Of late, you must have seen social media influencers and celebrities like Kim K swear by the Korean beauty secret of rice water for skin. But, if you’ve been wondering about this special treatment, you should know it’s been in your kitchen all along. This superstar ingredient is the water left over after fermenting, soaking, or cooking rice. Indian households use this residual viscous fluid to starch cotton clothes. In many cultures, fermented rice water is also consumed as a probiotic drink or as an additive to food preparations.
As a skincare ingredient, rice water offers multiple benefits with regular use. For example, the credit for Korean women’s characteristic ‘glass skin’ goes to rice water. It is healthy, has no open pores, and appears translucent. You can get all of these benefits by using rice water. In addition, it soothes and tones the skin and helps repair damage caused by environmental factors. It’s also good for the hair. Here’s how you can use rice water for skin treatments.
What’s the rice water secret?
Is rice water good for your skin? The answer to this question is Yes! For years, South Asians have used rice water for skin and hair care. The cloudy concoction is a natural astringent packed with antioxidants. In addition, ferulic acid and vitamin E in rice water help brighten and tone your skin, giving it the trademark ceramic appearance.
Rice water also contains vitamins B and E, zinc, manganese, magnesium, and fiber. The antioxidant inositol, present in rice water, is said to boost hair growth. If you have a zero-waste kitchen, you have just found another way to use leftover rice water!
Benefits
With many antioxidants and vitamins, rice water has immense benefits for skin and hair. Regular use can give your face the glow you have always dreamt of. If you’re considering using rice water for skin care, you should consider these benefits:
- Anti-aging benefits: Given the high number of antioxidants, rice water controls signs of aging by reducing fine lines and wrinkles. It inhibits the activity of the enzyme elastase, which impairs elastin. It, therefore, helps maintain skin elasticity. It also boosts collagen production for soft, supple skin.
- It’s a natural sunscreen: Rice water protects the skin from harmful UV rays and soothes sunburnt skin. Its regular use can help you get rid of tan and sunspots. In addition, it can also treat itching, inflammation, and redness caused by mild sunburn.
- Brightens the skin: Rice water reduces blemishes and brightens the skin. A toxin-free rice water face wash will help treat an uneven skin tone, sun spots, and dull skin. It also lightens scars and fades hyperpigmentation.
- Soothes dry skin: Rice water can reduce skin irritation caused by sulfates found in many skin care products. It also gently cleanses and hydrates the skin, making it suitable for dry skin.
- Oily skin benefits: The astringent effect of rice water helps tighten pores and gives oily skin a mattified effect. It also cleanses the skin of oil buildup and bacteria to reduce pimples and acne.
- Strengthens the skin barrier: A skin condition may damage the skin’s natural barrier to make it dry and vulnerable. Rice water helps protect and repair the skin’s natural barrier, giving you smooth, toned, and even skin.
In addition to using rice water for better skin, you should consider adding a tinted lip balm to complete a youthful look. An effective lip balm can soothe dry, chapped lips to give them a smooth finish that complements your glass-like skin!
PS: You may add Mamaearth Cherry Tinted 100% Natural Lip Balm with Cherry and Coconut Oil. It offers 12-hour moisturization to heal dry and chapped lips. It features Cherry, Vitamin C, Coconut Oil, and Castor Oil, providing essential hydration and keeping the lips soft and nourished.
The best way to use rice water
You can extract rice water at home using three different procedures. After making rice water, you can store it in the refrigerator and use it as needed. The first method involves boiling and cooking rice, then collecting the leftover water.
The second method is soaking rice in water. Once the rice grains have absorbed water, you can drain and refrigerate the rice water for skin treatments. Lastly, you can use fermented rice water that is made by straining the rice and allowing straining the water to ferment at room temperature.
If that sounds too much of a hassle, you can pick up a natural, toxin-free product that contains rice water as its key ingredient. You can choose from a range of rice water-infused skin care products. Mamaearth’s Rice Water Face Wash deeply cleanses impurities and oil buildup from the skin, which gives it a refreshed and dewy appearance. The antioxidants present in rice water work to reduce dark spots and blemishes.
This toxin-free rice water face wash has a creamy texture to help retain essential moisture while cleansing the skin. It also gives your skin a hydrating boost. It also contains niacinamide that brightens the skin tone and fades acne marks. With hydrated, blemish-free skin, you can get that glass-like complexion too!
To complete your dewy look, finish it daily with Mamaearth’s Tinted Lip Balm.
Try this South Asian skincare secret!
Since rice is a staple in Asian cuisine, its residual water finds many uses in households. The most intriguing one is a skin and hair care ingredient. It can be fermented, soaked-drained, or boiled to make rice water. A storehouse of antioxidants, rice water tightens and tones the skin, acts as a natural sunscreen, and soothes sunburn and rashes.
You should pick a natural rice water-infused product that you can incorporate into your everyday skincare routine. For example, a rice water face wash will gently cleanse and hydrate the skin without stripping its natural oils.
You should use Mamaearth’s Rice Water Face Wash twice a day for the best results. Simply apply it on a damp face, gently massage, rinse, and pat dry. While Rice Water and vitamin E fight free radical damage to brighten the skin, Niacinamide reduces dark spots and acne marks. In addition, it is Made Safe-certified and contains no harmful chemicals or toxins.
Now that you know the secret to glass skin, you can easily ace that youthful look. Complete it with Mamaearth’s Tinted Lip Balm that keeps your lips moisturized for 12 hours while lending them a subtle tinge of color.
