Does rice water belong in our haircare routine? We delve deeper.

The humble rice has been getting a lot of attention of late not because of its delicious culinary attributes but rather for its ability to repair hair. With the stores closed due to the corona pandemic and people perhaps forced to improvise and experiment on many fronts, it is no surprise to see the use of rice water receiving a lot of google search queries of late. Amongst the top queries is the ability of rice to repair hair damage and to promote hair growth.

But what is rice water and is all that it's made out to be true? We delve deeper

According to Verma, K. (2015) rice grain composes of about 12% water, 75%-85% starch (amylose and amylopectin) and just about 5%-7% protein. It also contains some amino acids (myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid). These fatty acids are hydrophobic in nature, which then leads to limiting protein loss in the hair shaft by reducing the tendency of the cuticle to over-swell. People who color their hair or have very high porosity hair can benefit from the rice water treatment.

The mineral content of rice also varies but it contains trace amounts of Calcium, Sodium, Zinc, Iron, Copper, Potassium (most abundant) and Magnesium & Manganese. Zinc and Magnesium have anti-inflamatory abilities which may prevent the occurrence of dry and flaky scalp.

Closer look at the rice protein profile

Rice protein consists mainly of Glutelin (about 80%), Albumin (about 0.01%) & Globulin (about 0.14% containing Glutamic acid and arginine) and Prolamin. Recent studies show that Glutamic acid can promote hair growth but there is no indication these benefits are achieved from topical application of rice water. We refer to this publication on Minoxidil, a leading hair growth product, which contains arginine in combination with other ingredients. It is not clear whether arginine alone can improve hair growth. Rice is also low in cysteine, which limits its ability to bind keratin molecules together.

Rice Starch Profile

Starch can absorb excess oil from the hair and scalp and dries with a light coating on the hair shaft. This can improve hair manageability and impact volume

Fermented Rice Water

Rice water has a pH between 6-7. Rice proteins are not all water soluble. Only albumin is water soluble. The other proteins are either salt, alkali, or alcohol soluble. Fermentation lowers the pH (acidic) and protein content of rice water. Fermentation introduces beneficial organisms such as bacteria belonging to the Lactobacillus, Micrococcus, Pediococcus, and Streptococcus species. Other byproducts from fermentation of rice water may include lactic acid, carbon dioxide, or ethanol. An optimal pH for skin is between 5-5.5. At this pH, the skin flora is best developed. Dandruff and other skin barrier disorders/inflammation can be triggered by the imbalance of some bacterial and fungal populations within the scalp. The yeasts and bacteria from fermented rice water can help restore normal function and health to the scalp.

Also if the fermentation duration is increased, gelatinization process also increases and viscosity of the rice water decreases. Gelatin tends to be hygroscopic when dehydrated. It is for this reason that the fermentation process should not be too long (there is no optimal time from research but we will recommend not more than 12 hours) and to be washed out after applying to the hair

Our opinion on rice water for hair and conclusion

The commercial milling of rice degrades its protein content. We would recommend using organic bran rice when possible as this has the highest concentration of nutrients, vitamins and beneficial minerals useful for hair.

There is no conclusive evidence that rice water alone can promote hair growth, repair hair or stop hair breakage. However, the starch can absorb excess oil, increase volume and improve manageability and combing.

Using fermented (not too long) rice water can also help restore skin flora and fauna. But care has to be taken not to have the resulting rice water too acidic or perform the fermentation under unhygienic conditions. When in doubt about the quality of the fermented rice water, choose form many probiotic formulations on the market. A healthy scalp is essential for healthy hair. People suffering from itchy scaly scalp or from dandruff can benefit from properly fermented ricewater.

So thats it!

What is your experience using rice water? We would love to hear from you

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