Rice water for hair has quickly become an Instagram trend that’s making waves on TikTok. It helps enhance elasticity, moisturize the scalp, increase volume, curl definition and add shine and volume.
Starchy water contains essential vitamins and nutrients such as squalene and antioxidants; here’s how you can make your own at home.
Let’s dive into how to make rice water!
Soak the Rice
Rice water is the milky-white liquid left behind after soaking grains of rice overnight, and can be an amazing ingredient for supporting healthy hair and protecting against age. Plus, its inositol is said to strengthen your strands while helping prevent breakage – plus its super easy preparation is all-you-need with just two ingredients!
Mix two or three cups of rinsed, rinsed rice with two or three cups of water in a bowl, leaving it at room temperature for at least an hour for the grains and water to absorb before straining them and saving the excess rice water in bottles or jars for future use. Poosh recommends using this solution once or twice weekly after shampooing your hair to strengthen and condition its locks.
Fermented rice water may provide additional health and beauty benefits. Fermented rice water has been shown to contain high concentrations of antioxidants that may protect against oxidative damage caused by sun or free radical exposure, while inositol and pitera, two byproducts of fermentation processes, may promote hair growth and overall wellbeing.
Research indicates that rice water may help hair, but it should not be treated as an all-encompassing cure-all. Dryness and flaking may occur. But used sparingly in combination with other treatments it may still prove useful – for instance as an after shampoo mist or as a conditioner replacement; plus it works wonders for deep conditioning mask rinse-off or leaving on as a leave-in treatment after towel drying your locks!
Cook the Rice
Rice water, the leftover liquid from boiling rice, can be used as a moisturizer and strengthener for your locks. Packed full of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids which promote hair growth as well as keeping the scalp healthy; plus the starch found within its composition coats your strands for thickening effect and added shine!
Poosh advises that to achieve optimal results when making rice water at home, investing in a concentrate would be wiser as this way, you’d have an easily repeatable formula you could use on more occasions.
Fermenting rice water can add an extra step, amplifying its benefits and making it even more effective. According to Graciano, fermented water has lower pH levels which encourage cuticle retractions allowing nutrients to stay in your scalp longer while also helping prevent protein overload which can lead to brittle hair.
For optimal fermentation of rice water, combine equal parts of both grains and water in an airtight jar and leave at room temperature for 24 hours or longer – it should have a slight sour smell, signifying that acidic molecules are being converted from their previous forms into more neutral molecules that will eventually ferment further. Strain this mixture before bottle for later use.
Rice water should only be applied after shampooing and conditioning, after applying aloe vera or essential oils as a hair mask; otherwise it can simply serve as a final rinse. Just beware not to overdo it – too much rice water may even dry out your strands by depriving them of natural moisture.
Strain the Rice
Rice water for hair has long been utilized by women from different nations as a haircare treatment. Simply speaking, this starchy water left behind after cooking or soaking rice contains many vital vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin B1 and B6, magnesium phosphorus zinc selenium manganese.
To create the ideal rice water for hair, it’s crucial to strain it first. This step helps remove any impurities or residue left after cooking or soaking the grains, creating a more concentrated mix that’s easier for use on your scalp.
As soon as your rice water starts to smell sour, stop its fermentation process and store it away in a Tupperware container, mason jar or any other reusable containers available to you.
One of the primary uses for boiled rice water is strengthening hair follicles. This is because boiled rice water contains high concentrations of inositol, an ingredient proven to strengthen and increase volume in hair strands. Soaked rice water may also help alleviate dandruff issues or other scalp ailments.
Though scientific research on rice water for hair is still in its infancy, many women have reported its effectiveness at improving overall hair health. Rice water can help treat dandruff and dryness while stimulating hair growth and increasing shine – it’s easy to make and worth giving a shot if you want a natural solution for bettering your locks!
Wash your Hair
Rice water is an effective natural hair treatment that strengthens and nourishes strands while imparting shine and stimulating growth. It has also been said to balance pH levels and treat dandruff. You’ll find this starchy milky water left over after cooking or soaking rice; use it plain or fermented; it works with all hair types but particularly well for those with low porosity tresses; apply multiple times each week!
Overusing it may damage the hair strands and trigger flaking on sensitive scalps. The optimal time and way to use a deep conditioner are after shampooing and conditioning the locks with it.
Making yogurt requires either the soaking method or boiling method, with either being quicker. When choosing to ferment it yourself, extra time and patience may be needed if using either option. When choosing to soak instead of boil, citrus peels or several drops of essential oils can be added for aroma and to further aid the fermentation process.
Rice water can be easily applied to both hair and scalp by pouring over both, gently massaging in and rinsing off afterwards. You could even leave it on for 20 minutes as an overnight mask before rinsing it off again!
If you’re just getting started with hair masking, it is recommended to start slowly by applying it a few times each week and see how your strands react before increasing usage. Remember it should not replace shampoo and conditioner but act as an adjunct tool in your routine – after rinsing you should add moisturizer for added benefit.
Rinse your Hair
Rice water for hair has long been used as an ancient beauty treatment that is now becoming mainstream in Western culture. A quick scroll through TikTok will show natural hair vloggers using it regularly in their routines, with celebrities like Kim Kardashian being fans. While it might seem odd that leftover water from cooking rice could provide such incredible benefits for your tresses, this starchy liquid packs an impressive punch, providing nourishment, repairs, better scalp condition improvement and helping reduce dandruff symptoms.
Rice water’s starch can coat every strand of hair, thickening and adding shine to your locks while simultaneously making detangling easier – something which helps prevent breakage and promote healthy growth. Furthermore, its amino acids, vitamins and minerals content make this an invaluable addition to your routine for healthier, shinier locks!
Make rice water for your hair by mixing uncooked rice with enough water to cover it, and straining. Use this rice water as either a conditioner or as an alternative rinse during washing, although some people choose to ferment theirs for extra benefits – removing enzymes such as Thiamine Amylase which may contribute to dandruff in some people during fermentation process.
Fermented rice water can be stored in the fridge for several weeks and used as a daily rinse, added to shampoos, conditioners and other haircare products or as part of facial masks or scrubs for facial treatment and soothing moisturizer.
