Want strong, healthy hair? Dermatologist talks rice water's potential benefits

What's the first thing you notice about someone? For some, it's their hair, whether that be the length, texture, color or shine.

On average, there are approximately 100,000 hair follicles on the human head. Despite this, hair loss happens to everyone. Each day, we shed between 50 and 80 hairs naturally.

This has led many to turn to an ancient beauty secret. Rice water has been used for centuries in various countries, particularly in Asia, to promote healthy and smooth hair. The nutrient-rich liquid has garnered attention across social media, with claims that it can help everything from hair growth to frizz control.

But does rice water really live up to the hype?

Dr. Shilpi Khetarpal, a board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, unpacks its potential benefits and usage.

What is rice water?

Rice water is a starchy liquid that results from soaking the grain in water or cooking it in water, Khetarpal explains. Depending on the type of rice, its starch content can range between ~60% to 90%.

Most people tend to discard rice water after cooking, but it can be utilized for potential hair benefits, she adds.

Using rice water to promote hair health is not a new fad. "If you look back to certain Asian trends, and thousands of years ago, this has been used for a lot of home remedies and for skin and hair health," says Khetarpal.

Rice water for hair

Rice water contains an antioxidant called inositol, which is considered to be a "hair rejuvenator," reveals Khetarpal. Inositol may help hair grow faster and become healthier and shinier, she says.

Rice water is also rich in various nutrients, including Vitamin B, Vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, zinc and fiber, Khetarpal says. Zinc is an important cofactor in the hair growth cycle.

"It's probably a combination of this antioxidant inositol and these other vitamins and minerals that could attribute some of the benefit," she explains.

Khetarpal points to the Huangluo village in China, whose women are famous for their long hair. "Rice water is actually part of the regimen that this town attributes to their hair to get to that length," she says.

In Eastern cultures, people have also used rice water as a natural detangler, Khetarpal adds.

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How to make rice water

Rice water can be easily made at home. After you wash rice, reserve the water.

"There's no other trick to it," Khetarpal explains. "You could either soak the water in the rice for like 30 minutes, (or) you could boil the rice and then use the water from that."

How you choose to use rice water varies. One option is to transfer the liquid into a spray bottle and apply it directly to your head.

You can also leave it in for several hours or overnight before washing the rice water out, Khetarpal says. Soaking your hair in rice water is another method, which "seems to be the way to get the best benefit," she adds.

While Khetarpal doesn't inherently recommend using rice water to promote hair health, "if (someone) wants to try it, it's certainly not going to harm anything, but how much it'll help is uncertain."

She does, however, caution those with scalp psoriasis and eczema to not use rice water. "We wouldn't want to aggravate it," Khetarpal adds.

People with "normal, healthy hair and scalps" are OK to try rice water, she says, to see what the benefits are and how much improvement their hair will experience.

It is important to note that hair often grows on a three to four month cycle. So, if someone chooses to incorporate rice water into their selfcare routine, "give it three or four months before saying it works or it doesn't work," Khetarpal says.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rice water for hair: Dermatologist explains the benefits, how to use