Rice is popularly known as a standard food, but it can also be used to promote healthy hair. ‘Rice Water for Hair Growth’ is a traditionally practiced, successful formula for hair care. Enriched with loads of hair-beneficial vitamins and compounds, rice water offers innumerable benefits to your scalp and hair strands. Looking at its nutritional composition, many companies consider it one of the prime ingredients in the preparation of shampoos and conditioners.
If you are curious to learn more about its benefits and the procedure to make and use it, then read this post. We will cover all the important points that you need to know in order to benefit from this valuable ancient hair treatment.
History of Using Rice Water for Hair Growth
Rice water has been used since the ancient era to make hair beautiful and strong. It was first used in Japan during the ancient Heian period. Women of those times used to apply rice water for hair growth. They had beautiful and long hair that used to reach to the floor.
Word of mouth passed these traditions from generation to generation. With the exchange of cultural practices, more and more people started to learn about this wonderful treatment for hair growth. A lot of study has also been carried out on the significance of rice water. It has a valuable compound, “inositol,” that has the ability to beautify as well as strengthen hair.
Based on the studies, it is found that rice water gets absorbed into the scalp and nourishes hair roots. This action helps in the repair of the broken and damaged hair roots and safeguards them from future damage.
About Rice Water
Rice water looks like a milky liquid. Its consistency is thick because it contains the starch present in the rice. This water is loaded with vitamins and minerals that make it a healthy drink for you.
Rice water has the property to stimulate the flow of blood in the body. Better circulation of blood provides the necessary nutrients to the different cells and tissues of the body. By getting a good amount of blood, your hair cells get adequately nourished. This promotes stronger, healthier, and thicker tresses naturally.
What Makes Rice Water for Hair Growth an Ideal Formula?
As mentioned earlier, rice water has a potent carbohydrate named “inositol” in it. It aids in strengthening the elasticity in hair, repairing hair tissues, and lowering friction at the surface level. This water also contains necessary vitamins that include vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin E, and amino acids that assist in the regeneration of hair.
With regular use of rice water, you can see a significant reduction in white flakes/dandruff in hair. Even after you rinse your hair, inositol remains in the hair for a longer time. It acts as a protective shield to guard your hair against damage and shedding.
How to Prepare Rice Water for Hair Growth?
Rice water can be prepared with the help of two fundamental methods, i.e., boiling and fermentation. Let us see both these methods in detail.
1. Boiled Rice Water For Hair
Boiled rice water is the excess amount of water that is left after you cook rice in water. It is a concentrated form of liquid that has to be used as a hair rinse. It works as an excellent conditioner for your hair.
Ingredients
To prepare boiled rice water, you would require the following ingredients:
- One cup rice, and
- One cup water
Procedure
- Take a container. Fill it with rice. Add water to it for cooking.
- Now boil it for around ten to fifteen minutes (wait for two whistles in the pressure cooker).
- Once the rice gets properly cooked, you need to strain it. This excess water is called boiled rice water. Collect it in a separate container. Let it come to normal temperature. You are ready to use it as a hair conditioner.
- You can use boiled rice for cooking purposes too.
How to Use Boiled Rice Water for Hair Growth?
Now let us see how to use rice water for hair. Take a mug and fill it with boiled rice water that you have prepared using the above steps. To make it more beneficial for your hair, you can add some drops of rosemary or lavender essential oil to it.
Begin by shampooing your hair. Now rinse them with the boiled rice water. Let it stay for ten minutes. All the nutrients contained in the water will sink deep into the scalp and nourish hair roots. You can even perform a gentle massage on your scalp.
After keeping it on for ten minutes, rinse it off your hair with regular water. Do it once a week to see enhancement in your hair health.
2. Fermented Rice Water For Hair
In this method, you need to ferment the rice water by letting the mixture of rice and water sit for twelve to twenty-four hours. The mixture you get after fermentation is termed “fermented rice water.”
This process turns your normal rice water into a potent liquid. It may have an unpleasant smell that you can get away with by adding a few drops of lavender or rosemary essential oils in the diluted form of fermented water.
Ingredients
To prepare fermented rice water, you would require the following ingredients:
- half cup rice, and
- two cups water
- Take a container and add both rice and water into it. Let the mixture stay for thirty minutes.
- Now take out all the extra water from the mixture by straining the rice. You get the rice water. Now we need to ferment it.
- For fermentation, we will leave it for one or two days at room temperature.
- After this time, your fermented rice water will be ready. Place the jar in the refrigerator to prevent it from getting stale. You can easily detect fermentation from the sour smell that comes out of it.
- To make it ready for use, you need to dilute it by adding water to it. The addition of a cup of warm water prior to using the fermented rice water is necessary.
How to Use Fermented Rice Water for Hair?
- Apply the diluted form of fermented rice water onto the scalp. Spread it evenly onto the hair.
- Leave it on for twenty minutes. Now wash your hair with the help of a mild shampoo.
