For the most part, I have decent skin. I never wear makeup to bed and I know what products work for me and stick to a routine.

Sure, I get the odd breakout but it never lasts too long. One issue I do struggle with is painful mega-zits that take up half my chin. Every few months one will resurface, angry and taunting, making its presence known. They typically last for up to a week and are associated with hormone changes (for me, anyway).

I got another one of these this week and rather than wait for it to run its course, I tried a new approach. I am pleased to report that it cleared up in two days!

Even better, I used products I already had at home.

If you’ve ever had one of those pesky pimples, read on.

I started by using my Clarisonic with the Deep Pore Facial Cleansing brush head attachment, loaded with African Black Soap to wash my face. For my usual cleansing routine I use a Vitamin C cleanser in the morning, and an oil cleanser at night. I use black soap as a spa day treat on weekends. Instead, I used the black soap twice a day and pretty much immediately saw a difference in the size of my pimple.

But that wasn’t all!

I then applied my all time favorite mud mask, the Sephora Collection Purifying and Mattifying Mud Mask to my whole face, and washed it off after 20 minutes. The difference this time was that I put a little bit on the zit as a spot treatment and left it on overnight.

And by the following evening the invader was evicted!

If you’re on a budget, you can find off-brand dupes of the Clarisonic in your local TJ Maxx or Marshall’s, or get a Vanity Planet spinning brush system. If you do go with Vanity Planet, there are dozens of coupons online you can use to get a significant discount.

I’m thrilled that this method worked for me. If you’ve ever dealt with those chimples (chin pimples for the uninitiated), give it a try and let us know what you think. Be sure to let us know what blemish-banishing tools you have in your arsenal in the comments!