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Rice Water for Curly Hair – How to Use Rice Water Treatment on Your Curls

Published Categorized as Beauty Tips

Have you heard that rice water can strengthen hair, repair damage, smooth hair, increase its shine and more? Rice water has been used for centuries in Asian countries to improve hair and is becoming more popular around the globe as more and more people start to learn about its benefits. If you’re wondering whether rice water can deliver these benefits to your curly hair that certainly has its own special challenges compared to other hair types, you’re in the right place. Today, we’re going to explore using rice water for curly hair to help you learn more if this ancient hair care technique will benefit you.

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Is Rice Water Good for Curly Hair?

Curly hair is unique and needs special care.  Using rice water for your curly hair can help keep it healthy and share a range of other benefits.  The nutrients found in rice can also be found in rice water.  These include zinc, magnesium, potassium, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E.  The nutrients offer many positive side effects of rice water to hair, including curly hair.

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These benefits include helping hair grow, strengthening the roots, repairing damaged hair, increasing hair’s shine, smoothing out hair, removing dandruff, reducing split ends, and even getting rid of lice.

How Does Rice Water Affect Curly Hair?

As we mentioned above, rice water contains many beneficial vitamins and nutrients.  Inositol, or vitamin B, is one of the most instrumental vitamins in rice water that allows it to be so helpful to hair.  Inositol helps to strengthen hair and is also one of the main reasons that rice water is effective at helping individuals grow their hair longer.

The other vitamins and minerals found in rice water that were shared above make rice water an even more amazing treatment for all types of hair, including curly hair.  If your hair has become damaged and lost its curl, you may be surprised at how effective rice water is at restoring the curl.

Is Rice Water Curly Girl Approved?

If you have curly hair, you may swear by the Curly Girl Method for taking care of your curly hair and helping it to look its best.  The Curly Girl method is popular for a reason:  it works!  Well, rice water rinses are Curly Girl approved.  So, if you swear by this method, you can certainly integrate some rice water treatments into your hair care routine.

Is Rice Water Good for Black Curly Hair?

Yes, rice water is good for black curly hair.  The nutrients in rice water can strengthen black hair and increase the hair’s elasticity.  This can protect the hair against damage.  Additionally, as with other hair types, rice water can also help black curly grow more quickly, leave it smoother and shinier, reduce split ends, and enhance the overall feel and appearance of the hair.

However, if you have black hair, take care not to over use rice water hair treatments.  If your hair is already lacking moisture, rice water treatments can make it even drier.  It can be the most beneficial if your black hair is lacking in proteins, not in moisture.

To prevent damaging your hair and drying it out too much, you probably won’t want to use a rice water rinse on black hair more often than once or twice a month.  Keep an eye on how your hair reacts to each rinse, and adjust your schedule accordingly until you find what works best for your hair.

How Do You Use Rice Water for Curly Hair?

If you’ve noticed that your curls aren’t as full as they once were, that your hair is looking dull and frizzy, or that your hair is breaking too easily, you may want to consider using rice water for your curly hair.  Any of these symptoms for curly hair typically indicate that their hair is lacking in protein.

Since rice water is protein-rich, doing a rice water rinse can help improve your hair.  If you’re considering doing a full protein treatment for your curly hair, starting with a rice water rinse is a good idea.  Rice water is more mild than full protein treatments and can help you assess whether your hair will respond well to a full treatment.  Doing a full protein treatment when your hair doesn’t need it can actually damage the hair.

Rice Water Rinse for Curly Hair

A rice water rinse for wavy or curly hair may sound intimidating, but they really are quite simple.

First, decide exactly when you plan on doing the rice water rinse.  A rice water rinse will work best when done on hair that doesn’t  have a lot of build-up, so it fits best between shampooing and deep conditioning the hair.  If you wash your hair nearly every day, you may also decide to try a rice water rinse by itself one day, without shampooing your hair first.  This may sound obvious, but you should always do a rice water rinse before you style your curly hair.

