Stephanie Houng

Is Rice Water Good for Your Hair?

Discover how rice water promotes hair growth, improves shine, and revitalizes your scalp naturally.

Rice Water is Scientifically Proven to Improve Hair Health

Rice water has been a cornerstone of hair care traditions for centuries, celebrated for its ability to promote hair growth, combat dandruff, and improve overall hair health.

But what does science say about this ancient remedy that's been used for centuries in Japan?

From reducing fungal growth that leads to dandruff to enhancing hair's strength and shine, research backed benefits make rice water a must-try for anyone seeking improve their hair health.

Whether you’re exploring how to make rice water for hair, curious about fermented rice water for hair health, or searching for the best rice water recipe, or looking for a diy recipe to make your own rice water spray, this article dives deep into the facts and provides tips to prepare rice water for optimal results.

Table of Content

• What is Rice Water?
• How Rice Water Benefits Various Hair Types
• How Rice Water Combats Dandruff
• How Rice Water Stimulates Hair Growth
• What Causes Damage To Your Hair?
• How Rice Water Improves Hair Health

What is Rice Water?

Rice Water Has Been Used for Hair and Skin Care in Japan for Centuries

Rice water, a simple extract from soaked, boiled, or fermented rice, has gained immense popularity for its benefits to hair health. Packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, it’s scientifically proven to promote hair growth, improve scalp health, and enhance shine.

To learn more about the specific nutrients that are packed in rice water and how major Japanese skincare brands such as SKII has incorporated rice water into their $100+ products, check out this article:
What is Rice Water and How It's Used in Luxury Skincare Items

How Rice Water Benefits Various Hair Types

Rice water is a versatile treatment that can provide nourishing benefits to all hair types, making it an excellent addition to any hair care routine. Whether your hair is straight, wavy, curly, or coily, rice water can enhance its health and appearance. Here’s how it works for different hair types:

Straight Hair

For those with straight hair, rice water can help enhance shine and smoothness. The fine rice starch particles penetrate the hair shaft, providing moisture and reducing frizz. As a result, straight hair can appear sleeker and more polished.

Additionally, rice water’s strengthening properties can prevent breakage, keeping strands resilient and healthy.

Wavy Hair

Wavy hair often craves hydration without being weighed down. Rice water can help define waves while providing the moisture needed to maintain texture. By applying rice water, wavy-haired individuals can enjoy softer waves that are less prone to dryness and flyaways.

The mildly acidic nature of fermented rice water helps to balance the scalp’s pH, promoting a healthier environment for hair growth.

Curly Hair

Curly hair tends to be drier due to its structure, which can make it harder for natural oils to travel down the hair shaft.

Rice water is particularly beneficial for curly hair since it provides deep hydration and helps reduce frizz. The proteins in rice water can enhance curl definition and elasticity, making curls appear bouncier and more defined.

Additionally, using rice water can help strengthen brittle curls, minimizing breakage.

Coily Hair

For coily hair, which is often the driest of all hair types, rice water can serve as a powerful moisturizer and protein treatment. The nutrient-rich composition of rice water helps to soften and nourish coily hair, making it more manageable.

By using rice water, individuals with coily hair can experience improved texture and reduced brittleness, helping to maintain healthy coils.

The probiotics from fermented rice water also promote a healthy scalp, which is essential for strong hair growth.

How Rice Water Fights Dandruff

What Causes Dandruff?

There are many causes to dandruff but for most, it’s primarily caused by a fungus called Malassezia.

What is Malassezia?

Malassezia, a type of yeast naturally found on the skin and scalp, can contribute to dandruff under certain conditions. Here’s how:

1. Presence of Sebum
Malassezia thrives in areas rich in sebum (the oily substance produced by sebaceous glands). The scalp is an ideal environment due to its high concentration of sebaceous glands.

2. Breakdown of Sebum
Malassezia feeds on the triglycerides in sebum and releases fatty acids as by-products, including oleic acid.

3. Irritation of the Scalp
In some individuals, the scalp becomes sensitive to oleic acid. This sensitivity can lead to an inflammatory response, disrupting the normal skin barrier.

4. Increased Cell Turnover
The irritation and inflammation caused by oleic acid prompt the scalp to produce new skin cells more quickly. These cells die and shed in clusters, resulting in visible flakes commonly associated with dandruff.

5. Disrupted Microbiome
Overgrowth of Malassezia can upset the balance of the scalp's microbiome, further exacerbating skin barrier dysfunction and inflammation.

How Rice Water Combats Malassezia and Prevents Dandruff

Research shows rice water inhibits up to 90% of the fungal growth caused by Malassezia, a common trigger for dandruff. This antifungal effect is due to Allelochemicals that suppress fungal activity and improve scalp health.

What are Allelochemicals and how does it prevent dandruff?

