Rice Water for Skin: The Complete Guide

Rice is not only a staple food but also an integral part of Asian beauty and skincare regimes. Most of us throw away the leftover water after washing or cooking rice, but that starchy liquid has been an integral part of Korean and Japanese beauty culture for ages. This cloudy white liquid is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals. In ancient China, Japan, and Southeast Asia women used to wash and rinse their hair with this ‘miracle elixir’.

Rice Water: Is It Good For Your Skin?

Rice water is rich in minerals, vitamins, and amino acids. These are essential for maintaining and repairing your beautiful skin. It contains the nourishing antioxidant Ferulic Acid and Allantoin, an organic compound that helps in soothing your skin. Not only that, it helps improve various skin conditions, making rice water an ideal DIY ingredient for achieving a glowing skin.

Skin Care Benefits Of Rice Water

Using rice water has many benefits for your skin. Its properties help brighten your skin, prevents aging, and moisturizes your dry skin. Not only that, it has benefits like mattifying oily skin and fighting against acne. Let’s explore these benefits in depth.

Skin Brightening:

Rice water is used as an active ingredient in soaps and creams as it is known to minimize blemishes, fade dark spots, and brighten up the complexion for a clear and smooth texture. Moreover, it is rich in amino acids that are very beneficial for your skin.

Anti-Aging:

Rice water is rich in antioxidants and contains inositol. It has been shown to inhibit the action of elastase, which causes damage to elastin in your skin and leads to premature aging. According to a 2001 study, the researchers estimated that the inositol reduced the size of wrinkles by 12.4% and increased elasticity by 17%.

Boosts Skin Barrier Health:

Some studies have found that rice starch could help improve and repair the natural barrier of the skin. This can be helpful to prevent issues like atopic dermatitis and protect against pollution damage. This function of rice water may also be beneficial for managing eczema, rashes, and inflammation.

Soothes Sun Damage/Sunburn:

Devoid of harsh chemicals, rice water feels soothing on sunburnt skin. A 2016 study, showed that rice water acts as an effective sunscreen when combined with other plant extracts.

Rice water can have a cooling effect on mild sun damage like itching, redness, sunburn, and inflammation when applied to the skin.

Mattifies Oily Skin/Reduce Oiliness:

Starch present in rice water can have a pore tightening and toning effect. Dabbing some of it on oily skin with cotton pads can tighten the pores and prevent oil from building up. 

Helps Prevent Dry Skin:

Rice water is known to ward off skin irritation caused by sodium laurel sulfate (SLS), an ingredient found in many personal care products, detergents, and shampoos. Evidence has shown that using it twice a day helps skin that has been damaged and dried by SLS.

Eczema, Acne, Rashes, And Inflammation:

It has been found that the application of rice water over areas affected by eczema or dermatitis dramatically soothes the skin, calming down the irritation, and clearing up any blemishes. It also makes an excellent acne treatment. It will also help reduce redness while acting as an astringent, which will help prevent future breakouts.

Hair Care Benefits Of Rice Water

Rich in vitamin A, C, D, and E, rice water helps hairs regain their lost shine and promotes their growth. A 2010 study states that using rice water frequently to wash your hair increases hair elasticity and reduces surface friction. Apply it to your hair, keep it for over 1 hour, and rinse it with a mild shampoo and conditioner. That’s your hair spa right there!

Rinsing your hair with this starchy liquid can help seal the hair cuticle and thus, prevent damage from UV rays and environmental stressors from affecting it.

How To Prepare Rice Water At Home: A Detailed Guide

There are three primary ways to prepare rice water. You could make the recipe that suits you:

The Soaking Method (The Quickest Way To Prepare Rice Water)

1. Take a cup of uncooked rice of any variety (about 100 g).
2. Rinse the rice under running water to remove any dirt or impurities that might be clinging to it.
3. Add three cups of water (about 500 ml to 700 ml) into it.
4. Swirl the rice and soak it in the water for 20-30 minutes.
5. Use your fingers to stir and press down the rice gently.
6. Strain the rice and collect the water in a tight-lid glass bottle.
7. Refrigerate it.

Add a couple of drops of essential oil like rosemary, lavender, or geranium if you feel the smell is too strong for you. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week, after which you will have to prepare another batch.

The Boiling Method

1. Prepare the rice as you usually do.
2. Strain out the starchy water.
3. Store the it in a glass bottle with the lid open.
4. Let it cool down completely before you refrigerate it.

The essential oil can be added as per your choice once the water has cooled down.

Fermented Rice Water

It is a more potent form of treatment with additional benefits of smoothening and conditioning. Here’s how you can make fermented rice:

1. Take a cup of uncooked rice of any variety (about 100 g).
2. Rinse the rice under running water to remove any dirt or impurities that might be clinging to it.
3. Add three cups of water (about 500 ml to 700 ml) to it.
4. Soak the rice in the water for two days. This will trigger the natural fermentation process of rice.
5. After two days, strain the liquid.
6. Pour the liquid into a glass bottle and refrigerate it.

How To Use Rice Water On Your Face

Depending on the type of rice water you’ve prepared, its use is pretty straightforward.

Soaked/Boiled Rice Water

1. Store soaked or boiled rice water in a spray bottle and it can be directly used on your skin.
2. Spritz it on your face as a toner or mist or after cleansing your face and leave it.
3. You can wash it off with water after 30 minutes if desired.

Instead of spritzing, you may use a cotton ball to dab it on your face.

Fermented Rice Water

1. Take 2-3 tablespoons of fermented rice water in a bowl.
2. Dilute it in 1/2 cup of water.
3. Mix it well and pour it in a spray bottle.
4. Use a cotton ball or spritz it on your face whenever you want.

Apart from this, you can also use it as a base for face packs. Aloe vera, honey, and ground oats make good DIY packs with rice water as the base.

Risks Involved

• There is no evidence that fresh rice water is harmful to the skin. However, don’t forget to rinse uncooked rice as it may contain toxic pesticides and bacteria accumulated from the production and packaging process. 
• People with rice allergies should not use it or test it on a skin patch first.
• It is advisable to discard any rice water that is older than a week.

Summary

Rice water is inexpensive to make and, in most cases, unlikely to cause harm. It is comparatively safer to use than other DIY kitchen ingredients. For these reasons, people nowadays want to try it as part of their skincare routine.

Want to properly test the benefits of rice water? Try our Rice Water Toner with all the benefits combined into one.