How to Make & Use Rice Water on Natural Hair For Silky Smooth Curls

Tools and materials:

• Rice
• Peppermint or lavender oil
• Moringa tea
• Measuring cup
• Airtight jar
• Bottled water
• Funnel
• Squirty bottle
• Paper towel
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Hair tie
• Shower cap

How to make rice water for natural hair

1. Rinse the rice

Add rice to your airtight jar. I usually use the parts rule, so I do one part rice to three parts water. Before I prep my rice water, I like to give my rice a rinse to get any starch and dirt out of it.

When you start rinsing it, you will see that bubbles form at the top, and the water is very cloudy. You want to keep on rinsing it until the water runs as clear as it can get.

I generally do this for around a minute and a half. After rinsing, you are left with nice clean rice.

2. Add the essential oil and teabag

I like to add 5-10 drops of essential oil, either peppermint or lavender. Then take your moringa tea bag and put that in as well.

3. Add the water

Now I add my water; I usually just eyeball it while keeping the 1:3 ratio in mind. I add enough water until it fills to the top.

I am also meticulous to only use bottled water for this; tap water is too hard and won't produce as good a result.

Then give it a little stir, put the lid on and leave it to rest for 24 hours at room temperature. Don’t remove the teabag.

4. Strain the mixture

After you have left it for 24 hours, take the lid off and give the rice water a bit of a mix. Then take the teabag out.

Now it’s time to strain it. To do this, place your funnel on top of your squirty bottle and pour the mixture into it. Tilt the jar so that only the liquid comes out and the rice stays at the bottom.

Then, place a towel over your jar and tip it some more so that all the liquid comes out but not one grain of rice. That’s it! You now have your rice water mixture.

When I’m not using it, I store it in the fridge, and it could last up to a week, but I recommend five days just to keep things safe.

How to apply rice water on natural hair

My scalp is very flaky, and my hair is very dry and frizzy, so I’m ready to wash it.

1. Apply shampoo

Start by washing your hair using shampoo, making sure to give your scalp a good scrub. 

2. Apply conditioner

Next, use a conditioner. I don’t use a hairbrush, so I use my fingers to detangle using the onion leaf method.

All that means is to pull apart the onion (i.e., pull apart large chunks of hair) and then rake the leaves, which means to just go from the bottom to the top in raking your hair.

Rinse everything out and squeeze out as much water as you can so that the rice water isn't super diluted. 

3. Apply the rice water

I focus the rice water primarily on the top of my head, and whatever I have leftover, I put it on my ends.

When you put the rice water in your hair, make sure to give yourself a nice head massage for at least 5 minutes if you can. Really work that protein and goodness in there. 

4. Let it sit

When I’m all done, I put my hair up in a plastic cap and let it sit for about 20 minutes.

Here is how my hair looks after the rice water rinse. It’s full of life!

Rice water on natural hair tutorial

I love doing a rice water wash once a week just to add the shine and body and bounce back into my curls. Not only does my hair look and feel nourished, but so does my scalp, and I attribute that to the moringa.

Usually, when I use rice water by itself, it does a great job, but it kind of lacks that conditioning aspect, and I feel the moringa really brings it.

So in conclusion, I really swear by rice water, and I hope that you’ll fall in love with it too!