How to use Rice Water for hair growth – Step by Step.

The use of Rice Water for hair growth has been for the past few years the in thing in the world of health and beauty. Be it natural or treated hair, you can use it to better your hair health as well as the length. Never heard of it? Well you are in the right place to get information about what the hype is all about right from where the whole idea came from.
Contents
Short history.

Yao women – Rice water for hair growth
The idea of using rice water rinse for healthy hair and growth has for decades been implemented by the Yao women from Huangluo (Long hair village) in the Guangxi region of China. They are known to have the longest and beautiful shiny hair in the world. They even appeared in the Guinness book of World records. Their hair is their most priced possession and is cut only once in their lifetime, at 18, and gifted to grandmother who then gives it back to her after her wedding to wear it as extension alongside her natural hair.
Benefits of Rice Water
Rice water is known to have a lot of benefits including Hair growth, removal of hair lice, treating dandruff among others. Here is a short breakdown of the components and the benefits.
- Vitamin A – Nourishes the scalp and hair by helping in the production of sebum which strengthens hair to reduce breakage.
- Vitamin C – Helps in the creation of collagen, a protein that protects the cells within the hair follicles.
- Phenolic compounds – Help minimize free radicals damage by protecting the hair from harsh weather conditions like extreme heat and cold.
- Flavonoid – Promotes hair growth by improving blood circulation through strengthening of the capillary walls of the blood vessels that supply hair follicles.
- Ferulic Acid – Prolongs the growth phase of the hair cycle and boosts the functioning of antioxidants such as Vitamin A, C and E.
- Allantoin – Helps moisturize the scalp improving its softness and elasticity. Also, helps speed up wound healing.
- Inositol – Also known as Vitamin B8 strengthens the hair follicles by helping in moisture retention thus preventing hair breakage.
In a nutshell, the compounds found in rice water prevents hair breakage which in turn promotes hair growth and the presence of Allantoin may help sooth scalp wounds caused by scratching due to dry scalp or dandruff.
How to prepare and use Rice Water
Rice water can be used as a final rinse, deep conditioner or leave in conditioner. It can be prepared in 3 different ways namely :-

Fermenting rice water
- Fermenting
- Soaking
- Boiling
FERMENTING.
In this method, you will need :-
1/2 Cup Rice of your choice
2-3 cups of water, purified, distilled or tap water.
A clean container, preferable glass with an air tight lid.
Method.
- Wash the rice thoroughly to remove impurities like dust and pesticides. You can rinse it multiple times until the water is clear. We just want what’s in the rice and not outside.
- Put the rice into the container and add the measured water in it. Cover it with the lid and let it stand at room temperature for 24 – 48 hours.
- After the given time, stir the rice so you can get all the nutrients and use a strainer to sieve the water through into another clean container. You don’t want rice on your hair, right lol. Voila! Ready to use and feel free to cook the rice.
Note: After fermentation, if you are not ready to use immediately, you should store the water in the fridge to stop the process.
USAGE.
1. As a final rinse.
– Do your regular wash routine.
– You may need another container to tap the water so you can rinse twice for better penetration. On clean hair, soak the ends of your hair in the rice water for a minute or so (These are the oldest and weakest part of your hair.).
– Pour the water on your hair preferably from back to front for better tapping.
– Repeat once or twice with the tapped water and proceed with your after wash routine.
2. As a deep conditioner.
– Follow the final rinse steps and after repeating with the tapped water, squeeze the water out a bit with your hands so that it isn’t dripping a lot.
– Wrap your hair with a plastic cap or foil and go about your business for a few hours or sit under a dryer on medium heat for about 30minutes then rinse off with lukewarm water and proceed with your after wash routine.
3. As a leave in conditioner.
– Put rice water in a spray bottle and add a few drops of essential oils like Litsea Cubeba, Peppermint, Lavender, Lemongrass, Tea tree, Rosemary just to mention a few.
– Shake well and spray on clean hair after your normal wash routine just before applying your routine products.
To maximize results, use rice water once or twice a week and if you take longer to wash your hair, use it every time you do.
BOILING.

Washed rice ready for the next step.
In this method you will need :-
1/2 cup rice.
2-3 cups of water .
Pot for boiling.
Strainer.
Clean container.
Method.
– Wash the rice thoroughly to remove impurities until the water is clear.
– Put in the pot and add the measured water.
– Bring to boil for 20 – 30 minutes until the water turns into a milky white liquid.
– Strain it into a clean container and let it cool. Voila!
You can use this rice for a pudding by adding some honey, cinnamon, raisins and milk.
USAGE.
You can use this as a final rinse or as a deep conditioner.
SOAKING
In this method, you basically use the proportions and preparation of the fermenting method but instead of letting it stay overnight, you let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour and you are good to go.
I would however recommend the fermenting or boiling method because they tend to release most of the needed starch as compared to the soaking method.
USAGE.
You can use this as a final rinse, deep conditioner or leave in conditioner.

