily, but about the occasional breakouts that come out of nowhere and seem to linger. Let’s talk about a couple of reasons why blemishes appear and what can we do about them.

It can be difficult to determine the exact cause of your breakouts but there are some things we need to be aware of to help banish the blemish! Here are three easy and quick fixes.

Blemish banisher: go hands free
If you’re noticing blemishes on just one side of your face, your phone could be to blame. Mobile phones are a breeding ground for germs; especially now that phones aren’t just phones anymore. We’re constantly swiping our fingers across the face of the phone looking for email, music, directions – you name it. Every time our fingers swipe across that screen we are transferring germs. In turn, every time that phone gets pressed against our cheek we’re pressing bacteria onto our skin, which could lead to breakouts.

Don’t forget, phones have germs coming from two different sources; our hands AND our mouth. And to really get my point across, germs can stay alive on our hands for up to three full hours. So, be sure to clean and sanitize your phone and your hands regularly to help banish the blemishes.

Blemish banisher: pull it back
Despite looking glamorous, long hair can sometimes help contribute to unwanted blemishes. Our hair is exposed to the same unpleasant impurities as our skin, including bacteria and germs. The difference is: we usually wash our face more often than our hair. Hair can become oily and attract dirt and dust, not to mention odors, from our surroundings.

So, if your hair is constantly resting against your cheeks or back, you are may be transferring oil to your skin. And chances are you will develop unwelcome blemishes. ry to keep your tresses off of your face and back as much as possible to minimize contact between your hair and your skin. Try rocking a ponytail: they’re always in style!

Blemish banisher: clean your makeup brushes
If you’re like me, you probably have several different cosmetic brushes and sponges that you use to apply makeup. Some of these make up brushes come with the products themselves and others can cost a pretty penny. But, did you realize that lurking in the bristles of our brushes you will find sebum, dead skin cells and germs? YUCK!

Every time we apply makeup and the brush touches our face we are not only applying the latest shade of blush but also a layer of bacteria that could result in a breakout. Be sure to wash your brushes on a regular basis but, don’t worry, there’s no huge need to invest in expensive brush cleansers; a mild shampoo or antibacterial hand soap will work perfectly well. Massage the soap into the bristles while running under warm water. Then rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear and allow brushes to air dry. By stopping the transfer of bacteria you’re your make up brushes to your skin, hopefully we can stop those blemishes before they start.

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Do any of these ring a bell, are you constantly talking on the phone, sweeping your hair back from your face or are you not really sure when you last washed your makeup brushes? Try these blemish busting tips. Sure, they’re simple but sometimes we need to go back to basics.

Let me know if any of these tips work for you and please share your blemish banishing expertise in the comments section below. Let me know if you have any quick fixes to help with breakouts.

I’ll share more beauty tips soon to help make occasional zits an even less frequent visitor and, of course, we’ll talk about acne too.

Written by beauty expert, Jacquie Carter – Director, Worldwide Outer Nutrition Education and Training at Herbalife.