Published on
Updated
Reading 2 mins.
Rice is well known on our plates, but it is in the form of a beauty ingredient that it is creating buzz on social networks. Water and rice powder prove to be essential treatments for shiny hair and naturally radiant skin.
Since the pandemic, our bathroom seems to have turned into a veritable pantry. We no longer count the ingredients from the kitchen that are gradually invited to suit the different needs of our skin. Eggs to hydrate and smooth, sugar to erase, honey to depilate, olive oil to nourish. And now rice to mattify oily skin and fight against the signs of aging. Thousand-year-old beauty secrets that resurface to respond to the climate emergency, as well as to the new concerns of a public in search of natural and eco-responsible solutions.
Rice water, ally of dull hair…
In grains, powder, or in the form of water, rice has been used in cosmetics since the dawn of time. In Asia, women have been recycling the water in which they cook rice for centuries to strengthen their hair and accelerate its growth. And it is precisely this use that makes beauty addicts happy on social networks today. On TikTok, the hashtag #ricewater has accumulated some 500 million views to date, associated with a host of videos highlighting the virtues of this ‘miracle’ water for the hair.
Rich in minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, rice cooking water can be used as a hair mask, although the texture and smell are not there. However, just leave it on for a few minutes to make your hair stronger, more voluminous, and shinier, accelerate its growth, and even fight against frizz. A real bargain when you know the number of treatments and products needed to meet these different needs.
…and mature skin
Mature skin will also turn to rice for its action against skin aging and lack of firmness. Benefits that we owe to its antioxidant active ingredients. Rice water would fight the signs of aging, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and benefit from smoother skin. The icing on the cake, the cereal, still in the form of water, would also hydrate and nourish the skin in depth. Reasons that could encourage many brands to integrate rice into the formula of their future cosmetics.
Rice powder and its mattifying action
But rice is also beneficial for the skin. As incredible as it may seem, it is the ally of combination to oily skin, such as dry, sensitive and mature skin. It’s crowded! Shiny skins, however, are those that will appreciate rice powder the most for its high absorbency – goodbye sebum – and therefore mattifying. This is also why we very often find the star ingredient in certain makeup products such as mattifying powders, eye shadows, and even certain blushes.