Allelochemicals are released by plants and they affect the growth and development of other organisms in the ecosystem. In rice plants, Allelochemicals primarily help the plant compete by inhibiting the growth of neighboring weeds and pests, promoting a more favorable environment for the rice plant itself.

There are many different types of Allelochemicals and different plants produce different ones. But the following are commonly found Allelochemicals found in rice.

Phenolic Acids:
These include compounds such as ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, vanillic acid.

Phenolic acids are released by rice roots and residues and can suppress the growth of weeds by inhibiting seed germination and root growth. They are known to disrupt cellular processes in other plants, reducing their ability to compete with rice crops. Some phenolic acids also deter certain pathogens, providing a level of disease resistance for the rice plant.

Momilactones:
Momilactones are diterpenoid compounds primarily found in rice husks and roots. These allelochemicals are highly effective in inhibiting the growth of weeds and other neighboring plants, as well as some fungi and bacteria. They disrupt root and shoot development in other plants by interfering with various cellular processes, which helps rice maintain dominance over competing species.

Sakuranetin:
Sakuranetin is a flavonoid that acts as an antimicrobial agent. It helps rice combat fungal pathogens like Magnaporthe oryzae, which causes rice blast disease. By reducing the prevalence of such diseases, sakuranetin indirectly enhances the competitiveness and resilience of rice plants.

Rice Water and Hair Growth

Can rice water really help with hair growth?

It’s been used in Japan and India for centuries by both men and women so there must be some truth to it right? 

We looked at six studies that highlighted rice water’s ability to support hair growth.

In all studies, it was found that rice can help hair growth in 2 ways: boost hair growth and prevent hair loss.

How Rice Water Boost Hair Growth

Studies have shown that when rice bran and rice water were applied directly to the skin (topically), it helped hair growth by boosting certain growth signals in the body. Specially, it was found applying rice bran and rice water increased molecules called beta-catenin that encouraged hair cells to multiply and stay in the growth “anagen” phase.

What is Beta-catenine?

Beta-catenin is a multifunctional protein that plays a key role in two major cellular processes:

1) Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway:
A crucial cell signaling pathway involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, and tissue regeneration.

2) Cell adhesion:
Beta-catenin is part of the adherens junctions, and helps cells stick together by interacting.

Specifically for hair growth, Beta-catenin activates hair follicle stem cells, regulates hair follicle development, and prolongs the growth anagen phase of hair.

How rice water prevents hair loss

Studies have also shown that rice bran and rice water also slow down the action of certain enzymes that would normally signal hair to stop growing and move into the shedding phase known as “catagen” or “telogen” phase.

Specifically, it was shown that rice inhibited TGF-beta and Type I 5-alpha-reductase, which are both known to cause hair loss.

What is TGF-beta?
TGF-beta (Transforming Growth Factor-beta) is a cytokine signaling protein, that plays a role in regulating cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis (programmed cell death).

When it comes to hairgrowth, TGF-beta promotes regression of hair follicles and reduces blood flow to hair follicles.

What is Type I 5-alpha-reductase?
Type I 5-alpha-reductase is an enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is known to lead to hair follicle shrinkage and reduce the amount of time hair spends in the growth phase.

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What Causes Damage To Your Hair?

Your hair is exposed every day to a range of harmful effects such as sunlight, pollution, cosmetic treatments, grooming practices, and cleansing. So it’s no wonder that people spend over $100 billion USD on hair care every year.

But when it comes to hair care, nature often holds the key to powerful, time-tested remedies.

Specifically, rice water, a centuries-old beauty secret, has been gaining traction as a transformative elixir for hair health. And benefits are backed by science as shown in this study.

But first, what happens when you damage your hair?

Hair is a complex structure made up of several key compounds, each playing a vital role in its strength, elasticity, and overall health. Here's a breakdown of the primary components and why they are crucial for maintaining hair health:

Keratin (protein):
- Keratin is the primary protein in your hair, making up 95% of its structure. It provides strength, elasticity, and durability to hair fibers.
- Keratin also forms a protective shield around the cuticle, guarding against environmental stressors, heat, and chemicals.
- Keratin is made up on amino acids which form strong bonds with each other to maintain structural integrity.
- Damage to keratin can result in weakened hair that is prone to breakage, frizz, and split ends.

Lipids (fats):
- Lipids are fatty compounds located in the cuticle (outer layer) and cortex (inner structure) of the hair.
- Lipids are crucial for forming a protective barrier around the hair. This barrier locks in moisture and protects hair from environmental damage.
- Lipids contribute to the smoothness and reflective quality of hair, which gives it its natural shine.
- Lipid loss leads to dryness, frizz, and reduced shine.

