Rice Water For Hair & Skin: Evidence & Benefits
Rice water has amazing hair and skin benefits. A recent research has shown that rice water exhibit hair care effects, such as decreasing surface friction and improving hair elasticity.
Rice water has inositol, a carbohydrate, that can repair damaged hair, as well as protect it from damage. Specialized imaging technique shows that inositol stays inside the hair even after rinsing, offering continuing hair protection and beautifying effects.
So, Rinsing or washing your hair with rice water will improve manageability and protect it from future damage. In addition, the amino acids in the rice water strengthen the hair roots, add volume and sheen and make hair silky smooth.
These awesome benefits explains the 6 feet, healthy, long and beautiful hair of the Yao women.
In simple terms, rice water is the milky white solution you get after soaking or boiling rice. It can be concentrated, diluted or even fermented to bring out most of its benefits.
Here are two ways to make rice water – boiling and without boiling.
Steps to make rice water with boiling:
1. Wash 1 cup of organic rice with clean water.
2. Cook the rice in an uncovered pan with 3 cups of water.
3. After the rice is cooked, strain the water into a clean container.
Allow the rice water to cool down, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Dilute 1 to 2 tablespoons of this concentrated solution in 1 cup of water. Stir it to get a barely milky-looking mixture. Use this mixture as needed in your beauty regimen.
Steps to make rice water without boiling:
1. Rinse 1 cup of organic rice with water and add 2 cups of water to it.
3. Allow it to sit for 15 to 30 minutes.
4. Stir it and then drain the water into another bowl.
Transfer this water into a clean container and store it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Shake it well before use.
You can also keep the rice water at room temperature for 2 days to allow fermentation before storing it in the refrigerator. To use fermented rice water, dilute it with plain water in the ratio of 1:3 before using it.
Once your homemade rice water is ready, you can use it in your daily skin and hair care routine. Say goodbye to expensive and chemical-based cosmetic products for skin and hair. Rice water is the ultimate beauty remedy!
Here are the benefits of rice water for skin:
1. Soothes Irritated Skin
The starch in rice water is effective at treating dry skin lesions of eczema. It can soothe skin irritation and inflammation.
A 2002 study published in Acta Dermato Venereologica found that exposure to bath water containing rice starch, twice daily for 15 minutes, led to a 20 percent improvement in the healing capacity of damaged skin.
This study recommends this skin repair bath for barrier damaged skin, particularly in the case of atopic dermatitis patients.
For any kind of skin irritation or inflammation, add a few cups of rice water to warm bath water. Soak your body in this water for 15 to 20 minutes, twice daily.
For localized irritation, soak a cotton ball in cool rice water and apply it on the affected area. Repeat a few times a day.
2. Tightens Skin Pores
Open or large pores on the skin can contribute to different types of problems like acne and blackheads. Open pores is common in people with oily skin. To help fight this irritating problem, rice water is highly effective.
Rice water works as a natural astringent to tone and tighten your skin. It reduces large pores and helps restore the skin’s pH balance.
Dilute rice water with an equal amount of water.
Soak a cotton ball in the solution and apply it on your face.
Let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse it off.
For best results, use this remedy every night after cleansing your face.
3. Improves Skin Complexion
Rice water also improves your skin complexion and makes your skin healthy and flawless. It helps flush toxins out the skin, improves skin elasticity and reduces inflammation.
Plus, it prevents aging spots and hyperpigmentation.
Soak a cotton pad in diluted rice water.
Apply it on your clean face like a toner.
Allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
Then, massage in circular motions for several minutes.
Rinse it off with lukewarm water.
Do this at least once daily.
4. Makes Skin Soft
Rice water is great for keeping your skin soft and moisturized. The protein in it prevents water loss to help keep the skin moisturized longer.
Also, it contains antioxidants that help reduce free radical damage caused by aging, sun exposure and environmental factors.
Dilute rice water with cool water in the ratio of 1:2.
Soak a washcloth in this solution.
Place this cloth on your clean face and leave it for 15 minutes or more.
Gently wash your face with the leftover rice water to get soft, smooth skin.
Finally, rinse your face with plain water.
Repeat this remedy once daily.
Bonus Tip
There are many reasons why bananas are one of the most popular foods in the world. They offer the perfect portion size, come in their own handy, natural protective wrap, and are extremely economical.
Fresh and creamy, bananas mix well with other fruits and are a favorite lunchtime addition or for noshing on the go.
One of the most cultivated tropical fruits, bananas are a close relative to the plantain, which is larger and darker.
Over centuries, bananas have been used to settle upset stomachs (including morning sickness), reduce stress, ease heartburn pain, relieve constipation, soothe PMS symptoms, cure warts, and stimulate brain power.
There might be something to those medicinal uses…
Health Benefits of Bananas
Bananas contain all kinds of good things – health-promoting flavonoids and poly-phenolics, such as lutein, zeaxanthin, beta and alpha carotenes, acting as free radical-gobbling antioxidants.
That’s also an advantage in the high vitamin C content, most known for its infection-fighting properties.
Just one banana contains 467 mg of potassium, which is important for controlling your heart rate and blood pressure. This is interesting, since the same amount of banana has just one milligram of sodium.
The vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) in bananas provides around 28% of what is needed daily to help prevent anemia and coronary artery disease.
And that’s just part of it. Fiber in abundance helps keep your digestive system regulated. Magnesium helps strengthen your bones and protects your heart. Manganese is needed to activate antioxidant enzyme.
One banana supplies an adequate amount of copper to keep up the production of red blood cells.
Note: You can freeze bananas, but if you refrigerate them, they’ll turn black.
Really Cool Things Bananas Can Help You With
1. Natural polisher
Rub a banana peel on your furniture, kitchen utensils or shoes to make them nice and shiny.
2. Teeth whitening
Rub a banana peel on your teeth and they will be whiter than ever in just a few weeks.
3. Treat hemorrhoids
Banana peels can treat hemorrhoids as well – rub one on the affected area for 5 minutes 5 times a day and you should feel much better.
4. Bug bites
Rub a peel on insect bites to soothe the itching on the skin.
5. Acne
Rubbing a banana peel on areas affected by acne will relieve inflammation and irritation while preventing further outbreaks.
6. Bruises
Banana peels have incredible regenerative properties which can accelerate the healing of bruises.
7. Warts
Rub the inner side of a banana peel on your warts and secure it with a bandage overnight. Using the treatment regularly will make the warts fall off soon.
8. Psoriasis
Banana peels will hydrate your skin and relieve the itchiness caused by psoriasis. Just apply a banana peel on the area 1-2 times a day and the condition will be gone soon.
9. Itches and rashes
Apply some banana peels on the affected area and your itches and rashes on the skin will go away.
10. Headaches
Bananas are rich in potassium, a mineral that can relieve headaches. To use them for your headache, just put the peel across your forehead or at the back of your neck.