Hair Library · Hair Care & Ingredients
How to make rice water by washing, boiling or fermenting rice, how to use and store it, what the research does and does not show for hair growth, and who should skip it.
Written by Nazmi Güldeş, Certified Trichologist · Medically reviewed by Dr. Teuku Adifitrian, Sp.BP-RE (Dr. Tompi), Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon · Last reviewed 31 October 2026
Reading levelRice water for hair is the cloudy water left after you wash, soak, boil or ferment rice, used as a rinse after shampoo. Rice extract is classed as a hair-conditioning ingredient in cosmetics, but rice water hasn't been shown to grow hair. We found no human trial of it, and the one rice trial in pattern hair loss used a rice bran extract, not kitchen rice water.
Below: what each method puts in the water, how to use and store it safely, and where it fits if your hair is actually thinning.
Not on current evidence. We found no human trial of rice water for hair growth. The closest is a trial of a rice bran extract in people with pattern hair loss, where men gained hair density and thickness over 16 weeks.[1] That extract is not homemade rice water, so treat the rinse as a cosmetic habit.
Pattern hair loss starts below the skin, where genes and androgen signalling in the dermal papillaGlossaryThe dermal papilla is a cluster of cells at the centre of the hair bulb. It signals the bulb and helps decide how thick, how long and what colour each hair grows.
Open in the glossary → slowly shrink the follicle.[2] A rinse sits on the hair shaftGlossaryThe hair shaft is the visible part of a hair above the skin, made of keratin in three layers: the cuticle, the cortex and, in thicker hairs, a central medulla. It forms in the follicle and cannot repair itself after it leaves the scalp.
Open in the glossary → above it, which is why we treat rice water as hair care rather than hair loss treatment.
Washing rice draws B vitamins, phytic acid and minerals such as zinc and iron out of the grain, while soaking mainly draws out thiamine (vitamin B1).[3] Boiling adds starch, which leaches into the cooking water.[4]
We found no study showing that any of these get inside the hair.
| Method | How to make it | What the water picks up | Our note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washed or soaked | Soak rice in water for about 30 minutes, then strain | B vitamins, phytic acid and minerals | The simplest; use it fresh |
| Boiled | Cook rice in extra water, pour off the liquid, let it cool | Starch from the grain | Thicker; rinse it out fully |
| Fermented | Leave soaked water at room temperature until it smells sour, then refrigerate | Organic acids; a lab batch reached pH 4 in 6 hours[5] | Acidic and full of microbes; dilute it |
In the lab, fermentation made rice water acidic within hours. Diluting it with plain water and rinsing it out fully is our own cautious advice, not a tested rule: no study has tested fermented rice water on hair.
Rice water is rich in nutrients, so microbes multiply in it easily; batches left to ferment carried bacteria such as Pseudomonas, Enterobacter and Clostridium alongside Lactobacillus.[6] Make a fresh batch for each use, or keep a few days' worth in a closed jar in the fridge, and pour it away if it smells rotten rather than sour.
The only human trial tested a rice bran extract, made with a lab process and applied to the scalp every day for 16 weeks in 50 people with pattern hair loss. Men gained hair density and thickness compared with placebo, and no side effects were reported.[1]
A 2025 review of non-prescription products placed rice bran among several ingredients with encouraging but limited evidence, and asked for larger, longer trials.[7] Neither paper involved rice water. We'd call the bran result interesting, and a long way from proof that a kitchen rinse does the same.
Whatever rice water does, it does on the shaft. Rice extract is classed as a hair-conditioning ingredient in cosmetics, and hydrolysed rice protein is used as a conditioner too.[8] We found no test of homemade rice water on how hair feels, or on its strength or shine.
"Protein overload" is the online name for hair that turns stiff and straw-like after too much protein. No study has measured it after rice water use. If your hair feels harsher after a few rinses, stop; our hair porosity guide explains which hair reacts badly to protein.
No. In one study of women's scalp hair, pigmented hairs grew 0.35 mm a day.[9] At that rate, 7 days add about 2.5 mm, rice water or not. The study's own figures by hair and site:
| Hair measured | Growth per day |
|---|---|
| Pigmented, top of the head | 0.34 mm |
| Pigmented, back of the head | 0.37 mm |
| White, top of the head | 0.37 mm |
| White, back of the head | 0.40 mm |
A before-and-after clip can't separate a rinse from lighting, styling and this normal growth. Our guides to how fast hair grows and regrowing hair in 3 weeks set out the real timeline. Keeping the length you grow is a separate problem, covered in our hair breakage entry.
