How To Make Fermented Rice Water For Hair Loss – Let me be honest, This fermented rice water stinks a bit but its nothing that a good shampoo cant take care off. I decided to post this recipe after using fermented rice water for 6 months.
I have been struggling with hair loss since 12th grade. But that was because of my hectic school schedules combined with stress, anaemia and hormonal changes. All these years, i was using my grandma’s Aloe vera hair oil to make sure the situation does not become worse. It did help quite a bit but my hair fall did not stop completely.
Why Use Fermented Rice Water?
Fermented rice water does promote new hair growth and makes your hair thicker. You can take my word for that. My hair fall stopped after i started using rice water along with shikakai shampoo and ACV conditioner.
I will mention all the details below.
It is better to start with this fermented rice water recipe, follow it for 6 months and then move on to the Yao Women’s Rice Water Recipe
How Long Does It Take To Make Fermented Rice Water?
It takes around 2-3 days to ferment rice water.
How Long Does It Take For Rice Water To Grow Your Hair?
I was able to see lots of tiny fly away hairs in about 1.5 months. It may be different for everybody though.
In six months, my ponytail was thicker than before.
This was after using fermented rice water every 2 weeks for 2 consecutive months. After that, i started using it once a month only to prevent protein overload.
Both these recipes provide anti-fungal and antimicrobial benefits.
It is because of the presence of zinc and selenium in the fermented rice water.
Rice Water Composition
Rice water has Vitamins like Thiamine, riboflavin and niacin, all of which are part of Vitamin B complex. It also has Vitamin C and Vitamin E.
Rice water also contains minerals like calcium, phosphorous and magnesium along with tiny amounts of copper, zinc, manganese and iron.
These grains have amino acids and antioxidants in them which help you achieve flawless skin and strong hair.
It contains Inositol which is a carbohydrate. It helps in hair growth, repair and conditioning of dry damaged hair.
Brown rice has higher Inositol content compared to other rice varieties.
Fermented Rice Water For Skin
- Neutralises free radical damage from the UV rays and environmental pollution
- Calms inflamed and irritated skin
- Natural cleanser
- Soothes redness
- Promotes new cell growth
- Has anti ageing benefits
- Minimises the appearance of pores
- Improves skin elasticity
- Tightens skin
- Stimulates the blood circulation
Rice Water Benefits For Hair
- Inositol does help the hair follicles so that it can lock in moisture and prevent dry frizzy hair
- Strengthens hair
- Good for de-tangling hair
- Improves hair texture
- Natural cleanser
- Repairs damaged hair
- Softens frizzy hair
- Adds shine
- Promotes hair growth
- Prevents fungal scalp infections
How To Make Fermented Rice Water?
You can use organic white rice like Jasmine or any Basmati rice to make this recipe. I have tried using white rice, black rice and bamboo rice.
All of them work well on my hair. But fermented rice water made from Black Rice promoted new hair growth at a faster rate.
My husband is the one who noticed the change and mentioned it to me. He said that my hair has become thicker and darker than before. 🙂 That made me super happy as i wasn’t really expecting it to work.
I decided to give this a try on a whim for my hair loss. I am glad i did.
Video
Watch From 4:20 For Fermented Rice Water Recipe.
Photo Instructions
Rinse the rice to remove any impurities. Put the clean rice in to a jar.
Add enough water.
For 2 Tablespoons of rice, i usually add half litre of water.
Add the citrus peels.
Go for Pomelo fruit peels or Grape fruit peels as they are what Yao women use.
I usually go for sweet lemon peels of two lemons. Or maybe oranges too.
Pomelo peels are the BEST choice though.
Close the lid and leave it for 48 hours to ferment.
If you are using white rice, the rice water will look cloudy like this.
You can strain the liquid and refrigerate the fermented rice water.
Discard the rice and fruit peels.
Recipe
- Rice – 2 Tablespoon of organic rice
- Water – Half Litre
- Citrus fruit peels – 2 whole lemon peels
How To Use
When you are using fermented rice water, you have to dilute it as it might be too potent to use it as it is. It may cause protein overload which is not a good thing for your hair.
Add one cup of water to one cup of fermented rice water.
Follow 1:1 ratio while diluting the concentrated rice water
Let it sit anywhere between 20 minutes to one hour before rinsing it off.