To do a rice water rinse:

  1. The first step is to make the rice water (follow the recipe below)
  2. Then, you’ll want to make sure the rice water gets into all of your hair and scalp to enjoy the greatest benefits from the rinse
  3. Start by placing a large pan under your head to catch the rice water
  4. Then flip your hair down over your head and pour some of the rice water over your hair (beginning at the base of the skull)
  5. Allow the water to run down over the hair and use your hands to massage the rice water into the scalp and hair

Use the rice water that was caught in the pan beneath your heat to repeat the steps at least five times.  After repeating the steps and massaging the rice water into your scalp and hair, cover your hair with a shower cap and let the rice water sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

After the time has passed, rinse the rice water from your hair, and deep condition your hair with a protein-free product, such as tgin Honey Miracle Hair Mask Deep Conditioner.

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Rice Water Hair Recipe

Ready to try a rice water rinse on your hair?  Give one of these rice water recipes a try and follow the steps outlined in this post!

How Do You Make Rice Water for Curly Hair?

Rice water can be made by boiling, fermenting, or soaking rice.  Many people prefer boiling rice since it is the quickest method for making rice water.

Boiling

  • Rinse 4 ounces of rice and place it in a small pot.
  • Add 1 cup of water to the pot.
  • Place the pot over medium high heat to boil the water.
  • Continue boiling the mixture until the water starts to look cloudy.
  • Place a strainer over a bowl or cup and pour the water and rice through the strainer to remove the rice.
  • Let the water cool before using it to do a rice water rinse.

Fermenting

  • Rinse 8 ounces of rice and place it in a jar.
  • Add 3 cups of water to the jar.
  • Allow the rice to sit in the water for two days.
  • After two days have passed, pour the rice/water mixture through a strainer to remove the rice.

The resulting rice water is stronger than what you’ll get by boiling or soaking rice, and some people say that this method is the most effective for this reason.

Soaking

  • Rinse 8 ounces of rice and place it in a cup or bowl.
  • Add 2 ½ cups of water to the bowl.
  • Let the rice and water sit together for 60 minutes.
  • After 60 minutes have passed, pour the rice/water mixture through a strainer to remove the rice.

FAQs

Is rice water bad for low porosity hair?

While rice water can deliver many benefits to hair, using rice water rinses or other hair care products, especially in excess, can pose a problem for low porosity hair.  Low porosity hair is already lacking in moisture; its cuticles are less opened than high or medium porosity hair.  The proteins from the rice water can coat the hair, making it even more difficult for moisture to penetrate into the hair.  This can make hair even drier and more brittle.

Is rice water good for natural hair?

Yes, rice water can be great for natural hair.  It can help strengthen hair, reduce frizz, increase its shine, help it grow longer, and more.

Is rice water good for wavy hair?

Rice water can be very beneficial for individuals with wavy or curly hair.  It can reduce frizz and add more definition to the waves and curls in the hair.  Rice water can also help repair damaged wavy hair that has become duller or is prone to breakage.

Can you use rice water on relaxed hair?

Yes, you can use rice water on relaxed hair.  Rice water can help strengthen relaxed hair and keep it looking shinier.  However, since rice water is higher in proteins, it may dry out relaxed hair.  You won’t want to use rice water on relaxed hair too frequently to prevent this from being a problem.

How long does rice water take to grow curly hair?

Everyone’s hair is different, so if you’re using rice water to grow curly hair, there is no set timeline to see results.  With consistent use of rice water treatments (about once a week), you’ll likely begin to see some growth within a month or two.

Is rice water good for curly hair?

Using rice water for your curly hair can help keep it healthy and share a range of other benefits.

How does rice water affect curly hair?

If your hair has become damaged and lost its curl, you may be surprised at how effective rice water is at restoring the curl.

Is rice water Curly Girl approved?

Rice water rinses are Curly Girl approved.

Is rice water good for black curly hair?

Yes, rice water is good for black curly hair. The nutrients in rice water can strengthen black hair and increase the hair’s elasticity. This can protect the hair against damage.

Rice Water for Curly Hair: Final Thoughts

Curly hair has a science all of its own.  Using rice water and following the 10 Commandments of curly hair can help you keep your curly hair looking its best.  Rice water offers many benefits to curly hair.  And, rice water is even good for your skin!

We hope learning more about how rice water can help your curly hair has inspired you to try some rice water hair care products and start enjoying all the potential benefits.

If you’re interested in learning about other hair care products and tips, you can check out this related posts on our blog:

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6 comments

  1. I have heard a lot about the benefits of rice water for hair. I need to try this out.
    xoxo
    Lovely

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