Germaphobic Utopia

Face masks are meant to exfoliate the skin and cleanse away deep dirt. As a germaphobe, this is a must. There are many pre-made beauty products that can improve the look of your skin, but you can make some face masks on your own. You can actually use a lot of cooking ingredients to make your own face mask, or you may be able to use some of the items you have around your house. I prefer to make my own face masks because I at least know what goes into them at that point. I use all-natural ingredients, which I rinse thoroughly before mixing. If you want to do the same, here are a few recipes you can keep in mind the next time you want to deep clean your face.

Sour Cream and Peach Mask

This may not be the best smelling face mask in the world, but it is certainly one of the easiest to make. Cut one ripe peach into cubes and mash them down with a fork. Add one tablespoon of sour cream and mix it with the peach paste you just made. Apply the mixture to your face and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then wash it off with lukewarm water and enjoy the fresh look. If you do this often enough, your skin will look radiant in no time.

Peach and Lemon Juice Mask

Peel one peach and grate the contents. Then add the juice from half a lemon and a few oat flakes. Stir the mixture together and let it sit for a bit so the oats can absorb the liquid. Once everything has settled, you can apply the mask to your face and let it sit for 30 minutes. Rinse it off, and avoid applying any facial lotion until you allow the skin to breathe. You can moisturize in an hour as desired.

Anti-Aging Face Mask

Mash half of a banana with a fork (minus the peel). Then add one teaspoon of sweet cream and one teaspoon of honey. Mix these together vigorously, using a mixer for the best results. Apply the mix to the face and chest, and leave it to set for 20 minutes. Then rinse it off with warm water and apply skin cream as needed. You can use this solution even when you’re young because it will keep your skin looking its best. No need to wait until you’re in your 60s to slap some banana on your face. Woah, did I really just write that? Yikes!

The Best Skin Care Solution…

The best skin care solution is always going to be a healthy diet. The foods that you eat have a huge impact on the way you look, so make sure you eat the right stuff to keep your face looking its best. Drink lots of water throughout the day, and try to get a full night of sleep every night. If you do all of this, you should be able to maintain a youthful glow for years to come.

What can you do with a health science degree? Make face masks. Duh! In all seriousness, the recipes above provide you with a way to make your own face masks right at home, so you don’t have to worry about those pesky scalp germs anymore. This may not be the most exciting way to spend a weeknight, but it is something you can do to pass the time. Play around with the ideas above and see if any of them pan out for you.

Over the years, I have become incredibly aware of the germs that exist all around me. There is no escaping them, no matter how much you try. Unless you dress yourself like Bubble Boy every time you leave the house, you will inevitably come into contact with germs when you go outside. The key to this is to know where they are and to avoid them as often as you can (without becoming overly obsessed).

In this article, I wanted to discuss some of the unexpected places you may come across germs so that you can minimize your contact with them in the future. If you work in a public setting as a legal assistant, customer service manager, or something else along those lines, these tips can be especially helpful for you. Listed below are some unexpected locations for germs so you can remain as sanitary as possible around them.

Hotel Remotes

The remotes in most hotel rooms are disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. I once had one that was so bad that I literally wiped chunks of shit out from between the keys on it. Some hotels have switched to “clean” remotes, which don’t have any large depressions in them. They are flat on the surface, so the cleaning people can wipe them down for new guests. I’m still not convinced that those things are fully clean, but they are better than nothing. I still wipe them down with a disinfecting wipe before I use them though.

Restaurant Menus

All kinds of people touch restaurant menus throughout the day, and most restaurants only wipe down the menus once in a blue moon. I worked at Buffalo Wild Wings for several months, and I think we only wipe the menus down once a week or so. Those things got really disgusting though, and I know they aren’t the only ones. If you are worried about all of this, try to look up the menu before you go to a restaurant. Then you can say you don’t even want a menu, and you never have to worry about touching it.

Credit Card Machines

ATMs and those little swipe pads at store registers are loaded with other people’s germs. Think about how many fingers have actually touched the keypads since the machine was put into the store. Most stores will not wipe those things down, which means you pretty much have to assume they are full of years’ worth of germs. I don’t really know of a way to avoid touching one of these things other than paying in cash, but then you have to worry about the germs on the currency. I just use some Purell when I get in my car, and that usually works out for me.

Shopping Cart Handles

The handles on shopping carts are sort of like the ATM keypads. Everyone touches them but no one cleans them. That is why I always use the little wipes that stores have by the shopping carts, and I go over every surface I think I am going to touch. I keep a spare cloth with me at all times, just in case the store runs out of them. If you can get in the habit of wiping down a cart before you use it, you will have a better chance at staying germ free in public.

