23 Feb, 2021

8 Rice Water Benefits You Didn't Know

By Tiffany Walker

Rice water is a trending ingredient in natural hair products these days, and for a good reason. There are many reported rice water benefits, and one of the best things about it is that it's a very natural hair treatment that’s been around for centuries.

If you’ve ever wondered how women from Asian countries like China and Japan keep such long, beautiful tresses looking so fly, you might have just stumbled upon their secret. You lucky girl, you!

Rice Water Benefit 1: Helps Alleviate Dry Skin

While the beauty market is flooded with multiple hair treatments designed for every hair type, Mother Nature has had her own solutions—since forever! Okay, perhaps not forever, but a very long time. In fact, Japanese women have been using rice water to alleviate dry skin for probably more than a thousand years, possibly longer.

There’s a chemical compound known as sodium lauryl sulfate that’s commonly found in various types of detergents and shampoos. The problem with it is that it tends to dry out your skin. So, in order to restore moisture in your skin, you can rinse your face using cold rice water! Who knew?

Ideally, you should do this twice per day. As an added bonus, it also helps clean your skin’s pores and leaves your skin feeling soft yet firm and tight. That makes rice water a great anti-aging treatment to boot, at a fraction of the cost of certain commercial beauty products.

Rice Water Benefit 2: Treats Damaged, Aging Skin

Over time, especially if you’re exposed to lots of sun, the UV light causes free radicals in your system that start to systematically degrade the skin. As you age, unsightly dark spots can develop.

By using rice water on aged and/or damaged skin, you may be able to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation, achieve tighter skin, and uncover a beautifully fresh texture reminiscent of porcelain.

Rice Water Benefit 3: Relief from Acne and Dermatitis

If you suffer from any skin conditions like acne, rashes, or even inflammation, rice water could potentially be used to alleviate the symptoms of a range of problematic skin issues

According to the Department of Toxicology at the Vrije University (based in Brussels, Belgium), the results of their 2002 study is conclusive. If you suffer from atopic dermatitis, you can alleviate it by taking a 15-minute “rice water bath” up to two times per day.

Granted, you’d need a substantial amount of rice water to do this, but it’s still a natural treatment that’s likely to have few side effects if any. Thankfully, you only have to add “some” rice water to the bath and not bathe in a tubful of the stuff. Even so, if you’re doing that twice per day, you might find yourself cooking more rice than you can eat! Homemade sushi, anyone?

Rice Water Benefit 4: Facial Cleanser Replacement

The combination of vitamins and minerals that’s found in rice water is great for your skin. In fact, regular usage may well leave your face looking so radiant. Everyone will be asking you what your secrets are!

Simply massage your skin a mere 2 minutes with a slightly dipped cotton ball, and you’ll discover skin that’s clean, soft, and supple. In other words, thoroughly revitalized!

Rice Water Benefit 5: Helps Reduce Dandruff

Since rice water has all these amazing benefits for your skin, it’s become an even more popular hair treatment to address damaged hair and improve overall hair elasticity.

If you’re wondering how to use rice water for hair, consider using it to alleviate a dry scalp. Applying a DIY rice water hair treatment, or one of the many rice water hair products on the market, to your scalp on a daily basis has been shown to reduce dandruff. A regular rice water hair rinse actually prevents the formation of dandruff, resulting in a cleaner, healthier scalp. Just be careful and use with moderation, otherwise, you could achieve the opposite of the desired effect, and dry your scalp out even more.

Rice Water Benefit 6: Promotes Hair Health

There have been many anecdotal accounts on social media with published videos documenting the use of rice water for hair retention. The science behind this is the fact that rice water treatment contains a variety of vitamins and minerals that are essential to healthy hair, alongside its protective anti-aging benefits. Just be sure to do a patch test first because there are some potential side effects of rice water on hair.

Rice Water Benefit 7: Say Bye to Lice

Strangely enough, rice water is reported to get rid of lice and nits, virtually instantly. Who knew? Something about the little buggers not liking all the starch and it being lethal to them. We’re not quite sure how it works, but hey… if you have a lice problem it certainly can’t hurt to try it!

Rice Water Benefit 8: Helps Condition Your Hair

Japanese women have known about the benefits of rice water on hair for ages. Though some women elect to use just plain rice water, others prefer to mix it with one or more choice ingredients. You can mix rice water with things like rosemary, geranium essential oil, and even lavender. Or, find a trusted organic rice water product, such as one from Mielle's collection, such as our Rice Water Hydrating Shampoo.

It’s best to leave the mixture or rice water treatment in your hair for around 10 minutes. This can bring a host of benefits; not only does it soften and strengthen your hair due to the amino acid content, but it also helps balance the pH level in your scalp.

Even better, since rice water is typically free from harmful chemicals, it’s very easy on your scalp, even if you lean toward sensitivities. However, all good things in moderation. Excessive use can still dry out your hair so it’s important to not go overboard to see the best results.

The Bottom Line

There is no denying all the benefits of rice water for hair and skin. That is exactly why Mielle has a collection of organic rice water products to treat damaged hair. Each product’s ingredient is carefully chosen to ensure your hair roots are fully nourished.

Whether it’s the benefits of rice water on your hair or rice water benefits helping your skin, there’s no denying this particular beauty treatment is perfect for all you naturalistas out there. It’s clear that rice water has withstood the test of time and is a beloved favorite of women worldwide. Who are we to deny you all that goodness?