How to Make Rice Water for Hair – 7 Best Benefits

Rice water is the new aloe vera, yes! It’s amazing for hair, and skin, and can even be consumed. Read on to learn how to make rice water at home and its benefits!

How to Make Rice Water for Hair?

Rice water for hair care is surely an amazing add-on. We often overlook the little things, especially when it comes to your hair’s beauty. We are so drawn and tricked into clever marketing gimmicks that we tend to ignore the natural ingredients available in our homes.

But what if you no longer have to run to get luscious hair and get beautiful hair with just one beauty product sitting in your kitchen right now? Rice is the secret ingredient that strengthens your hair.

The secret dates back to the Heian period in Japan, where Japanese ladies were known to have beautiful, thick, and long floor-length hair.

The Yao women who lived in Huang Luo in China, also known as “the world’s longest hair village,” swear by the secret of rice water rinse. Rice water adds shine, repairs, and strengthens your hair. This is an ancient tradition that the internet discovered, and now it is getting viral for all the right reasons.

Inositol ¹is an ingredient found in rice water, that penetrates damaged hair and repairs it. It protects hair from future damage.

After using the rice water for hair, rinse your hair a few times, it adds bounce to your hair, and it feels fuller and more beautiful. Rice water for hair improves the texture of hair.

Don’t worry when making rice water; nothing goes to waste if you wonder about all the mess. Rice water contains high starch levels, which also acts as a thickening agent when massaged and penetrates the scalp and hair strands.

You can use the rice water for hair and eat the leftover rice, these are some easy DIY remedies.

The starch present in rice water also seals the hair’s cuticle, eliminates the dead ends, makes it shinier, and makes hair feel softer. It also promotes quick hair growth, cleans up the scalp, and gives you healthy hair that grows faster.

Rice water is suitable for all hair types, even for colour-treated hair. Drastic improvement can be seen in thinner damaged hair.

The rice water is the starch that remains after soaking or cooking the rice. Rice grains contain around 75 to 80 percent starch. It includes a lot of minerals and vitamins like amino acids, vitamins B and E, minerals, and antioxidants².

This article will talk about three different methods to make rice water, its benefits, and disadvantages, and some extra tips to make your hair beautiful.

If you are wondering how to make rice water for hair, then the process of creating and using rice water for hair growth is simple. It can be done in simple steps, and you can use any method to make rice water depending on how much time you have-

Method 1- The soaking method

Method 2- The boiling method

Method 3- The fermentation method

1) The Soaking Method

Soaking is the quickest and easiest method for making rice water for hair and hair rinse. You just need organic uncooked rice. You can use any kind of rice white rice, brown rice, or basmati.

STEP 1- Take 1 cup bowl of organic uncooked rice in a bowl and warm water.

STEP 2- Rinse the rice properly and drain it. Now add the washed rice to a clean bowl and put around 2 to 3 cups of water.

STEP 3- Let the rice soak for an hour or two.

STEP 4- Strain the rice and pour the strained water into a spray bottle or any container.

STEP 5- Apply the rice water to washed hair, leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes, and apply your conditioner after washing. Massage your scalp correctly and rinse with regular water.

2) The Boiling Method

The boiling method is similar to soaking, but here we need heat. The rice water for hair left after cooking rice can be applied to your hair. You just need uncooked rice, 2 cups of water, a pot, a filter, and a spray bottle (or any container).

STEP 1- Take ½ cup of uncooked rice and place rice in a pot.

STEP 2- Cook the rice on low to medium flame until the water starts boiling.

STEP 3- Let the rice cook and strain the rice water when it cools down in a spray bottle or any container.

STEP 4-Add a few drops of essential oils if desired.

STEP 5-Apply the rice water to wash the shampoo hair, leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes, rinse out, and apply your conditioner. Massage your scalp properly and rinse with regular water.

3) The Fermentation Method

While the above two methods are efficient and easy, fermentation takes more time. The fermentation method helps to restore and balance the pH levels. This rice water has many antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients. It protects and nourishes your hair.

STEP 1- Take ½ cup rice and 1 cup warm water in a bowl.

STEP 2- Let the rice soak for 30 minutes, then strain it.

STEP 3- Pour the liquid into another container and leave it for 24 hours at room temperature.

STEP 4-Keep the container in the fridge (so that it doesn’t turn sour and leave a stale smell) for two to three days.

STEP 5- Transfer the fermented rice water to a spray bottle or any container.

STEP 6-Apply the rice water to wash hair and sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Cover with a shower cap, rinse out with cold water, and then apply your conditioner. Massage your scalp properly and rinse with regular water.

However, you can use any method suitable for you, apply the rice water once a week to attain the best results for healthy hair.

The goodness of rice saturates the water when soaked for hours. These ingredients make your hair healthy and moisturized when properly massaged into your scalp and hair.

