— Henry in the Texas Hill Country

Dear Heloise:

Fidgety kids and crying babies can make an airplane trip a nightmare for parents and other passengers. With summer vacations coming soon, have you got any hints for parents of little flyers? Is it appropriate to offer to help?

Henry, first, it’s all right to offer to watch someone’s child when the parent needs to go to the restroom or just stretch the legs, but entertaining a child is really the parent’s job, and some don’t want strangers doing that for their little ones. However, there are a number of things available to entertain children:

Coloring books and crayons.

Use finger puppets to tell a story. Mini board games. Read to a child.

— Heloise Dear Heloise:

I work in a salon that caters to some very wealthy and influential patrons who can afford the services we provide. However, there are a few secrets we have that any woman can do at home to save a bundle:

Dilute shampoo and conditioners: Pour 1/3 water into 2/3 product. If you shampoo every day or every other day, you don’t need to lather your hair more than once.

Olive oil: Pour olive oil into your hand (about the size of a silver dollar) and massage through your hair. Put a towel around your pillow and sleep with the oil on your hair overnight. Next morning, shampoo the oil out, and use a conditioner rinse. Your hair will feel softer and less dry.

Dry skin: Mash an avocado (minus the skin and seed), then add three drops of olive oil and mix. Apply to your face, then lie down and relax for an hour. After one hour, wash off your skin.

Mature skin: Use vitamin E oil where your skin is the driest (around the eyes, throat, etc.), or use as a nighttime application all over the throat and neck.

Never sleep in your makeup, and drink plenty of water. Your skin will thank you.

— Susette N. in New York Dear Readers:

If you love sunny days, you might find this interesting:

The inner core of the sun is the hottest part and can reach a temperature of 27 billion F.

The sun rotates every 25-36 Earth days.

Solar flares occur when magnetic fields of the sun collide, which causes huge explosions on the sun’s surface.

— Heloise Dear Heloise:

I finally found a way to avoid the mess bacon creates. I save the daily newspaper, fold it three times, wrap a paper towel around the newspaper and lay it over the bacon when I microwave it. When done, I remove the paper towel and newspaper, which has absorbed the grease, and throw it away.

— June B., Abilene, Texas

June, I do the same thing, but without the newspaper, because there is a possibility, if using high heat, that it could ignite.

— Heloise