Melanin (pigment):
- Melanin is the pigment that gives your hair color.
- Melanin absorbs and neutralizes UV radiation, helping to protect your hair’s structure from sun damage.
- Melanin production decreases with age and also degrades through constant UV exposure which can lead to hair lightening, dryness, and brittleness.

Water:
- Your hair contains approximately 10–13% water in its natural state.
- The water helps your hair maintain flexibility and prevent breakage.
- Dehydration of your hair can cause dryness, brittleness, and difficulty in styling

Natural Sebum Oils:
- Sebum is produced by the sebaceous glands in the scalp and coats the hair.
- Sebum as a natural conditioner, providing shine and preventing dryness.
- Excessive washing or harsh shampoos can strip sebum, leading to dryness and split ends.

Other Trace Minerals:
- Hair contains small amounts of calcium, magnesium, zinc, and other trace elements.
- These minerals work together to contribute to the overall strength and structure of hair fibers.
- Nutritional deficiencies in these minerals can lead to weak, brittle hair.

What causes damage to your hair?

UV-induced Damage to Your Hair:
- UV-B radiation attacks melanin pigments and keratin in your hair, causing the protein and amino-acids in your hair to degrade.
- UV-A radiation also produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) or free radicals which can lead to oxidative damage to your hair and break down the lipids. To learn more about ROS check out this article.

Impact:
Prolonged UV exposure weakens the lipid barrier, causes dryness, and makes hair prone to brittleness and color fading. UV can also increase water loss in your hair, reducing the elasticity and hydration of your hair.

Environmental Pollutants Can Damage Your Hair:
- Airborne pollutants such as dust, smoke, and industrial chemicals contain free radicals or promote their formation.
- Heavy metals such as iron and copper catalyze oxidative reactions in lipids, intensifying peroxidation.

Impact:
Pollution can break down the protective lipids and sebum in your hair, causing dryness and frizziness. Pollutants also adhere to hair shafts, weakening the keratin structure over time. Pollutants have also been shown to contribute to melanin degradation, which leads to hair color fading.

Excessive Heat Exposure Can Reduce Your Hair Strength:
- Heat styling tools (e.g., flat irons, curling irons, and blow dryers) raise the temperature of hair fibers, destabilizing lipids and increasing oxidative reactions.

Impact:
High temperatures denature keratin, breaking down the protein’s structure leading to weak brittle hair. Heat also melts away the lipid layer, reducing moisture retention leading to loss of smoothness and shine. And lastly, excessive heat breaks down the chemical bonds in your hair reducing its elasticity.

Chemical Treatments Strip Away Your Hair’s Natural Protection:
- Bleaching, dyeing, perming, and relaxing hair involve harsh chemicals that disrupt the lipid layer.
- Harsh chemicals disrupt keratin’s protein chains and disulfide bonds, weakening the core structure.
- Bleaching oxidizes and depletes melanin, leading to loss of natural hair color.

Impact:
These treatments can lead to rougher hair and increased breakage of hair shafts, making it prone to frizz and dullness. Chemical treatments can also make your hair more porous, making it harder for your hair to retain moisture.

Poor Hair Care Practices:
- Overwashing or aggressive brushing physically damages keratin, leading to split ends and breakage.
- Excessive shampooing removes natural oils, depleting the lipid layer and causing dryness.
- Improper handling (e.g., harsh towel drying) lifts the cuticle scales, exposing the cortex to damage.

Impact:
Overwashing or aggressive hair care can lead to your lipid, keratin, and sebum in your hair getting stripped leading to rough hair and dryness.

Your Hair Gets Weaker as You Age:
- Reduced keratin production leads to thinner, weaker hair strands.
- Natural lipid levels decrease with age, increasing dryness and loss of shine.
- Melanin production declines, resulting in gray or white hair with less UV protection.
- Aging reduces the hair’s ability to retain water, causing brittleness and reduced elasticity.

Impact:
Unfortunately, as you age your hair loses its ability to maintain proper levels of keratin, lipids, melanin, sebum, and moisture levels. Therefore it’s important to nourish your hair and minimize external damage to your hair. There is scientific evidence that shows that rice water can help with hair regeneration and making your hair stronger.

How Rice Water Improves Your Hair Health:

Rice and rice water have been celebrated as natural remedies for hair care for centuries, and their benefits are now supported by scientific research.  The study “Efficacy of antioxidants in human hair” found that rice water extract was particularly effective in maintaining shine and color and preserving hair fiber integrity.

Strengthening Hair Structure

Peptides and Proteins:

- Rice contains biofunctional peptides, particularly low molecular weight peptides (<1000 Da) that can penetrate deep into the hair shaft.

- These peptides repair damage from within, fortifying keratin (the primary protein in hair) and restoring structural integrity.

- Medium molecular weight peptides (1000–3000 Da) coat the hair cuticle, smoothing its surface and enhancing strength.

What's a Da (Dalton)?