If you really start to analyze the world around you, you will start to see just how many germs there are floating about. Use the tips above to stay safe whenever you are out and about.

As a germaphobe, I really can’t stand the thought of working in a public office where tons of people would be touching my crap at all times. Before my germaphobia really kicked off, I worked as a cashier at Hobby Lobby. That made me use the same register that three other people had used in the day, and it made me touch money all day long. Now I can’t even think about doing something like that. It grosses me out.

In light of my germaphobic development, I went on a quest for some good jobs that would suit my life and my abilities at the same time. Here are some of the best careers for germaphobes that I discovered along the way.

Freelance Writing

I make a living as a freelance writer, which means that I get to work in the comfort of my own home. I can disinfect my work station whenever I want, and I know that I am the only person that has touched my keyboard. People in medical administrative assistant jobs usually share computers, desks, and germs at work, but I don’t have to worry about that at home. I can write on my own computer in peace without having to worry about anyone else messing up my stuff. If you have a talent for writing or at least a general ability to write, you may look into a job like this online.

Telemarketer

Some telemarketers have to work in large call centers, but others get the chance to do all of their work at home. If you could find a job like this at home, all you would have to do is make phone calls all day long. Most work like this is paid through commission, so you will have to be pretty good at sales and marketing if you want to make a decent living this way. I can’t predict what you will make either way, but I can tell you that you will be able to work at home. That should be comforting enough for you.

Phone “Operator”

This may be a little scandalous, but you can make money as a telephone sex operator if you wanted to. I know it sounds “dirty,” but really it’s just the process of speaking to someone on the phone in a sexy voice. You don’t have to be good looking to do this. In fact, you could be a big old bag of lard for all anyone else cares. As long as you can speak the part, you could turn this into a source of income.

To work as a phone sex operator, you will need to have a landline phone. Don’t ask me how I know all this. Just roll with it (LOL). You will basically get paid for every minute that you spend on the phone with a client, and you will be given a fake 1-800 number that redirects people to your phone. That way people never know your actual contact information. Say whatever the person wants you to say in a sexy voice, and then wait for another phone call. If you get good enough at this, you could turn it into a genuine source of income.

Business Owner

If you own your own business, you can determine what you do and don’t touch. If that means making your employees spray Lysol in every room you work in, so be it. You have to take control of your life by all means necessary. This may be the only way for you to do that. Take the time to explore some of the career options above, and you will be well on your way to a rewarding career.

You can’t hide in your home just because you are afraid of germs. Sometimes you just have to face them in public and hope that you don’t get sick as a result of this. I am a germaphobe, and I am proud to admit that. I don’t like touching anything that I suspect may be contaminated. Nevertheless, I have learned to go out in public and minimize my chances of getting sick along the way. This may be a challenge for you to do at first, but you will get used to it over time. Here are some tips to help you stay germ free whenever you are out and about.

Wear Long Sleeves

When you wear long sleeved shirts, you don’t have to worry about touching door handles with your actual skin. You can just roll your sleeves over your hands a little bit and touch something that way. This doesn’t look as cheesy as grabbing a handle with a rag, and it gives you something you can easily wash when you get home. I actually keep a “germ jacket” in my car so I can avoid touching door handles, but that’s just me. You don’t have to be that extreme if you don’t want to be.

Pay with Credit Cards

We all know that money is pretty germy in general, so you may not have any on you from the start. If you do though, try to put it into a bank account so you can just use your debit car for purchases. That way you don’t have to handle any change you get back, and you can pay for whatever you need with your own card. My biggest fear is having to touch those little coin dispensers by the register. They just seem like they’d be oozing with germs. With my card, I don’t have to worry about any of that.

Wipe Cart Handles

If you are shopping in a store, use a disinfecting wipe to get rid of the germs on the cart. That way you will at least know that you have temporarily removed the germs from the areas around your hands. Most stores have little wipes at the front nowadays, so you may not have to bring your own. I keep some in my car just in case, but again, you probably won’t have to.

Be Observant

Probably the best way to avoid germs in public is to just watch the people around you. If you eat at a buffet, watch the little kids that hover around certain areas. I once saw a little girl lick the spatula for the brownies at CiCi’s and then put it back under the brownies. The people behind the counter acted like it was no big deal! Needless to say, I am way more observant now, and I haven’t gone back to CiCi’s since. If you can pay attention to the world around you like a private investigator would, you should have a good chance of remaining germ free.