- Perform this procedure once a week.
With regular use, you would find your hair to become glossier, brighter, and thicker day by day.
Amazing Benefits Of Rice Water For Hair Growth
1. Rice Water Promotes Faster Hair Growth
Rice water exhibits remarkable properties to arrest hair fall and also boost hair growth. It has potent amino acids that aid in the renewal process and promote quick growth of hair. In addition to that, rice water has vital antioxidants, such as vitamins B, C, and E, that further assist in the growth of hair.
2. Rice Water Helps Prevent Split Ends
Split ends happen due to pollution and insufficient upkeep of hair that results in an overall deterioration in the hair. The high levels of amino acids present in this water help in rescuing as well as repairing the damage. Rice water has plenty of protein that your hair needs to avoid split ends.
3. Rice Water Treats Frizzy Hair
Due to high protein content in the form of amino acids, rice water works as a remarkable hair tonic. Regular application of it will treat rough and frizzy hair naturally. It smoothens your hair and makes it radiant and silky.
4. Serves As The Best Hair Conditioner
Rice water is a natural hair conditioner. When you rinse your hair with this water after shampooing, it improves the texture of the hair and also enhances its density. Above all, the use of rice water makes your hair healthy and strong. Rice water is a great moisturizer and works as an ointment to treat inflamed skin.
5. Protects Hair From Damage
Hair gets damaged due to a variety of reasons. One of them is surface friction. Rice water has “inositol” in it that can reduce surface-level friction in hair and promote elasticity.
6. Strengthens The Hair Roots
Rice water contains thiamine, or vitamin B1, which reduces stress in the body and strengthens your hair roots. This action reverses hair loss and increases density and bounce in them.
7. Cures Dandruff
Rice water is effective in dealing with a wide range of annoying hair issues that includes itchiness, dandruff, lice, etc. Consistent use of rice water will treat the root cause of these issues, i.e., inflammation. It repairs your hair from the root level.
Fermented form of rice water has a vital mineral, selenium, in it that destroys a specific form of yeast named “Malassezi.” It causes itchiness on the scalp. By destroying this yeast, it aids in restoring the health, density, and shine of hair.
8. Makes Hair Shiny
Rice water is a rich source of amino acids that are responsible for adding luster to your hair. It makes them smooth and adds a natural shine to them.
9. Rice Water Makes Your Hair Easy to Manage
Rice water detangles your hair strands and makes it easy to comb. With regular use of this hair conditioner, you will notice less hair breakage. You will find that your hair becomes easier to manage. This is an ideal hair conditioner for people who have curly and long hair.
10. Deeply Nourishes Your Hair
This healthy concoction of rice and water has good amounts of amino acids that make your hair roots strong and healthy. It repairs your hair roots, improves hair volume, and deeply conditions them.
Frequently Asked Questions About Using Rice Water for Hair Growth
1. Which One To Prefer: Fermented Rice Water or Boiled Rice Water?
Ideally both methods are good, but fermentation enhances the quality of plain rice water to a greater extent. Fermented rice water has an acidic nature. So, when you rinse your hair with this water, it helps in restoring, rejuvenating, and balancing the pH level of your hair.
2. What Is The Benefit Of Fermentation?
The pH of plain rice water is observed to be greater than the pH of your hair. Fermentation is the process that lowers the actual pH level of the rice water so as to bring it down to the level of your hair. In this way, it assists in closing the cuticle and safeguarding the hair.
Fermented rice water improves the existing amounts of nutrients and vitamin levels in it that nourish hair follicles. It helps in the promotion of healthy growth of hair and also enhances the existing condition of the hair.
Fermentation results in the formation of a substance named ‘pitera’ in the rice water. This substance is rich in minerals, vitamins, organic acids, and amino acids. It promotes regeneration of cells and keeps your hair healthy.
3. Can we apply the fermented rice water directly on our hair?
Fermented rice water is very thick, and you can’t use it directly on your hair. So, it requires that you dilute it prior to applying it on your hair.
4. Can rice water deal with hair falling?
Yes. Rice water has inositol and large amounts of hair-beneficial vitamins present in it. When it penetrates into the roots of the hair, then it strengthens them and repairs their damaged tissues. It works at the deeper levels to make your hair strong and healthy.
5. Are there any side effects of using rice water on your hair?
Rice water is a natural treatment to repair, rejuvenate, and nourish your hair. It is safe to be used for long-term use. However, since excessive use of anything can be harmful, it is necessary to adhere to the recommended usage guidelines. It is completely safe to use it once a week. It will not give you any side effects.
Conclusion
Rice water is not just cost-effective but also a purely natural and simple treatment that can make your hair nourished and healthy. Its safe and proven results make it a sensible decision to transition from chemical-enriched hair products to natural rice water. If you desire strong, thick, and glossy hair, then rice water is one of the best hair treatments that you should try today.
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