Rice water for hair 101: History, benefits, how to make it and how to use it
Rice water is one of the fastest-growing hair phenomena in the natural hair community. There are thousands of videos on youtube teaching you how to make rice water, black rice water, mask the smell of rice water and so much more. Let’s just say the proof is in the pudding because rice water works. However, I bet you’re wondering how does it work exactly?
HISTORY:
In brief, rice water is used by the Yao Tribe in the Huanglu Yao Village in China The women in this village are referred to as Rapunzel because all of the women have long, black, and beautiful hair. They attribute the health of their hair to the use of rice water. It has been used for centuries and passed down from generation to generation.
BENEFITS:
Rice water contains amino acids, inositol, and magnesium.
AMINO ACIDS – Protein is the building block of our hair as it is made up of 90% protein. The amino acids can repair any broken hair strands. As well as, fill in the broken areas on the hair strand so that it can be whole again. Therefore, allowing our hair strands to be strengthened to stand up against any form of damage such as breakage.
INOSITOL – The chemical found in rice water is inositol which increases the hair’s elasticity.
Elasticity is important as It tells how strong and flexible the hair strand is. If your hair curls back into its natural pattern after being stretched out quickly, your elasticity is fine. However, if it doesn’t like most of us, we need an efficient and effective treatment.
MAGNESIUM – Our hair is prone to a lot of build-up from products, oils, dirt, and even the water that we use. Magnesium helps with dissolving the particles that are building upon the scalp and hair. And as such, allowing the hair strand to be free to function normally. Also, it allows the hair follicles to be free to produce hair growth even faster.
HOW TO MAKE IT:
What you’ll need:
- ½ cup of rice
- 2 cups of water
- Spray Bottle
- Strainer
- Bowl
- Funnel
- (optional – essential oils to mask the smell)
What to do:
- Wash the rice until it is clean.
- Place rice in 2 cups of water to bring it to a boil
- After, strain the rice into a bowl.
- Then, funnel the water into your applicator bottle (you can add essential oils if you like).
- Let it sit in a warm room or dark area for 24 hours to ferment.
- After, it’s free to use on your hair.
HOW TO USE IT:
The rice water can be used on wash day as a treatment.
After you shampoo your hair, spritz the rice water in the hair to saturate it.
Let it sit for anywhere between 15 to 60 minutes.
Then, rinse to condition and deep condition as usual.
To see the maximum benefits, ensure to do the treatment frequently such as 3 times a month.
Comment below, have you ever used a rice water treatment on your hair?
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