Do you have hair that’s feeling limp, or are you desperately trying to grow your hair out? What if I told you that rice water you simply discard when cooking rice may be your secret to strong, bouncy, and shiny hair? Let’s chat about why you need to try a rice-water rinse today, how to prepare one and how to use it the right way.

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Benefits of Rice Water for Hair

The use of rice water for hair originated in Heian, Japan (794 to 1185 CE). Women had floor-length hair that they regularly bathed in rice water to maintain hair length and strength. This practice isn’t just limited to Japan; women of the Yao tribe in current-day China cut their hair once in their life, maintaining their long hair by bathing it in rice water. There’s a reason why this traditional rinse has been used for hundreds of years and is still in use today – it works.

The effect of rice water on hair health is due to the amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants present in the grain that release into the water when uncooked rice is soaked or boiled.

The growing anecdotal evidence, as well as the known impact of individual components, suggest that rice water can:

• Strengthen hair: Rice water is high in protein that repairs damaged hair, reduces hair breakage and improves elasticity;
• Add shine: a lot of women agree that rice water makes dull hair shinier;
• Reduce tangling: the starchy water coats hair shaft and seals the hair cuticle, making damaged, porous locks more obedient and less prone to tangling;
• Promote hair growth: antioxidants nourish and repair damaged cells and support a healthy scalp environment, preventing hair loss and thus helping you maintain hair thickness;
• Improve curl structure.

With so many benefits of rice water, one may be tempted to use it as a regular natural addition to a hair care routine. There are some precautions to beware of, though.