10 Things You Should Never Share (With Anyone)

Lela London

When you are living with your family or partner, it is easy to mix up the things that you own and use. How many times have you used your sister’s toothbrush before you realised it wasn’t yours?

But, sharing personal hygiene products with your friends or family members, is actually quite risky. Call me micro-phobic but it might even mean you are putting your life on the line. Many medical professionals including dermatologists and microbiologists say there are many items you use on a daily basis that despite looking harmless could be the source of a serious skin disease or other health-related problems. As such, there are some products that you should never share with anyone.
See Also: 10 Hobbies You Should Never Include in Your CV
Check out this list to find out what things you should keep to yourself at all costs:

#1 Toothbrush

Apparently you have to hide your toothbrush well when you are planning to have a sleepover. If any of your friends attempt to use your toothbrush then, they may get sick as your mouth bacteria will be transmitted to their mouth. While your own germs wouldn’t hurt you at all, when you use someone else’s toothbrush you are asking for trouble as this might cause the common cold, strep and many other diseases.

#2 Face Cream

You should never share anything that it is inside a jar including face crèmes or any other hygiene product. When you let others dip their fingers in the jar, it gets contaminated and then bad bacteria can get all over your face or skin. This might cause conditions such as folliculitis and acne.

#3 Earrings

Popsugar

When you allow your friend to borrow a pair of earrings so that she will look good on a night out, you are not doing her a favor. On the contrary, you are increasing the odds of giving her a blood-borne infection this way. If she absolutely must wear the earrings, make sure that you sanitize them with alcohol.

#4 Towels

Mattanditmfunny

Towels are a popular ground for bacteria and fungus to gather. Using a contaminated towel is quite dangerous as it can transmit fungal infections onto your skin such as acne and pink eye. To avoid this, you should always let your towels to dry completely and wash them after three or four uses.

#5 Lip Balm

Even though lip balm doesn’t even look like it could be a public threat, when the same stick is being used by many people it can transfer bacteria through the membranes of your mouth and into your bloodstream. So, if you use someone else’s lip balm, you might catch Herpes, which is an infection that causes painful sores on your lips and even fever and muscle aches.

 #6 Bar of Soap

Stereogum

Contrary to popular belief, bars of soap are not self-cleaning. It may even be the most life-threating hygiene product if it falls into the wrong hands. After a bar is used, it gets covered with little organisms (either harmless or serious pathogens) from your skin. In fact, it gets worse if the soap sits on a wet dish as medical professionals warn this creates moisture that makes it easier for bacteria and other viruses to grow. If you were to use someone’s soap you could expose yourself to the norovirus which results in the stomach flu and other serious illnesses.

#7 Flip-Flops

Marmalade

It is a hot summer day, and you don’t know what type of shoes to wear? Whatever you do, do not borrow your sisters’ flip flops. When sharing flip-flops bacteria can easily travel from one person’s foot to another’s. Since it is one of the most personal items people wear it is best to be avoided as it can allow the molluscum virus to spread to your skin.

#8 Razors

Using someone else’s razor is far more dangerous than you think. Apart from getting possible infections from the bacteria and dead skin cells the razor collects, using a razor that you do not own increases the possibility of getting exposed to serious diseases like hepatitis and HIV. So, it’s probably better if you put that razor down.

#9 Deodorant  

Using someone’s else deodorant isn’t a very good idea. Again, germs and bacteria can be transmitted from one person’s skin to another by contaminated sticks and cause serious infections. While some of the deodorants can kill odor-causing bacteria and protect the skin, most of them just create a layer over the smell, and the germs begin to grow on the stick. Pretty gross don’t you think?

#10 Ear buds

If you ever find yourself in need of ear buds in order to listen to your favorite tunes, you should probably never ask for someone to give you theirs. Several studies have shown that ear buds get contaminated by bacteria from the ears. That gets even worse when you use ear buds during a workout as the moisture encourages more bacteria to develop.

Obviously, sharing is not always caring. If anyone asks to borrow any of these items, you should never give your permission. Have you ever shared any of these things with other people? Let me know in the comments section below...