Shampoo and condition as usual.
OR
Use a mild shampoo. This helps remove any the stinky smell.
Follow up with a 3 minute ACV rinse.
How Often To Use Rice Water?
Use this once a month.
Does Rice Water Stink?
Honestly, it does stink a little bit. But the orange peels does mask the smell to an extent.
After shampoo and conditioning, your hair will not at all smell bad.
Try this recipe and let me know how it goes for you.
If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.
Have A Nice Day. 🙂
You can find other DIY Recipes Here
what do you do with the left over rice water after you’ve used it once? Can it sit in the fridge and be used again in 2 weeks or do you make a fresh batch every 2 weeks?
I use fermented rice water once a month and make a fresh batch each time.
Thank you. I’ve used this and really like your presentation and recipe….In the video it says you can strain the rice water or leave it as it is, you mean I can leave the rice and peels in there the whole time? Also, I found that the water does not rot in the refrigerator, I’ve already had it there for over a month. How long is okay? Thanks in advance
I never once strained the rice water in the past 3 years and that worked just fine. Once or twice, I did leave the rice water in the refrigerator for around 4-6 weeks. Although I did not notice any difference, i wouldn’t do that every single time since we do not know what microbes are growing in there. I also use an antidandruff shampoo twice a month just to prevent any dandruff and itching or any other scalp infections, That may have helped too.
Im glad you liked the video and my recipe, Thanks for reading Havad.
“Fermented rice water does promote new hair growth and makes your hair thicker. You can take my word for that.”
That’s not how it works, Peppy. 😉 Look what happened when people took a Playboy bunny’s unfounded word that vaccines cause autism: now we have people dying of diseases that we’d eradicated … with vaccines. 😰 I’m gonna need at least one peer-reviewed study that rice water can regrow lost hair.
And how much fermentation can take place in a day or two? Especially in the cold environment of a refrigerator? When I was a kid, I helped my uncle pickle (ferment) cucumbers; it took place at “room temperature,” which was his warm cellar. Can fermentation even take place in a cold fridge? I remember that we pickled in the summer, and not in the winter because it didn’t work in cold weather.
I’m thinking that putting rice in water for a couple days in the fridge produces just rice-y water. I’m suspicious that fermentation doesn’t take place in the fridge, but I’m no expert. (My uncle was, though; he was renowned locally for his delicious pickles, which took seemingly *forever*, though it was just a couple months.)
Yeah, I’ve typed a lot (I have a lotta concerns about fermenting rice in a day or two in a fridge), but my biggest concern is your hair regrowth contention. I’m unable to find any research on the subject. If you can point me to some, I’m all (hair-free!) ears! 😀
The rice water is fermented for 48-72 hours in room temperature. Fermenting rice water for more than 72 hours would be counterproductive as it could leave your hair brittle and dry because of protein overload. It is not recommended to use fermented rice water more than once a month either.
If you wish to ferment the rice water for longer periods, it would be best to follow the traditional Chinese YAO rice water recipe. For reference, You can check out YouTube videos on Yao women. They hold the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s longest hair village.
Other than that, There hasn’t been much research done on the subject. This was all I could find on the net.
* The study found that Yu‐Su‐Ru did provide positive hair care effects, including reduced surface friction and increased hair elasticity. Rice bran extract, and components of it, including linoleic acid and gamma oryzanol, were examined in a study from the BIOLOGICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL BULLETIN. The study found that linoleic acid and gamma oryzanol induce the formation of hair follicles and promote hair growth. Backing this up, a study from the Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences notes that ferulic acid is present in gamma oryzanol and that ferulic acid stimulates hair growth.
I tried both the recipes and observed positive results. I have been using fermented rice water since 2019. It is not a miracle cure but, it helped reduce my hair fall and regrow hair much faster.
Do you use rice water for your face? The Yao women said they use it for their skin but I am curious how. Is it the same rice water made with their recipe that is fermented for weeks to months?
Hello Tania, I apologize for not being able to provide any feedback on the use of rice water on my face, as I have not used it before. However, I did try using fresh rice water as a toner for a week or two in the past, but did not notice any significant changes. Since I have normal, sensitive skin, I could not observe any visible results from using rice water, unlike those with oily skin or visible pores who may benefit from it more. I intend to try a sheet mask made with rice water in the near future.