The Great Chapstick Dilemma

I just started this new internship (which is going fantastically so far) and am lucky enough to intern with two fellow classmates. One of my fellow interns is admittedly very anal, which makes things humorous and fun. Several times a day, my anal intern friend whips out a tube of Aquaphor.

She then frantically pops open the lid and applies it to her lips as if it were a tube of chapstick. It is kind of an odd sight. I mean, the tube isn't small and she is very manicured. It is kind of incongruous. So after two weeks of the other intern (Boy Intern) and I watching her do this, Boy Intern breaks down and says, "What are you doing?"

I, thinking I may know, say, "I love Aquaphor, but it is kind of greasy. Is that why you don't want to put any on your fingers?"

Girl Intern immediately retorts, "Hello...germs!" Boy Intern and I look at her perplexedly and she continues, "Do you know how dirty fingers are? That is so disgusting to put your fingers to your mouth without washing them first. Just think about it."

And so we did. And then I got worried. I never thought about this issue before. Dirty fingers applying chapstick--hmmm. I am a fan of the finger application forms of chappie. Here is one kind I carry with me everywhere--Rosebud Salve:
It has such a cute container and it smells like roses. It is clear yet glossy and I feel girly everytime I use it. So I use it a lot. Brandon has even become familiar with the Rosebud Salve. Sometimes, when I get home and we have our happy reunion kiss, he says, "Oh...you smell so Rosebuddy." To which I nod and say, "I know and don't you love it?!"

And then, I have recently added this finger-smearing chapstick to the chapstick rotation:
A friend gave this to me because she was worried I was becoming addicted to the petroleum in Rosebud salve (And the fact is I may be. I do feel unnecessary urges to use it). This Benetint stuff is fabulous. It doesn't work as well as the Rosebud but it smells even more rosey (I should have said 'rosier', I know) and has a very light tint to it. The Benetint has a certain glamour to it that I can't quite figure out. Sometimes I use both of them at the same time, just because I love them so.

But, these are both finger-swipers. Have I been going about lip moisturizing wrong this whole time? Have I unknowingly put tons of bacteria to my lips just because I love the faint smell of roses?

After contemplating this most serious issue all day, I relayed this story/concern to Brandon when I got home last night. He didn't see the severity of the issue at all. In fact, he laughed. "The mouth," he says, "has way more bacteria than fingers."

I, not being, convinced, say, "Even when you haven't washed your hands in while? Plus...she isn't putting the tube in her mouth."

Brandon just shrugged and said, "I don't know, probably. And while she isn't putting it in her mouth, putting the tube directly on her lips is transferring bacteria."

I contemplate telling this to Girl Intern just to see her reaction. I bet she won't believe me but it might be lively discussion. That is, when we aren't learning how to get pee samples from substance abusing teenagers.

And while I am not yet sure which chapstick is dirtier, or how invested I am in the issue to actually make a change, I will think twice about where my fingers have been before using my beloved Rosebud Salve or Benetint. Stupid germs.