Baking soda removes buildup from reader's hair

Dear Heloise: I read your column in The San Diego Union-Tribune and saw your hint for removing gunk from hairbrushes using baking soda.
Did you know that baking soda also works great at getting that same buildup off of your hair?
About once a month, I mix a couple of teaspoons of baking soda with a couple of tablespoons of shampoo and wash my hair with that, then rinse well. I follow with a regular lather and again rinse well. This really gets all the buildup off, so I use a deep conditioner when I'm done. I can't remember where I learned this trick -- it might have been from you! Lori Day, La Mesa, Calif.
Lori, this baking-soda beauty hint is an oldie but still a goodie! For more than 40 years, this column has talked about how versatile baking soda can be around the house and what a wonderful, all-natural beauty product it is for hair, skin and many other beauty uses. For these and a bunch of other money-saving hints, please send 4 and a self-addressed, stamped (63 cents), long envelope to: Heloise/Baking Soda, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Hint: Make a stencil of a left and right boot print and grab that box of baking soda. On Christmas Eve, after everyone's sleeping, make "Santa footprints" from the fireplace to the Christmas tree or to the cookies and milk (don't forget to eat the cookies and drink the milk). You'll hear screeches of excitement Christmas morning when the family wakes to see that Santa has been there! Later, vacuum up the footprints. Heloise
Fast facts
Dear Heloise: I create a computer document with all of my family and friends' contact information. This usually will fit onto one or two sheets.
This idea has had many uses, to name a few:
Keep a copy at work, at home and with a trusted friend in case your address book is lost.
When traveling, take with you to send postcards or to contact someone who lives where you are visiting.
Use to create mailing labels for holiday cards, invitations, etc.
E-mail or send the document to family members and friends to update contact information for one another. Teresa DelGiudice, Rutherford, N.J.
Dear Heloise: We have an annual Christmas party with 55-plus people. On the invitation, I ask people not to bring gifts but instead bring items for the food drive. We put a huge box by the front door, and it is overflowing by the end of the evening. We donate it to different food drives, and they are amazed at how much we bring. Kathy and Dave Kellogg, Mine Hill, N.J.
Sound off
Dear Heloise: My pet peeve is narrow pillowcases. They've become so narrow that it's a struggle to get them on standard-size pillows and nearly impossible for plumper ones. Most packages tell us the length -- but never the width. A Reader, via e-mail
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate