DIY Rice Water Treatment Step-By-Step

A few weeks into the #quarantinelife, I found myself struggling with my curls. After two consecutive weeks of straightening (thanks to the quicker-than-me-panic-buyers who snagged all of the curly girl products), my curls were SEVERELY damaged and I thought I was going to have to start my healthy hair journey all over again.

I was desperate to repair the damage so I gave myself my first-ever DIY curly girl cut (I know we weren't supposed to cut our own hair but...I did it anyway), and then tried a DIY rice water rinse. (You can read all about that first experience here).

The results were pretty spectacular! I was so excited and I posted this picture of myself on my Instagram:

I got a LOT of questions about what exactly I'd done and how I did it, so here I am, back with a step-by-step guide, for those of you who want to try it for yourselves.

First, let's clarify what exactly I mean by "rice water rinse" and why it's even worth your time.

What is Rice Water?

This simple answer will literally blow your mind: It's water made from rice. (insert mind-blown emoji here). 

Rice is fermented for a specified amount of time, drained, and used to pour over (or "rinse") your hair. This trendy elixir became popular a few years ago, after youtubers and bloggers alike claimed it made their hair stronger and longer. Rice water contains vitamins and minerals that are said to aid in benefits such as:

 -Reducing frizz

-Increasing hair elasticity

-Increasing hair density (i.e. hair looks and feels thicker)

While the studies and experiments don't show that it actually makes your hair grow, they do indicate that it stimulates the scalp and helps maintain hair length. (Everybody knows that breakage is length's mortal enemy). 

How do You Make It?

Now for the fun part...

It doesn't really make a difference which type of rice you use. Personally, I was on a brown rice kick for a while (trying to eat only whole grains and be healthy and all of that) and I just could NOT jump on the bandwagon with this one. SO I had a lot of brown rice just sitting in my pantry and so I decided it would be good for this little experiment. Some youtubers and curly girl bloggers have said that the brown rice works better, but I really think you'd have to experiment for yourself to find out. 

Step 1: Put one cup of uncooked rice into two cups of water. Put it in an air-tight container (I used my tupperware bowl) and leave it overnight. (I've heard many different lengths of time for letting the rice ferment, ranging anywhere from 30 minutes to 48 hours. I picked 24 hours because it seemed like a reasonably happy medium)

Step 2: After the desired amount of time, drain the rice from the water, pouring it into a bowl or container that you can take into the shower with you. (You'll know that the water is ready because it will look milky/cloudy). As for the actual rice, you can just throw it away. It seems wasteful, but really you've already taken all of the goodness out of it, so even if you wanted to cook it, it probably wouldn't taste like much. 

Step 3: Wash your hair like normal, then pour the rice water over your hair. I wanted the water to get everywhere so I poured half over the top of my head, then flipped my head over and poured from the nape of my neck down. Then I squeezed all of the excess water out of my hair back into the container and poured on the sides of my head. (If that seems excessive, then you are just a normal person. I'm a strange creature so I'm pretty sure that if I'd just poured it over my head, it would've been totally fine). 

Step 4: Put your hair up in a clip and put on a shower/heat cap. Leave it in like a mask for 20 minutes. Now, I'm a busy woman and I have zero time for waiting around in the shower, so I do my treatment on shave-day for efficiency. You could also jump out of the shower, do whatever you need to do around the house and then stick your head under running water to rinse it out after 20 minutes. Whatever floats your proverbial boat. (Personally, the protein in the rice water can make my hair a little bit brittle so I throw on a little moisturizing mask on top of the rice water so that I'm getting all the benefits from the water and all the moisture that my low-porosity hair needs).

Step 5: Rinse it out well. Rice water has a certain smell to it, so you don't want to leave that in your hair. Rinse thoroughly and then style as you normally would. 

FINISHED PRODUCT!

(I am not very skilled with the camera so forgive the weird angles. I was trying to show y'all the front, side and back). 

Thoughts...

My hair still has some very annoying straight pieces, but the curl pattern looks SO much better than it did a couple of months ago. My curls have way more definition and bounce, and they are super shiny, even after they air-dry. 

How Often Should You Do a Rice Water Rinse?

THAT really depends on the porosity and texture of your hair. Rice water is basically a protein treatment. Too much protein can make your hair brittle, and too little protein can make it dull and lifeless. You have to experiment to find your balance. I did it once a week for three weeks until I felt like my curls were back on the right track. After that, just once a month is plenty. 

If you decide to try it out, tell me how it worked for you! Leave me a comment or connect with me on:

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Peace, love, and gorgeous hair, friends!