KEEP CLEAN WITHOUT RUNNING WATER

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You see, all soaps are made by combining a fat and an alkali (usually lye) . . . and baking soda — itself a mild alkali — seems to react with hair oils to produce its own natural, mild washing product. Under the proper conditions, soda will even create a copious lather.

To wash your hair, put two or three cups of soft water into the basin . . . (make sure the liquid is as hot as your scalp can stand!). Add two or three tablespoons of baking soda (NOT baking powder), then bend over the basin and soak your scalp. Comb the soda solution through your hair . . . backward, forward, and sideways. Any dirt will immediately begin to wash out, and — in a short time — will neutralize most of the soda. So after you've combed the solution through your hair several times, throw out the first batch of "soda water" and prepare another. Repeat the combing process, then pile your wet hair on top of your head to let the "bicarb shampoo" work while you take your bath, and brush your teeth.

When you "draw" your bath water, add a heaping teaspoon of soda to that liquid, too. Baking soda is a good cleaning and deodorizing agent, and I believe it has a beneficial effect on any kind of skin. (Pregnant women sometimes use it to relieve the itching sensation caused by their bellies' stretching.) My guess is that the mild alkali combines with skin oil — just as it does with hair oils — to form a natural soap. One thing's for sure . . . a soda wash leaves you feeling clean and refreshed.

After your bath, put a new supply of warm water in the basin, dunk your head again, massage your scalp with your finger tips, then comb out the soda water . . . along with the remaining dirt. You'll have a sweet-smelling, clean head of hair, and there'll be no leftover soap to make your scalp itch.

The key to a successful baking-soda shampoo is soft water, and I've found that I get the best results with melted snow. (Rainwater ought to be equally soft, but I think it may be affected by the containers — galvanized metal, especially — that you catch it in.) However, if you want to break away from soaps and shampoos, just try mixing up a baking soda solution using the softest water you're able to obtain. I can practically guarantee that you'll be pleased with the results!

NICE, BUT UNNECESSARY

There was a time when I felt that a "sponge bath" was something you got in the hospital when you were too sick to make it to the shower. Now that I've bathed out of a basin for 10 years, I realize that showers and bathtubs are nothing more than very nice — but also very unnecessary — luxuries.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Whenever you use a new substance on your skin or scalp, make a small patch test to check for any possible allergic reactions.

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