There have been so many theories about the uses of rice water both as a skin treatment and as a hair treatment and although none of this has been proven scientifically, it has not stopped people from trying it out. I personally believe this theory because I have experienced the result firsthand. In this article, we are going to be looking at the benefits gotten from rice water for hair treatment.

How To Use Rice Water To Enhance Hair Growth

What is rice water?

Rice water is the starchy water left after cooking rice or after the rice is left to soak. It is basically fermented water that is used as a beauty treatment. The use of rice water as a hair treatment didn’t just start today. It has a very long-standing history.

Women in Southeast Asia, China, and even Japan have used rice water for centuries as skin, face, and hair treatments. Particularly, the women from the Yao ethnic tribe in China are known for their lengthy hair of about 6fts. These women also do not get grey hairs till their late 80s. They attribute this to fermented rice water as they normally bathe and rinse in it. Today this tradition has resurfaced and has been widely accepted because of its benefits.

The rice grain contains 75-80 percent starch. This starch is evident in the rice water together with other minerals and vitamins found in the rice grain. They include vitamin E, B vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and antioxidants.

Benefits of Rice Water

Now to the benefits. Rice water has proven to have a lot of benefits. These benefits include:

Makes the hair shine
Makes the hair stronger
Makes the hair smoother
Helps to detangle hair
Helps the hair to grow longer.
It has also been proven that rice water helps to reduce friction between hair strands and also enhances its elasticity. The carbohydrate inositol in rice water helps repair damaged hair even after rinsing.

How to prepare rice water.

There are two different ways to get rice water that can be used for the hair. We have the boiling method and the soaking method.

Boiling Method

The boiling method as the name implies; involves boiling the rice and sieving out the water. You just need 1/2 cup of rice and about 2-3 cups of water. Firstly, the rice should be washed to remove impurities then cooked in boiling water. After that, it is strained and allowed to cool before use.

Soaking Method

The soaking method is the easiest method and less stressful. Firstly you wash the rice to remove impurities. Place the rice (1/2 cup) in a bowl of water (2-3 cups). Leave to soak for 30 minutes then strain.

Rice water could be either plain or fermented. Studies have shown that fermented rice water is more effective than plain rice water. It shows that fermented rice water contains a higher amount of antioxidants which are essential in the treatment of skin and hair damage. Fermentation of rice water helps balance the pH of the hair and also strengthens the hair follicles.

How to make fermented rice water

Making fermented rice water isn’t hard. The process entails leaving the rice water gotten to stand at room temperature for 48hrs. A warm temperature aids the fermentation process. An alternative method is this, during the soaking method leave to stand for 48hrs before straining. Then use. Some suggest boiling the fermented rice water but that is optional and dependent on choice.