Here's Why You Should Include Rice Water In Your Hair Routine
As women, we are always looking for ways to achieve fuller, healthier hair and while there are new products invented every day to cater to these specific needs, some women have been uncovering ancient methods to fulfill their hair desires. One of those methods for hair growth is rice water.
Rice water for hair growth has been used by women in Asia for centuries and some subcultures, such as the Yao women in China, have credited their long hair to bathing in rice water. Now, it has become a trend with various beauty influencers on YouTube raving about it and even Jess Hilarious talked about it on The Breakfast Club. But what is rice water exactly?
Rice water is the water left over from cooking rice. It is said to have essential vitamins such as vitamin B, vitamin E, and minerals used to promote healthy hair. Some of the benefits associated with using rice water are that it makes your hair softer, less frizzy, shinier, stronger, and it helps your hair grow longer, faster. I've only used rice water twice and I quickly noticed how much more soft and shiny my hair became.
There are a few ways to incorporate rice water for hair growth in your hair regimen. For starters, I'd recommended that you use organic brown rice as it has less starch. If you do decide to use rice that isn't organic, just make sure to rinse the rice off a few times before starting the process.
How To Use Rice Water For Hair Growth
The Rice Water Boiling Process:
You can cook the rice by placing a ½ cup of uncooked rice in the water and let it boil. Once it cools, strain the water into a separate container (bowl, jar etc.).
The Rice Water Soaking Process:
This is the method I chose to do and it's fairly simple. All you need is organic brown rice, a container with a lid to place the rice in, and water. Take a ½ cup of uncooked rice and place it in a container and rinse the rice off. Then, take 2-3 cups of water and pour it into the container with the rice. Let it soak for 30 minutes and strain the water into a separate container.
For both methods, you can place the rice water into a spray bottle and use it right away, or if you want to receive even more benefits, you can do the fermenting process.
The Rice Water Fermenting Process:
The fermenting process requires you to soak the rice in the water for 24-48 hours before straining the water into a separate container. The fermenting process does produce a foul smell, so try not to let it ferment longer than 48 hours. However, many suggest that this develops higher antioxidants, which does wonders for damaged hair. A tip to dilute the smell: You can add an essential oil such as lavender.
Once your water is fermented, you can place it in a spray bottle and use it right away or place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
Rice water is a great step to add to wash day. Just simply wash your hair like normal and after you condition it, spray the rice water on your hair, let it sit for an hour, and then rinse it out. When you spray the rice water over the hair, make sure to spray it all over, especially the roots and the ends.
Many beauty influencers on YouTube have reported significant hair growth from using it weekly, bi-weekly, and even monthly. But because rice is a protein, I recommend that you gradually work your way up to weekly treatments to avoid using too much protein on the hair. If you're not feeling the DIY methods, there are now products on the market that has rice water infused in them such as Royal Organics Fermented Rice Shampoo and Honey Mint Conditioner.
Featured image via Tumblr
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London Alexaundria is the contributing editor for xoNecole. She is an alum of Clark Atlanta University, where she majored in Mass Media Arts and has worked in journalism for over ten years. You can follow her on Instagram and TikTok @theselfcarewriter
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
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Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images