Does Rice water help hair growth?

Does it really work? Or is it just a myth?

Don’t worry, you are about to find out!,

I tried out rice water on my hair and I found out a lot of things about it!

Rice water for hair growth is one of the most popular ways that you can ever find to grow hair faster and stronger than it would normally grow.

Asides other fast hair growth ingredients ranging from the Jamaican black castor oil to even onions, none has been more popular than rice water.

Hi there beautiful person!,

Am Jae, welcome to my blog and in today’s post,

Am going to be telling you about my experience using rice water for hair growth!

If you are a natural like me, chances are,

You have probably tried to find ways to make your natural hair grow longer and faster.

Hence the need to try out everything that could possibly work, including but not limited to rice water.

While there are so many things claimed to help you with hair growth,

Rice water applied to hair was claimed to do an even better job for hair growth than others.

It was said that get a positive result,

You had to use rice water on your hair for at least 30-45 days and sometimes even up to a year for noticeable hair growth.

Well I couldn’t wait a year, so I tried it out for 3 months.

Before we dive into the results… here’s what you need to know….

What Is Rice Water? & Does Rice Water Help Hair Growth?

Rice water is the starchy water that is left after the rice has been left to soak or cooked.

Rice water contains starch/carbohydrate, minerals, and vitamins especially vitamins B and C.

It helps to maintain a balanced scalp environment, keeping your hair follicles healthy and repairing damaged cells.

How Long Can You Leave Rice Water In Your Hair?

I did my research and I most resources say that rice water should not be used as ‘leave-in’

It should be left for 30-40 minutes before rinsing it out.

Rice water is nutrient-filled and the amount of protein the water absorbs enables natural hair to grow faster.

I was cautioned to ensure that there is enough moisture present, as too much protein and less moisture could cause the hair to look very dry and brittle, resulting in damaged hair.

How To Prepare Rice Water For Hair Growth

1. Wash the rice properly and dispose of the water.

2. Put the washed rice in a plastic or glass jar along with a clean cup of water.

3. Add essential oils such as vanilla or lemongrass essence or even orange peels to help combat the smell.

4. leave it to ferment for about 1 to 2 days.

5. Sieve out the rice and orange peels from the rice water and dispose of it.

6. Apply it to your hair, massage it to your scalp and allow for up to 45 minutes and rinse your hair.

Does Rice Water Help Hair Growth? | Hair Porosity Type And Rice Water.

The protein from rice water forms a protective coat on your hair which prevents it from breakage

This protective coat is not meant to pile up layer after layer because it will lead to protein overload on the scalp.

If you have a low porosity hair type,

You need to be careful on how long you leave rice water in your hair because the protein and starch in the rice water tend to sit on the hair scalp and once it dries out because it has stayed too long,

It will make your hair become dry and brittle.

The starch from the rice water dries the hair strands, thereby causing the hair to be thickened.

This starchy coating helps for the shine and de-frizzing effect that your hair gets after using the rice water.

What Is The Best Kind Of Rice To Use For Making Rice Water For Hair Growth?

The best rice to be used is plain white rice (organic or non-organic).

You would want to remove any impurities by Washing them before you get started.

Two tablespoons of rice to two cups of water is what is recommended.

Different Ways To Use Rice Water For Hair Growth

Rice water for hair growth can be used in many ways,

It can be used as a shampoo, as a conditioner, or even as a treatment for curly hair, and more.

Care needs to be taken as rice water can dry out your hair, therefore people who have a dry scalp should not use rice water excessively.

According to a case study, the rice water is recommended to be used no more than once or twice a week.

Can You Store Rice Water In The Fridge?

So many people claim that rice water could be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week and still retain its minerals and restorative properties.

In my opinion, it is best to make rice water fresh every time you would like to apply it to your hair.

That way all its natural mineral and nourishment properties are kept intact.

Rice water could easily go bad if left at room temperature for a long time.

It can be stored in a refrigerator after each usage and could last for up to 4-6 days before going bad because it is a natural product that has no preservatives added to it.

How Often Should You Use Rice Water For Hair Growth?

This treatment must be used regularly to be effective, and as stated earlier it takes about a month plus to start seeing beautiful and positive results. 

If you have a forgetful memory, make sure to use a calendar to track your rice water application.

It is recommended not to do the rice water treatment more than once every two weeks, this particular remedy might not be for you.

Rice water does not only protect your hair from heat, pollution or dust, and other chemical treatments.

Nevertheless,

It can help to restore the moisture balance of the scalp and the shafts of the hair, thereby helping one get rid of dandruff as well as a dry scalp.

Fermented rice water is known to have anti-fungal properties that work against dandruff and help to eliminate it from the scalp.

It can be used as a hair mask once or twice a month for a few hours to combat such issues.

What I Didn’t Like About Using Rice Water For Hair Growth

1. It Was Hard To Get Rid Of The Smell

This is one aspect of applying rice water on hair that makes a lot of people run away or even dread the entire process.

The smell of rice water…

It is also one of the main reasons why I stopped using rice water for my hair.

Nobody wants to walk around smelling funny…

Rice water has this smell that you couldn’t get out of your hair even after you shampoo it, it sticks around and only goes after weeks of regular shampooing.

There are so many ways to combat this issue of cos,

For me, I added all kinds of essential oils during the fermentation process of the rice water to alter the smell.

Things like orange or lemon peels, lavender or vanilla essence helped to reduce the smell,

This helped a lot but didn’t stop it.

2. Rice Water Dried Out My Hair And Tangled It

While rice water did work for me and I could see some changes in the length of my hair after about one and half months.

I had a downside that made me stop using rice water for my hair, asides the smell.

I noticed that my hair was tangling a lot more than usual, it would seriously tangle and break off very often which it didn’t do before.

My hair is low porosity and is usually dry, using rice water for my hair made it a lot worse.

If you have high porosity hair (hair that absorbs moisture fast) then you probably won’t experience this problem.

Conclusion – Does Rice Water Help Hair Growth?

Rice water in my experience was quite effective for me when it comes to hair growth.

Although there isn’t any scientific experiment to prove it, I believe it did work for my hair.

It grew up to 4 inches in one month!

Give it a try and see if it works for you.

If you can look past the smell of rice water then you should be fine.

For those with low porosity hair like me, you can try using rice water with a heating cap to maximize its effectiveness and better allow your hair absorb it.

If you have tried rice water before, tell me about your experience by leaving a comment in the comment section below..

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