(9 Pros & Cons Of) Rice Water For Hair Growth

Are you trying to grow out your hair? Well – chances are you only need 2 basic ingredients: rice + water.

• So what’s the truth behind rice water for hair growth?
• Does it really work?
• Or it’s just another “miraculously fake” remedy?

I know lots of people are crazy about this recipe – so I decided to give out the details today.

Which are the real facts about rice water? And which are only myths?

You’re going to find out the truth below.

 

 

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What’s Inside Rice Water?

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Shortly – what makes it so popular? There must me some ingredients responsible for its success.

First of all, here’s what you should know about rice water:

1. It’s the starchy water left over after cooking/soaking rice.
2. It’s been used for centuries.
3. People believed it could make hair grow faster, as well as keep it healthy.
4. It’s been getting really popular lately.

Basically – rice water is really easy to get. Just let the rice soak in into some water and here you go – you’ve got rice water.

But what makes it so valuable?

Apparently – it’s a real nutrient bomb containing:

• vitamins B and E
• antioxidants
• amino acids
• minerals (zinc, magnesium, etc.)

… and the list could go on. With so many useful nutrients inside, there’s no wonder it’s so popular.

But as I said at first – not everything you hear about it is true.

And even though it has lots of benefits, it also has some downsides.

So let’s analyze the real pros & cons of using rice water for hair growth.

 

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PRO #1 – Great Hair Moisturizer

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If there’s something rice hair is good at – it’s surely hydrating hair.

So how exactly does it help? It’s all about its thick consistency:

1. Reduces surface friction and consequent frizz.
2. Smooths hair ends.
3. Decreases tangles and knots.
4. Maintains hair hydrated even in high humidity.

Basically – what makes rice water better than other moisturizers is its thick texture.

In this way, it’s able to penetrate the hair and stick inside – keeping it hydrated for a longer time.

My Verdict: It’s really helpful for hair that tends to be frizzy.

All those moisturizing rumors you might have heard about it are true.

 

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PRO #2 – Extra Shine

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That’s one of the major benefits of rice water – it’s an excellent treatment for brittle hair.

1. Increases hair gloss and shine.
2. Softens damaged strands.
3. Moisturizes the ends.
4. Increases hair bounce.

Actually – it’s clearly one of the best natural remedies when it comes to shine.

It’s not very clear how it does it, but rice water can make your glossy hair stand out.

My Verdict: It’s a great solution for women with dry or damaged hair.

It can also add bouncy volume – which is another extra tip when it comes to shine.

 

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PRO #3 – Increases Overall Strength

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Since it contains so many nutrients – rice water is really good for fragile ends.

1. Reduces hair breakage.
2. Prevents shedding due to fragile hair.
3. Strengthens hair follicles and roots.
4. Increases ends nourishment.

Actually – that’s why women using rice water can grow hair so long.

Since the water keeps it strong and hydrated, it remains healthy and it can grow easier.

That’s the key, in case you were wondering.

My Verdict: Rice water is really good at making hair super strong and silky.

If you’re dealing with fragile hair, it’s a great budget remedy.

 

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PRO #4 – Prevents Knots & Breakage

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In case you’re dealing with tangles – start using rice water, as it’s going to make wonders for your hair:

1. Smooths and makes hair silky.
2. Softens hair ends.
3. Decreases eventual knots.
4. Prevents tangles on damp hair.
5. Reduces and prevents further breakage.

In other words, rice water can be a great remedy for curly hair (that tends to tangle easily).

But even if your hair is super straight and gets tangles quite often – rice water can help.

My Verdict: Use rice water before every time you brush your damp hair.

That can save you a tons of hairs from falling out.

 

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CON #1 – Not A Growth Booster

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Unfortunately, that’s an essential aspect about rice water.

Medically speaking – it does not increase hair growth speed. So it doesn’t actually grow hair faster:

1. Only works on the outside (topical remedy).
2. Does not stimulate hair follicles.
3. Does not increase hair growth cycle speed.

However – some people swear by it.

So how does rice hair “grow” hair in those cases? It’s actually an illusion of its other benefits:

1. Improves hair health and strength.
2. Reduces fragile hair and consequent breakage.
3. Increases hair volume.

Basically – since hair becomes a lot healthier and thicker, it can also seem to grow faster.

But it’s not the rice water that is responsible for that.