Da (Dalton) is a unit of measurement used to express the molecular weight (or molecular mass) of atoms, molecules, and compounds. Molecular weight affects how a molecule interacts with cells, tissues, or surfaces.

In the context of hair, low molecular weight peptides (<1000 Da) can penetrate the hair shaft and repair damage from within while medium molecular weight peptides (1000–3000 Da) are more likely to coat and repair the cuticle.

Reducing UV Damage

Antioxidants:

- Rice contains compounds like phytic acid, which neutralize free radicals and reduce oxidative stress caused by UV exposure.

- This protects the lipids and proteins in the hair from UV-induced degradation, preserving its strength and elasticity. 

Preservation of Melanin:

- By combating free radicals, rice helps reduce the degradation of melanin, maintaining natural hair color and providing UV protection.

Enhancing Moisture Retention

Amino Acids and Polysaccharides:

- The amino acids in rice water, such as glutamic acid, enhance hydration by improving water retention in the hair. 

- Amylopectin, a polysaccharide in rice, forms a lightweight coating on the hair shaft that locks in moisture without causing buildup or matting.

Improving Shine and Smoothness

Cuticle Repair:

- Rice peptides and antioxidants repair the hair cuticle, reducing roughness and creating a smooth, reflective surface that enhances shine.

Lipid Protection:

- By reducing lipid peroxidation, rice preserves the natural lipid layer, which contributes to the hair’s smoothness and gloss.

Preventing Breakage and Split Ends

Strengthening Bonds:

- The peptides and nutrients in rice water help repair disulfide and hydrogen bonds within keratin, improving hair elasticity and reducing breakage.

Reinforcing the Cuticle:

- Rice water’s ability to coat and repair the cuticle prevents damage from external aggressors like heat, pollution, and chemical treatments.

Protecting Against Environmental and Chemical Damage

Antioxidant Activity:

- Phytic acid in rice acts as a chelating agent, binding to harmful metals and pollutants that can damage hair.

Barrier Function:

- The rice extract’s nutrients create a protective layer on the hair shaft, shielding it from external factors like pollution, heat, and chemical treatments.

Supporting Scalp Health

Nutrient Delivery:

- Rice water provides essential amino acids, vitamins, and antioxidants to the scalp, promoting healthier hair growth.

Balancing Oil Production:

- Amylopectin, a polysaccharide in rice, forms a lightweight coating on the hair shaft that locks in moisture without causing buildup or matting.

Revitalizing Chemically Treated or Damaged Hair

Repairing Damage:

- Low and medium molecular weight peptides repair damage caused by bleaching, dyeing, or relaxing.

Restoring Elasticity:

- Nutrients in rice help rebuild the hair’s elasticity, making it more resilient to future stress.

⚠️ What's Protein Overload for Your Hair?

Using rice water for hair can lead to protein overload, particularly if it's used excessively or left on for too long.

Rice bran typically contains around 15% protein, and the high protein content in rice water can bond with hair strands, which is beneficial in moderation as it promotes hair strength and reduces breakage.

However, when used too frequently or for extended periods, the protein can accumulate, resulting in stiff or brittle hair. This phenomenon is supported by studies that discuss the impact of protein on hair health; for instance, this study found that excessive protein treatment can lead to an imbalance in hair moisture levels, causing dryness and brittleness.

It’s important to remember that while rice water can be a valuable addition to a hair care routine, balancing it with moisturizing treatments is key to maintaining healthy, vibrant hair. In general, rice water can benefit various hair types when used correctly, making it a versatile option for many.

Rice Water is Clinically Proven to Strengthen Your Hair

As shown above, there have been dozens of studies that shows just how much of a game-changer rice water is for maintaining and improving hair health.

Whether you're curious about rice water for hair growth, wondering "Is rice water good for your hair?", or exploring the unique benefits of fermented rice water for hair, this natural remedy offers a multitude of scientifically-backed benefits.

From strengthening hair structure and promoting growth to reducing dandruff and protecting against UV damage, rice water's rich composition of peptides, antioxidants, and amino acids makes it a powerful addition to any hair care routine.

 If you're looking for a simple yet effective way to nourish your hair, boost its resilience, and enhance its natural beauty, incorporating rice water into your regimen could be the transformative step you've been searching for.

Best Soap for Sensitive Skin and Eczema

Did you know that rice water based soaps are also great for people with sensitive skin.
Learn about the various compounds that are in your soap and how to choose the soap that is right for you.

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How to Make Rice Water and Its Benefit for Your Skin!

Answers to all your questions regarding rice water for both hair and skin!
- What makes rice water so special?
- Is rice water good for your skin?
- How do you make rice water?
- What kinds of rice are good for making rice water?
- And what’s the buzz around fermented rice water?

👉 Everything you wanted to know about how to make rice water at home!

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