If you have coloured or treated hair and are brittle or dull, rice water may be the answer to healthier hair, promoting elasticity, and reducing friction, leading to shinier, smoother hair.

The starch from the rice soaks the hair strands and makes them thicker. The starch is also attributed to the extra shine and de-frizzes of the hair.

7 Beauty Benefits of Rice Water for Healthier Hair

Rice water for hair also has several beauty benefits, and you should add it to your care regime. It will help enhance your hair and manage hair health without applying any chemicals to your hair.

1) Promotes Hair Strength

Protein is an integral part of a balanced diet, and it also plays a crucial role in keeping your hair healthy. The protein in rice water improves the overall condition of hair faster.

The antioxidants present in rice water are a vital part of hair health, as they neutralize free radicals, which cause stress to hair strands. Minerals and amino acids strengthen the hair and repair them.

2) Shiny Hair

The starch present in rice water provides lustre to dull hair. It makes your hair look smooth and adds shine, all you have to do is leave it on for 20 minutes.

3) Promotes Hair Growth

Amino acids³ in rice water promote hair growth as they support hair regeneration. Rice water is also packed with vitamins C⁴, B, and E to help promote the growth of hair and strengthen the hair shaft.

Massaging the scalp also stimulates blood circulation which adds volume to hair.

4) Detangles Hair Easily

Rice water rinse has amazing properties that soften the strands and make them easier to detangle. Rice water enhances hydration, adds strength, and minimizes split ends.

5) Smooth Hair

It gets challenging to retain moisture in damaged hair, leading to frizz and split ends. Rice water has nourishing proteins that improve your hair’s texture and make it smooth.

6) Forms a Protective Layer Around the Hair

The starch forms a thin protective layer around your hair that keeps the strand safe and benefits hair health. It locks the moisture and minimizes the split ends.

7) Rice Water Promotes Healthy Skin

In addition to its potential benefits for the hair, rice water also benefits skin health, it is a secret weapon for healthy skin. The leftover rice water can be used as a cleanser; it improves your blood circulation and tightens the skin.

Cons of Rice Water for Hair

As there are two sides to every coin similarly rice water has some cons as well-

1) Protein Overload

Rice water contains a good amount of protein that might cause a problem for people with low-porosity hair because they attach to your hair instead of absorbing them.

In the case of high hair porosity, hair absorbs the protein and makes it stronger. The protein that builds up leads to dry hair over time. You should use rice water in moderation to get the best result.

2) Dry Scalp

Rice water treats the scalp but keeping rice water in hair for too long can worsen. It would be best to leave it for longer hours or overnight.

Rice water gives the best result when rinsed on time as hair absorbs the benefits of rice water within a few hours. If you deal with dry scalp or dandruff, you should limit the application and see how your hair responds.

3) Smells bad

Fermented rice water has multiple benefits, but it comes with a disadvantage the pungent smell of the rice water, this can cause a problem as it leaves your hair smelling bad. You should add your favourite essential oil to improve the scent.

4) Consistency

Rice water is one of the products that won’t give you instant results. It would be best if you used it consistently to reap good results. You need to have patience and be committed to making the most of this hair treatment⁵.

The use of rice water is anecdotal evidence of beauty rituals in ancient Southeast Asia culture. There is enough growing anecdotal evidence that rice water is beneficial, but you should do some experimenting of your own and see what benefits you more.

Tips to Keep in Mind

The magical properties of rice water are endless, but there is one thing to look out for. Ensure to rinse off the rice water properly and not overuse it, as the protein in the water drys out your hair if you don’t provide enough moisture.

Start using the rice water twice a week and see how your hair feels. If it feels dry, reduce the usage to once a week and apply a conditioner before applying rice water.

Also, there is no reason to dump the rice after making rice water from it. The rice is edible, and soaked rice takes less time to cook and can be used to eat as it benefits your whole body and hair, and skin. You can eat those rice and use the rice water on your hair.

You can also store the excess rice water and refrigerate it for later. With rice water, it is also essential to do hair massage with coconut oil, olive oil, or any oil of your choice as it promotes blood circulation and hair growth faster. Apply a hair mask and eat a healthy balanced diet to prevent hair loss.

Closing Thoughts

Having healthy hair shows confidence and allows others to see you positively. It speaks volumes about the person you are and how you feel about yourself.

While rice water can have side effects on hair, it won’t be a problem for everyone. You can avoid some of these side effects by simply being careful and researching.

Don’t follow anything blindly, do what works best for you. Make sure to use organic and good-quality rice for healthy hair. Don’t be afraid and give rice water for hair try to get the fantastic benefits.

You might just find something that works wonders on your hair. You are just a few steps away from getting a healthy mane!

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5. York, Katherine, et al. “A review of the treatment of male pattern hair loss.” Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy 21.5 (2020): 603-612. ↩︎

Last Updated on March 8, 2024 by Suchi