So, I got to thinking about the claims that the anti-viral tissues made: their "active ingredient" kills 99.7% of cold and flu germs. That's a pretty astonishing claim, but were they just pulling the wool over our eyes?

Besides having 3 layers and blue dots on the middle layer, the tissues look exactly like regular ones. The active ingredient in question is supposed to be citric acid, so I came up with a hypothesis:: if it actually existed, it should be taste-able.

I carefully revealed the center layer, exposing the dots, then licked it. Wow, is it ever sour! Apparently the "active ingredient" really is on the tissues. I have no idea what would make citric acid kill germs, but that's another matter.

Another scientific theory tested so you don't have to involves things to shave legs. Having run out of shaving cream at a critical juncture a few months back, desperation prompted me to experiment with things I had around the house.

The first thing I tried was the aloe baby lotion. This does work pretty well, but there are some drawbacks.

pros: does not require water, so you don't have to shave while taking a shower.

cons: smells terrible. clogs the blade quickly. excess lotion is hard to remove and doesn't even wash off easily.

As a last ditch substitution, it worked well enough in a pinch, but it wasn't something I thought of doing on a regular basis.

I pondered what made the baby lotion a good choice, as it was, and decided that its chief positive property was thickness. So I looked about some more and decided to see if a terrible shampoo I never used might serve too: VO5 Balsam and Protein. It does nothing for my hair, but it turns out to be a great shaving cream replacement.

pros: doesn't clog blade even as quickly as shaving cream. provides just about as close a shave as shaving cream. unlike baby lotion washes off easily. relative thinness compared to shaving cream requires less shaving time.

It's nice to be able to quickly shave my legs, then rinse off and go about the day. It makes shaving much less of a production on shorts days, and I can worry about a shower later if I'm out of time then.

We do science experiments so you don't have to. You're welcome.