7 amazing benefits of Rice water for beards

There are two kinds of people, one who loves natural remedies to make their living free from chemicals and the other who try every other hyped-products to get instant results.

If you belong to the first category and want to enhance your beard health, then using rice water for beards is one of the best things you can do.

Rice water for beards is a healthy way of treating dryness, split-ends, and dullness and making them strong, shiny, smooth, and free from tangles, and split-ends provide many skin benefits. It has vitamins C, B, and E, amino acids, antioxidants, and more which may help you with beard growth. However, a limited study is present in this regard.

If you love a beard care regime with natural ingredients, read how fenugreek helps with beard growth and how onion juice for the beard is effective.

Using Rice water for beards:

Rice is a staple food of more than half the world’s population, providing 20% of the world’s dietary energy supply.

You may have made rice, but throw the leftover water once it gets cooked. 

But do you know that soaked or cooked rice water contains many nutritional benefits for hair, skin, and beards?

When you soak rice before cooking or boil them to get them cooked, the starchy water (sometimes discarded down the drain) is called rice water. 

It has amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help you with healthy hair and skin. 

Inositol or vitamin B8, a natural sugar of rice, prevents or reduces excess sebum production and signs of aging and enhances skin elasticity.

Ferulic acid helps to fight against harmful free radicals and makes skin glowing and younger.

The prolonged use of rice water on beards makes them longer, shinier, smooth, and free from tangles and split ends.

We will discuss more benefits of rice water for beards below.

Does rice water increase facial hair growth?

According to research, during the Heian period (794 to 1185 CE) in Japan, women used to have floor-length hair. The reason behind this was using rice water hair rinse during bath.

Also, they credit rice water for reducing surface friction and increasing hair elasticity.

Another study says rice bran extract, derived from Oryza sativa, can increase hair growth. 

Rice bran can increase the expression of growth factors and molecular signals associated with maintaining the anagen phase and decreasing inflammation.

Rice water has amino acids, vitamins B, C, and E, potassium, magnesium, selenium, and phosphorus. Amino acids are the building block of protein that makes hair and supports hair regeneration. 

On the other hand, vitamins B, C, and E maintain the healthy environment of the skin and strengthen the hair follicle. The stronger the hair follicle, the longer the hair grows.

We can say there is a possibility that rice water may help to improve follicle health and increase facial hair growth.

However, no study is present with enough evidence which supports that rice water can help with beard growth.

Benefits of rice water for beard growth:

Rice water has tremendous hair and skin benefits. Here we will discuss both as hair, beards, and skin are interlinked. A healthy beard can only happen if the skin underneath has a healthy environment.

Let us discuss the benefits of rice water for beard growth:

Prevent itching and beard dandruff:

Beard dandruff can happen due to dry skin, Malassezia, poor hygiene, harsh products, weather, and stress. You may feel dry, itchy, and flaky skin. 

Several beard dandruff treatments are available, and rice water is one of them.

The starch-rich solution helps smoothen inflammation, itching, dryness, and dermatitis. It is one of the best home remedies to treat beard dandruff.

Moisturize and maintain skin PH:

Rice water for the beard is a must as it contains antioxidant which hydrates the beard and skin underneath and provides the best moisturization.

Also, rice water has amino acids responsible for balancing skin PH. Healthy skin with proper moisturization tends to fuller beard growth.

Prevent acne and excess oil:

The excess sebum production or having oily skin provides an environment for acne and pimples. 

Rice water has vitamin B8 and is rich in starch, helping to cleanse the pores filled with dirt, debris, and pollution.

Cleansing your face with rice water can help cure those painful red bumps and prevent them from returning.

Anti-aging properties:

Rice water has inositol, ferulic acid, and antioxidants. Inositol or vitamin B8 improves skin elasticity and reduces signs of aging like wrinkles, dark spots, and fine lines, and makes skin healthier from within.

Ferulic acid helps to make skin younger looking.

Rice water is rich in antioxidants, which help to reduce elastase, a compound responsible for premature signs of aging.

Rice water helps to make your skin free from wrinkles, fine lines, age marks, and dark spots and delays signs of aging.

Sun protection:

We all know sun rays are a source of vitamin D necessary for healthy beard growth. But UV rays can affect the beards and the skin underneath.

Nowadays, sunscreen has become popular and become a part of our regime. But do you know rice water for beards acts as a natural sunscreen?

Yes. Rice water helps combat harmful UV radiation and reduce dark or sun spots. However, you can not replace SPF with rice water. You need to apply sunscreen daily.

Prevent environmental damage:

The environment has full of dirt, excess oil, impurities, debris, and pollution. When our skin pores are open, they absorb all the entities and cause skin damage, acne, pimples, and much more.

