I’ve been trying my best to bring myself good beauty karma – I’ve been religiously washing my face before bed, gifting beauty products to friends and family in need, and spewing advice.  But sometimes, no matter what you do, a beauty emergency finds you.  With all the travel I’ve been doing lately (LA with friends, and Albuquerque to see my new niece), it was only a matter of time before I got a dreaded cold sore.  Cold sores are the worst.  But where do they come from, and how can we get rid of them?

According to WebMD, cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). The herpes simplex virus usually enters the body through a break in the skin around or inside the mouth. It is usually spread when a person touches a cold sore or touches infected fluid-such as from sharing eating utensils or razors, kissing an infected person, or touching that person’s saliva. I notice that I tend to get cold sores when the weather is irregular and when I fly (there’s something about that airplane air that ain’t kosher).