Rice water can become a perfect alternative to store bought shampoo as rice may significantly improve hair condition. That milky-colored liquid left over from rinsing or boiling rice is a secret ingredient to beautiful hair.
As an important part of daily beauty regimes, each of us regularly uses products, typically in the form of a viscous liquid, that is suitable for cleaning hair. This is the easiest and most conventional way to make hair clean. However, most people notices that homemade shampoo based on the right choice of ingredients can bring more benefits than any other things from supermarket.
The majority of us possibly came across different sources mentioning the usage of rice in skin and hair products. And then a reasonable question rises: “Is it possible to wash hair with fermented rice water?” Yes, definitely! But if you wish to take out much of usefulness from natural procedure, follow simple steps and prepare everything in a right way.
What is Fermentation?
Fermentation is the conversion of a carbohydrate such as sugar into an acid or an alcohol. More specifically, it can refer to the use of yeast to change sugar into alcohol or the use of bacteria to create lactic acid in certain foods. This process occurs naturally in many different foods given the right conditions, and humans have intentionally made use of it for many thousands of years.
In ancient times people did not know the process of freezing and canning, and fermenting was the only method they could know. For example, milk could be fermented into cheese. Processed fish (a sauce) was widely used in the diet of ancient Rome. People always appreciated the nutritional value and the unique properties of pickled cucumbers, carrots and beets. They knew that fermented foods could be kept longer than the unfermented ingredients used to make them. For example, fresh milk goes bad easily, but fermented dairy products such as yogurt and cheese can be kept longer. The Japanese use fermented (with a special mold) rice, barley and soybeans for cooking their national dishes. And in India, dishes from fermented rice and beans are very popular.
Even nowadays fermentation is used in various ways in our day-to-day lives. But who knew that fermented rice water could be so good for hair condition and solving various hair problems?
First, let’s start our talk about benefits of fermented rice rinse for hair. I guess, there are some facts you still didn’t know.
Rice contains so called “water-soluble vitamins” and “minerals” and it is more abundant of vitamins of B group (by the way, B vitamins help hair cells to produce black pigment).
Rice contains rich protein and amino acids and the process of fermentation method will make the process of protein turn into amino acids, so nutrition value of such rice is very rich.
Rice water boosts hair elasticity and decreases surface friction. It is rich in inositol – a carbohydrate that everyone must look for. Not only it protects hair against damage, but it also repairs it. The inositol remains inside hair cells even after rinsing. In other words, it protects a top-notch protection over long periods of time.
Fermented rice water is acidic, our hair is suitable for acidic environments. Rice water makes hair smooth and soft so regular wash with rice will bring amazing results and you will wonder how this possible that rice water is much better than any commercial products you used to apply on your hair for such long time.
How to Make Fermented Rice Water Shampoo?
Fermented rice water can be directly used to rinse the hair avoiding using shampoo. Long-term use of such homemade shampoo will make your hair darker and thicker.
Here are tips how to prepare natural rice shampoo:
Thoroughly rinse rice to remove any dirt from grains. In this step it is important to use clean (better filtered) water because tapped water contains chemicals and other impurities. Also use clean water while cooking rice.
First, collect water again (not the water you use on the initial rinse to get off any dirt) after you let rice stay in water for 15-20 minutes and then drain. For example, if you cook rice two to three times a week, you should be able to collect enough liquid for two to three hair washes.
Then leave the rice water at room temperature for a day or two until it turns slightly sour and starts to ferment. After that most people advice to boil the liquid in order to stop fermentation process (most of them write about this tip on their websites). It is a huge mistake. Fermented rice water contains enough useful nutrients and once you boil this liquid – you will get plain water in which all vitamins are gone. It is the same as if you decide to drink beer but boil it beforehand. From the other hand, liquid can be pas
teurized. Pasteurization kills bacteria and the easiest way to do this is microwaving. Exposure to microwaves delivers energy evenly and deeply into the whole liquid, it allows for gentler and shorter heating, so that almost all heat-sensitive substances in the rice water are preserved. So, if you prepared rice water and want it be nutritious to your hair – never boil it before application! Just place it in a fridge to stop fermentation process. If you wish to have nice scent on your hair you can add few drops of essential oils (for example, lavender, rosemary or tea tree oil).Anyway the resulting liquid contains no preservatives so it cannot be stored even in fridge more than a week. It will usually last about a 5-6 days and after that you have to prepare another portion of rise water for hair.
Fermented rice water is very potent, so you may need to dilute it with a cup or two of warm water before use.
If you think that fermented rice shampoo take
s much time to prepare then I suggest you to try plain rice water for hair. Follow simple instructions below:
First rinse the rice with about a cup of water to remove any dirt or impurities.
Then, place the rice in a bowl and pour it with water. Let the rice soak for 30 minutes. Swirl it around or lightly knead it until the water turns cloudy. This will help the vitamins and minerals seep into the water, creating a nourishing rinse for your hair.
Now strain out the rice water into a clean bowl. Your rice water is ready to use!
Why Fermented Rice Water is Better than Plain One?
It is interesting to note that washing your hair with fermented rice water is much better than rinsing with unfermented or plain one. Fermentation lowers the pH of the liquid, and this is similar to our hair’s pH, which is also on the lower side (slightly acidic). As a result, slightly acidic pH plus the added nutrients through the fermentation process help restore hair’s pH balance, nourish hair follicles to promote healthy hair growth, and improve general hair condition.
Tips & Rules: How to Use Fermented Water as Shampoo
When rice water is prepared, so it is right time to try it on your hair. Of course, this is not usual way to clean hair and it may cause some kind of uncomfortable feeling that hair is left quite dirty. I want to warn you that this natural recipe has nothing in common with commercial one – there won’t be a foam created while massaging shampoo into you hair. Rice shampoo works in different way and don’t expect immediate results after first use. It is possible that you won’t like the effect after application of rice water – this is just because you hair needs time to get used to it. So that’s why first results may disappoint you a little but keep patience.
Apply rice water on damp hair. Before taking shower, you need to do some preparations – take a container with rice water with you. Once you got you hair wet, pour rice water very slowly and massage it gently using fingertips. You can do the massage for about 5 minutes. Make sure you wet hair with rice water completely. Then rinse your hair with cool water. If you have long hair and wish to take a shower immediately, gently coil it in a high bun and use a big hair clip to hold it up.
After washing your hair with rice water, don’t use blow dryer – let it dry in natural way. Don’t worry about unpleasant smell of fermented rice water on your hair – once your hair is dry this scent will disappear.
It is not necessary to wash your hair every day, two times a week will be enough. After a month of such cleaning method application of rice water on hair will give visible effects.
Try this natural rice water shampoo for stronger and more beautiful hair! If you already have such experience – share with us!
Comentarios