The Repurposing Life

Benefits of Rice Water

The many beauty benefits of rice water. Rice water is known to help with skin irritation caused by sodium laurel sulfate (SLS), a common ingredient found in many American manufactured health and beauty products. Use this recipe for a rice water scrub to cleanse your face for softer, more radiant–looking skin. Rice water makes a great toner, acne treatment, eczema treatment, and age spot treatment. It soothes irritated skin, and sunburns.

It also makes a great hair rinse. It helps to get rid of dark age spots and to minimize free radical damage from the environment such as sun exposure and signs of premature aging. It softens and makes hair grow healthy. It has been shown to make hair smooth and shiny, as well as help it grow faster.

What is Rice Water?

It is the starch water left over after rice is left to soak or after cooking. Popular in Asia and the Mediterranean, it is a natural skin toner which promotes cell growth, stimulates blood flow and keeps the skin smooth and bright. Among other benefits, it contains vitamins which helps to reduce dark skin pigmentation, minerals which tighten the skin’s open pores, and amino acids which are essential for beautiful hair and skin.

It also contains ferulic acid, a powerful antioxidant, and allantois which contains anti-inflammatory properties. Due to its cooling effect, rice water can be used to soothe a sunburn. Just apply to the affected area and let air dry.

How to Make Rice Water

In these ancient traditions, all of the rice water was made at home, and similar practices can be used today. Rice water is one of those star ingredients that can be easily Homemade. Use a high quality organic rice to ensure you’re avoiding pesticides and fertilizers as much as possible, and you’re good to go.

You can make rice water by boiling rice in water at a ratio of 1:3 for 20-30 minutes, then strain out the residual water. This milky residual water is your rice water. Once you’ve finished cooking, drain the water into a pot or bowl, and let it sit for one day at room temperature to ferment. When it starts to turn slightly sour (that means it’s fermented), boil the water to stop the fermentation process, and let it cool. Once your water is ready, you can simply rinse your face and hair with the water.

You can also make rice water with uncooked rice. Just soak rice in filtered or distilled water at a 1:4 ratio for 20-30 minutes. Then strain the rice and collect the water. You can use this immediately or store it for around 1 day in a jar at room temperature. You can use the fermented or the “fresh” rice water on their own, or you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil, like tea tree, for added benefits.

Ingredients in Rice Water

Aside from hair care, rice water, particularly fermented rice water, also boasts numerous benefits for the skin. Left to ferment, rice water becomes a veritable anti-aging elixir. It’s rich in minerals, antioxidants, B and E vitamins, and traces of pitera. These minerals and antioxidants help to purify and smooth the skin, working to minimize fine lines and decrease the appearance of pores. Pitera is a natural byproduct of the fermentation process.

Naturally fermented rice water contains a similar form of pitera that offers many of the same benefits. It helps to boost cell regeneration, keeping the skin bright and supple. Sourced correctly, rice waters and bran oils also contain linoleic acids, which are fatty acids that offer anti-inflammatory and moisturizing properties which help to keep skin soft and supple. Rice bran can also be refined and used as a gentle exfoliate. Not only does this sweep away dead skin cells, but the rich vitamins and minerals in the rice bran help to leave the skin brighter, softer, and more supple than many other exfoliating ingredients. Here are five beauty benefits of using it on a regular basis.

1. Relieves Acne and Dermatitis

It naturally soothes skin inflammation, rashes and other skin problems. According to a 2002 study from the Department of Toxicology at Vrije University in Brussels, the Belgians found out that patients suffering from atopic dermatitis (known as eczema) were able to improve the condition by bathing in rice water for at least 15 minutes twice a day.

It heals acne and calms the redness of an outbreak as it acts as an astringent on the skin by tightening the pores. It is advisable to refrigerate the water then apply it on the face using a cotton pad. Leave it for at least 10 minutes and rinse with water.

2. Treatment for Damaged or Aging Skin

It helps to get rid of dark age spots and to minimize free radical damages from the environment such as sun rays and aging. It also smooths skin texture, and addresses hyper-pigmentation (known as melasma). Just apply it on your face and neck using a cotton pad and let it dry. Wash it off with water after about 10 minutes.

