We get it. Scooping out moisturizer with a Q-tip instead of your fingers certainly seems more tedious. You may be wondering then, is using our fingers really all that bad? In a 2015 scientific review published in the Journal of Dermatological Science, the study team looked at various research articles published between 2008 and 2015 regarding the human hand microbiome. Across 11 studies, findings revealed that human hands harbored an average of eight to 24 different families of bacteria. The researchers noted that people who work in restaurants or medical facilities are at an increased risk for carrying hand pathogens, such as antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli bacteria.
Okay, but washing our hands before sticking our fingers into our tub of hair gel will fix this problem, right? While the researchers noted that some studies have shown hand-washing and the use of hand-sanitization products can decrease hand-pathogen count, other studies have shown that frequent hand-washers or users of these products may actually harbor more hand pathogens. According to Allure, even if you or a buddy were to clean your hands before using bathroom products with open tops, germ transfer is still likely to take place.