Rosemary oil has one controlled trial in pattern hair loss, where it matched minoxidil 2% on hair density over 6 months[7], but nobody has tested it mixed into rice water. Our rosemary oil guide and oils for hair growth cover the oils; egg masks and other kitchen remedies are checked in how to thicken hair naturally.
Rice-derived cosmetic ingredients are generally considered non-allergenic, and a safety panel judged them safe as used in cosmetics.[8] Reactions still happen:
Men are the only group with a positive rice result, and it came from the bran extract, not the rinse. Nothing shows that rice water holds back a receding hairline. The approved medicines for pattern hair loss are topical minoxidil and oral finasteride.[7]
Here is how a rinse compares with the options that have been tested in people. The last column is our own reading of the evidence.
| Option | Human evidence in pattern hair loss | Our reading |
|---|---|---|
| Rice water rinse | None found | A cosmetic rinse |
| Rice bran extract on the scalp | One 16-week trial; men gained density | Interesting, not proven |
| Rosemary oil | One controlled trial; similar density gain to minoxidil 2% | Promising, not proven |
| Topical minoxidil | Approved treatment | A standard first step |
| Oral finasteride | Approved treatment | A prescription decision with a doctor |
| Hair transplant | Surgery for selected patients | For settled pattern loss, after a candidacy check |
DHT and hair loss explains why some follicles shrink, and reasons for hair loss sorts out thinning that isn't pattern loss.
Pattern hair loss is the most common reason for a transplant, but not everyone with it is a candidate. A transplant is the wrong answer for diffuse thinning without a pattern, scarring alopecia, loss that is still unstable or too slight, and for very young patients.[11]
Rice water plays no part in that decision. What decides it is a careful history and an examination of your scalp and donor areaGlossaryThe donor area is the back and sides of the head, where follicles resist DHT. An extracted follicle does not grow back in that spot, so extractions are spread out, and the donor supply is the limit of every plan.
Open in the glossary →.
Rice water is a cheap, low-stakes rinse with an honest ceiling: any benefit is cosmetic, and nothing shows it changes how much hair grows.
If you're seeing those signs, send three photos for a free hair analysis. The medical team will tell you whether it looks like pattern hair loss and whether medication or a transplant fits your case, with no obligation. You can also message us on WhatsApp.
Written by: Nazmi Güldeş, Certified Trichologist. Nazmi Güldeş focuses on patient education around androgenetic alopecia, evaluating miniaturization through dermoscopy, and assessing candidates for medical treatments and hair transplants.
This entry was drafted with the help of AI writing tools and edited by our team, then medically reviewed by Dr. Teuku Adifitrian, Sp.BP-RE (Dr. Tompi) on 31 October 2026. AI is never used as a source: every study cited here was checked against PubMed on 31 October 2026. Key figures are marked with their source, and every source is listed at the end of this entry. Read how we work in our editorial policy.
Check what you remember from this entry. Each answer links back to the section that explains it.
It tested a 0.5% rice bran extract for 16 weeks in 50 people; men gained hair density and thickness. We found no trial of rice water itself. Read the section
Pigmented scalp hairs grew 0.35 mm a day in one study, so a week adds about 2.5 mm, with or without rice water. Read the section
Contact hives from handling rice have been reported, mostly in people with atopic dermatitis or hand eczema. Read the section
Evidence behind this entry: 11 publications indexed in PubMed (2004 to 2026): 4 reviews, 4 lab studies, 2 clinical studies and 1 randomized trial. 4 sources have free full text.
Every source checked against PubMed on 31 October 2026, including corrections and retractions. See the newest studies on PubMed →
Güldeş, N. (2026, October 31). Rice water for hair: Does it work, how to make it and who should skip it. Turkey Hair Center Hair Library. https://turkeyhaircenter.com/rice-water-for-hair/
@misc{guldes2026ricewaterforhair,
author = {Güldeş, Nazmi},
title = {Rice water for hair: Does it work, how to make it and who should skip it},
howpublished = {Turkey Hair Center Hair Library},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
url = {https://turkeyhaircenter.com/rice-water-for-hair/},
note = {Last updated 31 October 2026}
}TY - ELEC AU - Güldeş, Nazmi TI - Rice water for hair: Does it work, how to make it and who should skip it T2 - Turkey Hair Center Hair Library PY - 2026 DA - 2026/10/31 UR - https://turkeyhaircenter.com/rice-water-for-hair/ N1 - Last updated 31 October 2026 ER -
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