WHAT DOES RICE WATER EVEN DO FOR NATURAL HAIR? – My Natural Hair Extensions

WHAT DOES RICE WATER EVEN DO FOR NATURAL HAIR

The rice water craze has been around for a while but what is rice water supposed to do Is it worth putting into our routines is it just old wives tales like hanging upside down for better scalp circulation?

History

The use of rice water can be traced to ancient China during as far back as the Tang dynasty. Historically, women believed that rice water helped them to keep their hair black until they were 80 and helped it to grow long.

Benefits

Rice water is literally the water left over after soaking or boiling rice. That water left over is a starchy mix of vitamins and antioxidants from the rice. Some say that fermented rice water is better, though you should mix an essential oil to mask the smell. You take that starchy water and use it as a hair cleanser or even as a toner for the face. This magic elixir is said to help with increase shine, cure split ends, increase hair growth, remove suntans, fight acne, cure dandruff, cure lice, ease the detangle process and raise your credit score(haha jk).

Research

. While all those supposed benefits sound amazing, most of it is anecdotal. It was really hard to find a study that actually tested these claims. There is a published paper that speaks on these benefits but all the evidence is based on hearsay and historical hearsay. I found a study made in Japan but they seemed to be selling rice water infused products so that seems pretty biased. All in all the true rice water benefits seem to be elusive due to a lack of scientific evidence. That, however, doesn’t mean its not worth a try. There are a lot of videos from natural hair care you tubers saying they use rice water. I have seen in the comments in multiple videos that rice water is akin to a protein treatment. This means it can dry your hair out if you overuse it or have protein sensitive hair. All I’m saying is find what works for you but don’t get your hopes up on this being the secret to ankle length hair. Tell me about your experience with rice water? What hair care fad have you tried recently?