My hair is a big part of my look. After shaving it all off 2 years ago, I’ve decided to take better care of it using natural products.

I have been seeing a lot on social media about Fermented Rice Water for your hair and skin, so I decided to try it myself.

Basically, you rinse white rice, then let it soak in water for about 30 minutes (or more). You take that water, store it in a cool, dark place for a couple of days. There are different methods for different hair types (check out this article) but mostly everyone can benefit! You can also see more information here.

You can learn from my MANY mistakes in making, using, and storing the Fermented Rice Water mixture!

You can see the mould spots that formed because I left this in too hot of an area (right above my stove in the kitchen) for too long (72 hours)

FIRST TRY

Mistakes were made. The first time I tried to make Fermented Rice Water, I probably didn’t rinse the rice well enough. I also drained it after soaking for only 30 min. I also stored it right above my stove, in my very bright kitchen. I also let the Rice Water sit too long - 3 whole days! It grew tiny spots of mould, that I removed with a spoon and still tried to use it. I shampooed and conditioned as normal, and then rinsed with the Fermented Rice Water. My hair was somewhat more shiny, but I didn’t notice any major difference with it nor with my skin.

My hair after the second rinse. As you can see… meh,

ROUND TWO

For the second time, I again rinsed the rice well, but this time I left the rice soaking for a couple of hours, and stored the Rice Water in a dark, cool area (my linen closet) to ferment.

After 2 days, I checked, and it didn’t look too much different.

After 4 days, I was going to use it no matter what. The Fermented Rice Water didn’t have a noticeable odour like I was expecting. I didn’t know if the rice water was fermented enough (aka if it was “ready” to use) but it had been so long that I didn’t want to risk it getting mouldy.

I was not prepared for the horrible smell that came from pouring this in my hair. It was also COLD. So - pro tip - it smells worse when you pour it, and be sure to try and warm up the water by running the container in the shower first.

I didn’t do either of those things… The entire shower smelled like someone had eaten rice and then thrown up.

Can you SEE the difference of the third time???

While I didn’t want to wash off the positive benefits of the Fermented Rice Water with soap, I tried to rinse off as much as possible. I checked with other people the next day to make sure I didn’t walk around smelling like rice-vomit (I didn’t). My hair was a bit shinier, but I didn’t notice anything too drastic with my skin.

TL:DR VERSION OF HOW I MADE MY FERMENTED RICE WATER

Rinse 2 (or more) cups of organic WHITE rice VERY WELL. Soak Overnight. Drain out the water inter a glass mason jar, and store in a dark, cool area (like a linen closet or pantry) for 48 hours. Mix with warm water in the shower, and use after your regular shampoo/conditioner routine as a rinse for your hair and skin.

If you don’t use all of it within 48 hours, refrigerate the rest and use within a week.

LOOK HOW SHINY!!! FERMENTED RICE WATER FTW!!!

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM

For batch number three, I soaked the well-rinsed white rice overnight. I left it in the linen closet for 48 hours, and it smelled fermented but not as horrible as my second batch. I added in some warm water in the shower, and rinsed my hair after shampooing and conditioning like usual.

The results?

AMAZING!

My hair looked like I had styled it using heat tools and professional products, even though I had just let it air dry. It felt softer, stronger, and looked a LOT shinier. I will be continuing to rinse my hair this way about once a month, so I will let you know how it turns out!

Fermented Rice Water for Hair and Skin