Rice Water for Skin

Whenever a question arises about keeping your skin flawless and glowy or your hair shiny, strong, and dandruff-free, home remedies always work wonders. Rice water is the magical formula to treat such ailments completely and effectively. In today’s busy schedules, a quick, effective, and easy-to-make home remedy is everyone's choice and can be used regularly. So rice water is known to work wonders for both your hair and for your skin as well.

Rice is actually a common grain, stocked in good quantities in most kitchens and consumed as an essential part of your everyday meal in most countries because of its super health benefits. Rice is a tried and tested method of treating both skin and hair ailments to their root. Using rice water regularly on your hair or skin can make them healthy again which is permanent in nature. So you can go for using this natural formula of rice water to treat your skin issues well.

Is rice water good for skin?

Yes, it is good without an iota of doubt. As we all know that rice is not just a staple food in Asian cuisine but it is also an integral part of Asian skincare and beauty-enhancing practices. Japanese and Koreans among other Asian women have been using this magical rice water as a great skin and hair care product for many centuries. In fact, if you would want to go through the ingredients involved in any K-beauty product, you will certainly find rice water to be present in it. Many other brands now started introducing entire ranges of rice water skin care products that help you treat your skin ailments.

Rice water vs Rosewater

Rose is the king among the most beautiful flowers, and it also has a sweet scent. For centuries rose petals have been used in making many cosmetics products both for coloration and a great fragrance. Instead of using some harsh chemicals, rose water is a known mild cleanser that has been used to soothe your irritated skin or even the eyes. Rose water has also been used in several drinks to create a sweet and pure aromatic flavour.

Pluck some petals of the rose and wash it thoroughly. Add some plain water to a saucepan and let it boil for some time on a low flame. Once your water boils, strain it and cool this water. Now store it in a clean jar. Rose water actually has both skin and hair care properties to treat them both quite effectively.

Toner: After washing down your face with a mild face wash in the evening, dab a cotton ball with some pure rose water and use it as a skin toner.

Coolant: Sunburns and other mild rashes on your skin are often a cause of skin irritation during summer. Dab some pure rose water on the affected area and let it dry for some time.

Aid In Acne: Oily skin is most prone to fall prey to acne. Excessive use of harsh soap to wash off the extra oil from your skin can result in skin redness, irritation, or extreme dryness. The best solution to this condition is to wet a clean cloth dipped in rose water and lay it on your face for some time and relax. This helps your Ph to balance as required.

Puffiness: Your eyes are actually the most delicate area of your face. Avoid using any harsh chemicals instead dab some pure rose water to decrease any puffiness and stubborn dark circles.

Conditioner: Dilute your shampoo with some rose water and use it regularly after having washed your hair at least two times a week. This would condition your hair thoroughly while washing it. It is very similar to the rose water properties. Rice water is a good natural cooling agent and often helps in soothing irritant skin. You can use it on both dry and oily skin.

Prepare the rice water. Wash the rice properly and fill water about 3 inches over the level of the rice that you are having. Cover them completely and keep them overnight. Next day, boil the rice and strain them with a soft cloth after mashing the rice in that water.

This thick consistency of rice water is easy to apply on your face or even your hair.

Coolant: Apply Rice water on irritated or sunburnt skin. Let it dry for some time and wash it off with fresh water.

Reduces Pores: Apply rice water on those parts of your face having large pores. Let it dry on your skin and then wash them off completely with cold water. The rice water helps you to tighten your skin naturally and so it helps in reducing open pores.

Acne Control: Dab the pure rice water on the acne-affected areas. The tightening quality of rice when they dry out completely helps to dry up an infection and helps reduce the pore size.

Face Pack: Mix the rice water with facial clay and apply it directly on your face. Let it dry for some time and then wash it off properly. The minerals in the rice water help in brightening up your skin.

Hair Rinse: Before you do shampoo, rinse your hair with rice water as it helps to increase the natural shine of your hair and make the hair follicles stronger.

Side effects of rice water on face

Excessive use of rice water can make your skin rough, dry, flaky, patchy, and itchy.
Rice water can even cause some severe adverse effects like appearing of red rashes and streaks on your skin
If there is an open wound present on your skin, the application of rice water to it can incur a severe infection
Rice water triggers skin irritation and itchiness in people having allergies to rice.

How to prepare rice water for skin?

