Rice Water: Top reasons why you should (or shouldn’t) add rice water to your hair care regimen

Does rice water help with hair growth?  

This is by far one of the most controversial questions regarding the usage of rice water…does rice water help with hair growth? Although there haven’t been any scientific proof that rice water makes your hair grow, some people have indeed seen better hair health with rice water. Rice water is a great DIY method to strengthen your hair. When using rice water, I noticed a significant amount of reduced hair shed; entailing healthier, stronger hair. Especially for women, such as myself, suffering from post partum hair loss, (or any hair loss in general,) rice water definitely aides in getting your hair back to it’s pre-partum state.

Washing your hair with rice water may be too much of a protein-induced cleanse for some, (depending on hair density, texture, etc,) but a rice water rinse is what’s most effective. You can either pour rice water into an applicator bottle and apply it directly to your scalp or you can put it in a spray bottle to reuse it often. You can leave the rice water in your hair for up to 30 minutes and do a cool water rinse. Leaving it in any longer won’t aide in any better results; you’ll have the same outcome which is healthier, stronger hair. If you do plan on keeping rice water in a spray bottle; it’s best to either combine it with some of your favorite essential oils for a daily conditioning hair spray or you can store the rice water in your fridge for up to three days in an air-tight sealed jar for prolonged freshness. Storage for more than three days may reduce the effectiveness of the rice water. The spray can be used as a leave-in conditioner, especially while wearing a protective style, such as box braids.    

Types of rice water:

The most common and cheapest rice water is made from organic White Rice, but the most effective and a little more costly is Black Rice. If your hair is protein sensitive, feel free to dilute your rice water with distilled water to get the same benefits. For every one cup of rice water, dilute it with half a cup of distilled water. Feel free to increase the distilled water amount if the rice water is still too strong. Adding essential oils can also aide in decreasing the potency of rice water. 

Have you tried rice water yet? Tell us your steps below and feel free to incorporate some before and after pictures in the comments!