Prolong use of rice water for the beard help to protect it against dirt, debris, pollution, UV rays, and more. It shrinks the enlarged pores and prevents them from absorbing impurities.

Also, it helps to reduce hyperpigmentation.

Prevent split ends:

Beard split ends can occur due to overexposure to the sun, excess use of heating tools like a blow dryers, straighteners, and improper or lack of grooming.

Rice water helps to repair damaged or split-end beards by nourishing them from within. 

Also, it helps to make them intangible, frizz-free, and sleek. You may notice less dryness in the beards after using rice water for beards.

Strengthen beard and improve beard thickness:

Patchy or thin beards can occur due to age, genetics, alopecia areata, hormonal imbalance, and improper grooming regime.

Using rice water on beards every week can help to strengthen the hair follicle and help them in beard regrowth.

Also, it helps to increase the diameter of each hair strand by providing beneficial nutrients to make the beard look fuller, thicker, and shinier.

How to make rice water for beards?

There are two ways to make rice water for beards. Either use the water left after cooking rice or ferment the rice for 24 hours.

Here, I will share both recipes.

Fermented rice water for beard recipe:

Materials required:

• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 2 cups water
• Bowl
• Strainer
• Bottle with lid

Instructions:

1. Rinse the raw rice in water to remove any contaminants or dirt.
2. Add 2 cups of water to the rice bowl.
3. Let the rice soak for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Strain the rice, reserving the water in another bowl.
5. Put the rice water in a lidded bottle for storing.
6. Keep the rice water in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

 Boil rice water for the beard recipe:

Material required:

• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 2 cups water
• Pot with lid
• Strainer
• Bowl

Instructions:

1. Rinse the raw rice with water to clean any dirt or impurities.
2. Put the rice in a pot and add 2 cups of water.
3. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Rice will become mushy and soft after 20 to 30 minutes of simmering over low heat.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
6. Strain the rice, collecting the water in another bowl.
7. Transfer the rice water to a spray bottle for easy application.

How to use rice water on beards?

Using rice water on beards is easy. Use a spray bottle to keep the water for easy application. In this way, you may use it without messing up and more than usual.

Follow the below steps to use rice water on beards:

• Clean your beard with mild beard shampoo or beard wash.
• Pour the rice water into the spray bottle.
• Apply rice water throughout the beard, massage them, and leave it for 15-20 minutes.
• Rinse it thoroughly with normal water and pat dry.
• You can also use a few drops of essential oil to minimize the rice water odor (optional).

Side effects of rice water on the face

Rice water on beards may sound new, but people have been using it on skin and hair since ancient times. It is a natural remedy, regarded as safe to apply to the face and hair.

There are a few side effects you must be cautious of, though:

Damage hair follicle:

The starchy rice water is acidic in nature, which may help you restore or balance skin and hair PH. 

But using it excessively can alter the natural environment of the skin underneath and can affect follicle health.

Skin irritation:

Few people may experience skin rashes or allergic reactions when exposed to rice water. 

If you experience redness, itching, or any other symptoms of irritation after applying it, rinse it off immediately with water and consult your doctor if necessary.

Acne: 

Rice water is a natural remedy to combat acne-prone skin, but it may worsen the condition of sensitive skin. 

If you notice more outbreaks, stop using it immediately.

Overdrying: 

Rice water has a lot of protein found in nature. It has astringent characteristics. If you apply rice water on beards regularly or excessively, it can make your skin over-dry.

The over-dryness can cause skin problems or beard loss. If you have sensitive or dry skin, do not use rice water more than once a week.

Contamination: 

If rice water is not freshly prepared or properly kept, it may pick up bacteria that might cause an illness or other health problems.

 Always use freshly made rice water and test it on a tiny skin patch before applying it to the entire beard. 

Stop using it immediately if you feel any irritation or itching.

Smelly beards:

Fermented rice water can cause a weird odor to your beard, especially if you want to leave for a long.

People who do not need to go anywhere can apply it without thinking twice, but for those who need to go out, it may cause social difficulties.

Takeaway:

Rice water for beards is a good way of making them strong, smooth, nourished, and thicker. But no study has proved that it can improve or support beard growth.

However, it has vitamins B, C, and E, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants that help to prevent beard damage and strengthen them from within.

Rice water on beards may be a natural remedy to combat dryness, itching, and hair thinning, but using it excessively can ruin skin and follicle health.

FAQs:

kayden

Kayden is an entrepreneur, writer, hairstylist working in a professional salon. He specializes in men’s grooming. He loves to blog about beards, hairstyles, and skincare.