Soak

Soaking is one of the quickest ways to prepare rice water. Rinse one cup of rice thoroughly. Place this cup of rice in 2-3 cups of water. Leave it for about 30 minutes. Strain the rice water into a clean bowl.

Boiling

Boiling the rice is another approach to generating rice water. Cover one cup of rice with twice the amount of water normally used to cook it. Before using, cook the rice in boiling water and pour the water into a clean bowl.

Benefits of Rice Water for Skin

1. It has anti-ageing benefits

Rice water is high in amino acids, antioxidants, and minerals, which may help to prevent or slow the ageing of the skin. It might also stop elastase, an enzyme linked to skin ageing, from working. As a result, rice water may assist to retain skin suppleness and prevent the appearance of ageing indications.

2. It can brighten the skin

Rice water has a number of benefits, one of which is to brighten and level out the skin tone. It maintains the health, radiance, and clarity of your skin.

3. Boosts skin barrier health

The skin barrier is the outermost layer of skin that keeps your skin from drying out and being sensitive to disorders like eczema and atopic dermatitis. However, applying rice water to the face enables its starch content to preserve the skin barrier naturally.

4. Soothes sunburn and irritation

Sunburn, irritation, redness, and itching can all be alleviated by using starchy rice water. The cooling action can soothe the burnt skin and can minimise tanning.

5. Rice water can reduce oiliness

Rice water, which has astringent properties, can be used to rinse greasy skin and protect it against pimples and acne.

6. Mattifying skin

When used on oily skin, starchy rice water can help tighten and tone pores. Using cotton pads to dab some rice water on oily skin can help mattify it.

How to Use Rice Water for Skin?

To apply rice water to your face:

First, put it in a spray bottle.
Before using rice water, make sure your face is clean.
Spray the water straight on your face as a toner. You can also apply rice water with a cotton ball instead of spritzing.
Apply the rice water to your face and leave it on for 20-30 minutes.
It should be washed away with water.

If you have soaked or boiled:

Rice water that has been soaked or boiled and stored in a spray bottle can be used directly on the skin. When using a toner or spray, leave it on for 30 minutes before washing it off with warm water. You can apply it with a cotton ball or a pad wherever it's needed.

If you have fermented:

Fermented rice water is more potent than soaked or boiled rice water, as previously stated. Dilute a couple of tablespoons of fermented rice water with regular water and apply with a cotton ball or pad. Allow it to sit for half an hour before washing it as usual.

Precautions for using rice water on the face

While rice water is generally safer to use than other DIY cooking items, you should still take some precautions. The majority of commercially available packaged rice has been treated with pesticides and may contain dirt and bacteria from the manufacturing and packaging processes. As a result, thoroughly cleaning your batch of rice before using its water for cosmetic purposes is critical.

Take Away

In many Asian regions, rinsing hair in rice water is a traditional beauty treatment. This alternative beauty cure has acquired a lot of attention online and is now widely used all around the world. Rice water is commonly used as a hair treatment by many individuals. Rice water may increase the strength, texture, and development of hair, according to historical instances and anecdotal evidence.

Because the majority of scientific evidence on the treatment is unclear, further research is needed to prove the benefits of rice water use. While the benefits of using rice water as a hair rinse have yet to be demonstrated, it is safe to try at home and can also be used on the skin. It has been discovered to help persons with dermatitis maintain good skin health.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I use rice water on my face every day?

Yes, it is totally safe to use rice water as a toner on your face twice a day or at least once a day on your face if you are using it as a facial mask. Make sure you do the smell patch test of it before you start using the rice water and if it smells sour, discard it immediately and prepare a new one for use.

2. Can rice water remove dark spots?

Rice water is rich in many antio-xidants that reduce a compound known as elastase that causes premature ageing on your skin. Therefore, you can use rice water as an effective solution to reduce age spots, fine lines, and dark spots and it also delays the ageing process.

3. How does rice water make you look younger?

It has anti-inflammatory and antio-xidant properties. Rice water is very moisturising, brightening, calming, and anti-ageing. If you follow any of the Japanese or Korean skincare routines, you will see that rice is one of the most popular ingredients used by them.

References

Rice Water: A Traditional Ingredient with Anti-Aging Efficacy
Effect of rice starch as a bath additive on the barrier function of healthy but SLS-damaged skin and skin of atopic patients