3. Treatment for Melasma

Melasma (also known as chloasma) is a condition in which brown patches appear on the face. Melasma can be due to hormonal changes during pregnancy or from sun exposure. Women are much more likely than men to develop this condition. The brown or gray-brown patches of melasma appear most often on the cheeks, forehead, nose, and chin. In women, melasma often fades on its own after pregnancy or after an affected woman goes off birth control pills.

Note: Do not combine this treatment with any other chemical or physical exfoliates as it may have too extreme an effect. Before using this treatment test on a patch of skin on your arm first to prevent any possible allergic reaction.

4. Facial Cleanser

You can use rice water to close your open pores as act as an astringent. You need to refrigerate the rice water, then apply it on your face using a cotton pad and gently massage it into the skin for two minutes and let it air dry. Leave it for about 10 minutes and then rinse with cold tap water. Its regular use makes the skin supple, soft, tight and radiant.

5. Promotes Healthy Hair Growth

According to International Journal of Cosmetic Science, researchers found out that using rice water as a hair treatment offered significant benefits such as reducing surface friction and increasing the mass of hair. Rice water helps to detangle and improve hair’s elasticity.

You can use of rice water for rinsing your hair after shampooing. This will improve its health. Your hair will be more manageable and lustrous. After using shampoo and conditioner, rinse your hair with rice water to add shine to it and it also helps to keep it strong, healthy and growing longer.

6. Shampoo

If you are looking for a natural shampoo, then your search ends here. Rice water can be used as a cleanser for your hair. Rich in amino acids, it will improve the volume and strength of your hair.

7. Hair Conditioner

Rice water makes your hair frizz-free as it includes a carbohydrate called inositol. It repairs your hair and protects it from further damage. Use it to rinse your hair after shampooing.

This is achieved by adding rosemary, lavender or geranium essential oil to the rice water and apply on the hair. Leave for 10 minutes then wash it off. It is important since it is rich in amino acids that will improve the volume and strength of the hair. It also balances the scalp’s pH balance as it doesn’t have any chemicals nor preservatives. Cost-effective and easily available, rice water is all you need to get healthy hair and skin, so include it in your beauty regimen now.

8. Add It To Your Bath

Rice water can be used in your bath to relax and rejuvenate yourself. Just add a cup of rice water to your bath along with a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Then, go ahead and soak in.

The History Behind the Trend

Rice water has long been a staple in Asian and European beauty regimens, but you might be discovering it for the first time –the age-old ingredient is currently a top skin care trend in the U.S. We all know rice has been a staple in the diets of East Asian and Mediterranean cultures for centuries. However, for almost as long, rice water and bran have also served a role in cosmetic hair and skin treatments.

Although it feels like it’s just been recently that rice water has been popularized in mainstream skin care products, East Asian women have been reaping its cosmetic benefits for centuries. Most notably are the Japanese court ladies during the Heian Period (794-1185). These women were famed for hair that was so long and healthy it reached to the floor. Historians have discovered that the court ladies used rice water extract, or Yu-Su-Ru, to comb their hair each day.

For centuries following, women in Japan, China, and Korea have been harnessing the power of rice water for hair and skin. For example, the Yao women of Huangluo Village in China still cleanse their hair with fermented rice water. The women boast and average hair length of about 6 feet and don’t develop grey hairs until they’re in their late 80’s. A scientific study in 2010 on this hair care practice revealed that washing hair with rice water decreased surface friction and increased elasticity, resulting in hair that stayed stronger and healthier for longer.

It’s clear that rice has a place not only on your dinner table, but also in your beauty regimen. So, whether you make a homemade hair rinse or let your skin soak up the benefits of a rice mask, your skin and hair will love the benefits of this star ingredient.

Sources:
Rice Water for Skin: Uses, Benefits and Efficacy
https://www.healthline.com/health/rice-water-for-skin
Jan 18, 2019
The Amazing Beauty Benefits Of Rice Water & How To Use It https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/beauty-benefits-of-rice-water/
Apr 22, 2019
Six beauty benefits of using rice water
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/evewoman/article/2001298701/six-beauty-benefits-of-using-rice-water
Rice water for hair: Benefits and how to use it
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321353
Beauty benefits of rice water
https://www.bebeautiful.in/all-things-skin/skin-concerns/10-amazing-beauty-benefits-of-rice-water
Jun 13, 2018
Ingredient Spotlight: How Rice Water Benefits Skin and Hair
https://theklog.co/rice-water/