 |
| https://unsplash.com/photos/sg7y0ux4fdU |
You wouldn't believe it but my neighbors Lorie and Maya are able to take a bath without using water. Their rare talent is what we need this El Niňo summer water crisis which some folks say is fake news because there really is water in other dams. Anyway, real or fake. artificial or natural, the water shortage can well be solved with Lorie's and Maya's ability.
If they're willing to share it.
I often see them diving on sand or some garden soil and wriggling in it like worms, as if sand or soil were "splashing" all around them as they flap their wings and feathers a bit--like they're really getting all wet. Yes--wings and feathers--because they're birds. And yup, they're my "next door" neighbors, living on the mango tree right beside my house.
If you've been a nature observer like me (most nonjoiners are) you'd see how birds can "bathe" even without water. All they need is "immerse" in sand or soil, and that's it. They do it in water, too. However, though they enjoy it more that way, water's not a big deal. They can do it with or without it, like my friend Bol Jack can.
He can bathe by just using wipes--about 12 cans of them. Sometimes he splashes on 40% alcohol or uses HI-Waterless bathing spray. It's a mix of deionized water, some triethanolamine lauryl sulfate, a little of glycerin and fragrance, some propylene glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, a measure of Methylparaben, Propylparaben, and citric acid, all contained in a bottle spray. Any time you need a "bath" just spray yourself all over with it. Waterless bath.
Sometimes Bol Jack uses coconut water, but it often leaves a sticky feeling on the skin so that ants go after him later. And it's too expensive. A shell costs him P30. It takes 10 shells for him to bathe, so that's some P300 down the drain. Not practical. But at least, he's able to prove that it's possible to be bathing without water.
Ancient Egypt was said to use milk for bathing. It was Cleopatra who did it, if I'm not mistaken. She had her bath tub filled with fresh milk and she soaked herself in it. It reportedly gave her flawless, baby-smooth skin all over. How much is a gallon of fresh milk today? If you have that much money, go for it. If not, go for the spray. Or alcohol.
You may also try the so-called DryBath. Instead of water, this uses a cleansing gel. It claims to remove indelible ink or permanent marker on your skin in 5 minutes or less. But it still uses 3 to 4 drops of water, so it's not really waterless. Well, you can buy water in a 250-ml bottle and use that for DryBath and still have enough left for brushing your teeth and drinking. See demo video below.
So, you see, it's possible to take a bath without water. The present water crisis should not be cause for panic, then.
