Rice Water: A Waste-Reducing Beauty Secret

Don’t chuck the cooking water from rice! It’s an anti-waste habit that Asians have practiced for decades for skin and hair. Let’s discover how to use it.

The rice water has traditionally been used by Asian women for beauty care. With the Do it Yourself trend and natural beauty tips, it’s making a strong comeback in bathrooms. It’s also a completely free, zero-waste product. Here’s how to use it.

Beauty benefits you gain by not discarding rice water

Rice water can be either the water used for rinsing the rice before cooking, or the rice cooking water. Of course, do not add salt or oil to the water and let it cool to tepid before using. It’s best to choose organic rice to enjoy all the benefits without pesticide residues.

It can be used in several ways: either consumed, or as a beauty lotion for skin and hair.

Drinking the rice cooking water, a health and beauty move

The rice cooking water has multiple health benefits. It is particularly renowned as a treatment for mild gastroenteritis because it contains a lot of starch and helps rehydrate. In fact, it provides, at any moment, valuable support for digestion. To soften it, you can add a little honey and cinnamon. It keeps for six days in the refrigerator.

Rice water also contains a high content of inositol, which slows down aging of cells. Drinking rice water is therefore also an excellent way to naturally preserve our skin from aging.

Rice water as a rinse for the hair

The starch in rice is good for hair. It strengthens them and seals the cuticles: it’s the ideal ally for anyone with dull and brittle hair. It also helps to smooth unruly hair. Rice water behaves like a silicone-based conditioner, but it is much better for health, the environment, and your wallet.

Use the rice cooking water as a rinse for your hair, leave it on for a few minutes, then wash with clean water. Be sure to save the water every time you cook rice and rinse your hair with it regularly.

A softer skin and less irritated

We already knew rice powder used for centuries by women. Rice water naturally concentrates certain vitamins and minerals with skin benefits such as tightening pores and making the skin softer.

In addition to preventing aging thanks to inositol, rice water contains antioxidants. These are good for cell renewal and for soothing irritated skin. Rice water is applied as a facial lotion on the face with a cotton pad, then rinsed off.

You can also pour rice water into a bath so it benefits the whole body and hair. So no more hesitation: pour the rice water into your bath water!