It’s simply the fact that it’s getting healthier – and healthy hair tends to grow faster.

My Verdict: Though it’s a helpful remedy, rice water doesn’t increase hair growth.

At least that’s what studies say. Compared to supplements (that are designed for that) – it’s not such a potent growth remedy.

 

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CON #2 – Not Effective For Hair Loss

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Here’s another fact you need to be aware of, when it comes to rice water.

Unless your hair is falling out due to fragility – it’s not going to help:

1. Doesn’t block DHT excess/hormones.
2. Not effective for shedding caused by stress.
3. Doesn’t help scalp problems.
4. Not helpful for hair loss caused by nutrient deficiency.

And most importantly – it’s totally useless for treating or preventing baldness (even an early one).

In other words, rice water is not going to decrease your hair loss at all.

At most – it can help if your hair is falling out because it’s too fragile.

But unfortunately, those are rare cases. In most situations – there are clear causes of hair loss.

My Verdict: Rice water may be good for hair – but not when it comes to shedding.

If you’re dealing with hair loss, adding this remedy to your list isn’t going to help too much.

 

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CON #3 – Doesn’t Fight Baldness

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As you already saw – despite all its benefits, rice water is totally useless for baldness:

1. No effect for DHT excess (#1 cause of baldness in men).
2. Does not improve thinning hair.
3. Does not increase hair density or fullness.
4. Not effective for baldness prevention.

At most – it could help with growing hair from Alopecia Areata.

But even so, it wouldn’t speed up hair growth too much (compared to supplements).

So if you’re looking for a remedy against baldness, rice water is surely not one.

My Verdict: Rice water is pretty useless for baldness – whether you want to treat it or prevent it.

So in my opinion, there’s no point wasting your time with it.

 

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CON #4 – Bad Smell

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Smell is definitely not the best thing about rice water.

In fact – it’s pretty bad, especially until you get used to it:

1. Sour and nasty scent.
2. It can start to smell worse after a few days.
3. That’s because rice water can start to ferment.
4. In this case, it’s no longer good for your hair.

But basically – rice water will never smell too nicely (not even when you just prepared it).

It’s true that it’s not a major downside. But some people can be bothered by this kind of smell.

You can add some essential oils in it for a nicer scent – but not everyone wants to do that.

My Verdict: In terms of smell, rice water is definitely not pleasant.

So if you need a refreshing product, this isn’t really the right choice.

 

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CON #5 – No studies

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It may sound hard to believe, but all this hype around rice water has no scientific based.

In other words – there are no studies on it until now.

1. A 2010 study is the only one that brought rice water to light. [1]
2. However, it’s only based on historical data.
3. There’s no kind of testing or anything.
4. Even so, its results weren’t 100% sure.
5. There’s also a Japanese paper developed on rice water. [2]
6. However, it was made in a promotional purpose.
7. For this reason, it’s not extremely trustworthy or unbiased. 

Therefore, according to science – rice water isn’t effective for hair. Not officially, at least.

So if you care about science and you only want to try remedies that are officially approved, rice water isn’t the best choice.

My Verdict: At this point, rice water has no official evidence behind.

So when it comes to science, its good effect on hair is just a rumor.

 

 

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My Verdict – Is Rice Water Good For Hair?

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Short answer: YES and NO.

It has certain advantages – like adding shine and moisturize and strengthening hair considerably.

However, it does not grow hair faster – medically speaking:

1. Doesn’t stimulate follicles or increase growth speed.
2. Not effective against baldness.
3. Doesn’t thicken hair or fight thinning hair.
4. Quite useless for hair loss (unless it’s caused by fragile hair).
5. No official evidence behind.

So if you’re interested in improving your hair’s health – rice hair is excellent.

But if you only want to grow it out or fight your hair loss – it’s not going to help much.

So what do I recommend instead? Only the things I’m personally using:

• Certain hair supplements
• Green tea rinse
• Hair fibers (as an aesthetic solution)

My #1 recommendation are hair supplements – because the right one has changed my hair tremendously in almost 6 months.

Compared to rice water, I had way better results with it.

So judging after my experience, that’s what I recommend and use.

Rice water is great – but when it comes to hair growth, mostly if it’s associated with the right things.

When used alone, I personally never had great results with it.

References:

1 – https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/-doi/epdf/10.1111

2 – http://www.spring8.or.jp/-pdf/en/indu_appli/p10-11.pdf