Rice Water For Hair: How to Make It and It's Benefits

What if we asked you to get rid of all your expensive, chemical-laden beauty products? Yup, we are referring to the exceptional assortment of potent formulas that comfortably sit on your shelf. Understandably, you'd think we've gone absolutely bonkers. But, how about this—there's a multi-purpose, magic ingredient lying in your kitchen that can work wonders on your skin and hair (we promise we ain't lying). 

While there are umpteen DIY concoctions to treat complex hair concerns, fermented rice water can grant your hair some major TLC. So, if you've been throwing out the water used to rinse or cook rice, think again. "Rice powder, granulated rice, and rice water offer a multitude of benefits for your skin and hair. Boasting of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants, rice water single-handedly outweighs the benefits of chemically-dense hair products," informs Nandeeta Manchandaa, Founder of Enn's Closet. 

 

 

Although the trend has gathered attention in current times, using rice water is in no way a recent discovery. In fact, the use of rice water for hair goes all the way back to the Heian period in Japan—794 to 1185 CE—where the floor-length hair of South-Asian women was seen as a sign of health and vitality. If we've managed to convince you about its effectiveness, let's get onto the process of preparing rice water: 

 

1. Take a cup of rice and rinse it thoroughly to get rid of any preservatives.

2. Soak the rice in 4 to 5 cups of water for approximately 10-12 hours.

3. Strain the rice water and use it to wash your hair.

4. You may also add the fermented rice water to a spray bottle to use as a hair nourishing spray.

 

Benefits of Rice Water For Hair

 

It Makes Your Hair Smoother and Shinier

 

Enriched with Vitamin E and amino acids, rice water provides nourishment to your strands and lends a shiny, lustrous finish to dull, lifeless hair. 

 

It Helps Detangle Your Hair

 

Rice water makes your hair more manageable and aids in detangling, thus causing lesser breakage of hair. 

 

It Promotes Healthy Hair Growth

 

The simple homemade recipe can also boost hair growth and strengthen your tresses, provided regular use. It is also known to soothe the scalp and improve hair texture. 

 

"The usage and preparation of fermented rice water are safe and easy, and research supports the plethora of benefits it lends to the hair," claims Manchandaa. Studies indicate that inositol—an ingredient found in rice water—can penetrate deep into damaged hair and repair it from the inside out.