Toner
Tip – You can put a small amount of the rice water in a small bottle, add 2-3 drops of essential oils like lavender and rose and use it as a facial toner. To use, shake the bottle to mix well and use a cotton pad to apply on your clean face. No need to rinse off.
Personal experience.
I have used the fermented method a number of times and my hair felt silkier and softer compared to the other times when i had a normal rinse. For growth, i`m gonna have to give it some time and practice this rinse as regularly as possible then i can give a feedback .
I mostly did the deep conditioning and leave in method because i think it works best considering what the commercial deep conditioners state as the directions of use. Rise water rinse is worth a try since it is inexpensive, readily available and easy to prepare.
Bottom line.
Rice water for hair growth has been a hype in the hair and beauty areas for a while now but most of the evidence of its benefits are anecdotal. There are several before and after photos and videos about the benefits of rice water but we cannot be sure if it is only because of the rice water or other factors like genes and regimen also contributed to the changes especially the growth part.
That said, the Yao women have been practicing it for generations for their hair health and growth but what we really don’t know is whether their hair grows that long primarily because of the rice water practice or other factors like genes, environment or diet also contribute.
There isn’t a conclusive study that claims that the rice water practice is the reason why Yao women have such hair and the evidence is anecdotal.
All in all, rice water as we have seen has many benefits for the hair and it won’t hurt to give it a shot.
Have you done a rice water rinse before? For how long and what was your experience? Feel free to share your experience or concerns in the comment section or you can contact me. I will be glad to write back.
Calleb Majiwa
Great read. I’ll definitely give it a shot 🙂
Janet
Thanks Caleb for reading through. Im glad you found some helpful information.
Waceke
Waceke ,
It was great to read it.Great ideas , am going to try it soon.l will pass it on to some Friends….?
Janet
Hi Waceke, thanks for stopping by. I´m glad you found useful information here. Ofcourse you can foward the ideas to your friends. I will be glad to read their reviews if they wish to share.
Angela warui
Wow this is interesting I have problems with my hair been hearing of rice water but neva this good about it even the procedures are well explained..Thanks Janet can’t wait to undo my hair and use this hair recipe
Janet
Hi Angela,thanks for stopping by and i´m glad you found useful information here. Check out the other articles on the Blog, you might just find what you are looking for. If not, feel free to contact me and we can see where to start. 😉
Mercy
Woow. Must give this a try starting now. Will defiinately send You pics . Be blessed Dear and Thanks for Sharing.
Janet
Hi Mercy, thanks for stopping by and i`m glad you found some useful information here. I will be glad to see and read your reviews. Be blessed too and watch out for more!
Carol
I think this is what I should try.does it smell when used as leave in?
Janet
Hi Carol, thanks for stopping by and im grateful you found something useful here. As a leave in, you should add afew drops of essential oils, this will adress the smell part and also, the moisturizing products that you use after spraying will “swallow” the smell. I will be glad to know how this works out for you.
Joanne Ogunah
Wow! I have never thought rice water would have all these benefits! I will definitely try this.
PS: In fermentation method, after 48 hours wont it have some smell?
Janet
Hi Joanne, thanks for stopping by and i´m glad you found some useful information here. Even after 24hrs, it will start to have some smell but since its a rinse, the smell will go after you apply your styling product. Note that the one to be used as leave in has some essential oils in it 😉 That deals with the smell. I hope this response was helpful.
Mical Atieno
Good stuff! For maintenance of healthy long hair. This ‘ll be of great help. Cheers!
Janet
Thanks Mical for reading through. I am happy you got some useful information here to better your hair health.
Susan munge
Have never thought of such..wow..will give a try and give feedback.Now I know.
Janet
Thanks for reading through and i am glad you found some useful information.Yes Susan, that rice water that we waste away could actually help our hair! I will be glad to read your review after you constantly use it for some time. T
Tracy
Hi Janet! Your website it truly beautiful, the color scheme and photos are great. It’s easy to find your way around and easy to read. There is some really useful information, I know you will help many people with their hair. I really enjoyed the article on the rice water and all of its benefits. I am going to give it a try as a leave in conditioner. Have a great day!
Janet
Hi Tracy, thanks alot for stopping by and i am glad you found some useful information. Thank you for the motivation to keep adding content to help people. I`m glad you found something to try out. cant wait for your feedback. Have a great day too.