Think twice before you throw away the rice water from washing your rice. Rice isn’t just a staple food in Asian cultures, but also a popular beauty ingredient in skincare products as well. Here are 4 benefits that this byproduct brings, and how you can use it to achieve a more beautiful you!
Table of Contents
Benefits
Anti-Ageing
Rice is loaded with antioxidants that could inhibit the activity of elastase, an enzyme which plays a role in ageing of the skin. As such, washing your face with rice water may prove an inexpensive solution to keeping your skin young and bright. The presence of the antioxidant, inositol, may also help to smoothen existing wrinkles.
Moisturising
Rice water protects the natural skin barrier and can help moisturise your skin. A study done on patients with eczema showed that rice starch had efficacy in both improving the skin’s healing capacity, as well as restoring the natural skin barrier.
Hair
If you thought its benefits only extended to skin care, think again. Fermented rice water has an inhibitory effect on bacteria causing dandruff. Not only that, but it also encourages hair growth and that lost shine! Regularly washing your hair with it increases hair elasticity and reduces surface friction, too!
Brightening
While this effect is yet to be proven, many people in South Korea and Japan rely on rice-based products to lighten their skin. Rice is thought to have natural enzymes which provide a gentle, exfoliating effect which leads to brighter and more beautiful skin!
Preparing the Rice Water
Remember to wash your rice thoroughly before use! Leave your rice to soak for at least 30 minutes, remove rice and store the water in the refrigerator. Want to take it a step further? Make fermented rice water by leaving the water out on the counter for a day or two. The fermentation encourages the growth of bacteria that add a ton of benefits to the existing ones!
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