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...
