Fermented Rice Water

[Shorty89]

Honestly, I do three day rice water rinses all the time. Seems to work out okay for me, so I'd say just do it when you need to.

It seemed to have at least somewhat fermented by Saturday night so it worked out. I've had to wait up to 5 days for any fermentation in winter so I lucked out - or maybe the oat bran I added made a difference.

[sapphire-o]

It seemed to have at least somewhat fermented by Saturday night so it worked out. I've had to wait up to 5 days for any fermentation in winter so I lucked out - or maybe the oat bran I added made a difference.

Glad to hear it worked out. I suppose it's still pretty cold in Alberta. I usually do three days, but now it's warm It takes only two days. Once I forgot about it for four days and it went stinky. I wondered if we can add a bit of yogurt to it for a quick starter. They smell so similar.

[Peachyfox]

I tried fermented rice water but I always wondered which method is the right one.. there are so many ways (with oranges, without etc). I wonder which is the best..

[Flittingsis]

I usually cook rice twice a week but only wash my hair on the weekend. I like the slip rice water gives without the piece-y look. I'm going to experiment and see what routine of soaking and sitting out works best.

[ipickee]

I know it's been a while, but I thought I'd post an update. I've gone from boiling my entire mixture to just using the rice water without boiling it. I put rosemary, Lavendar EO (or the flowers, but right now they're packed due to our upcoming move) and grapefruit peels. I also add shikakai powder, amla, and fo-ti powder. I put lids on (I usually do two jars at a time) and let them sit for a couple days. I use one the night of day 2, or day 3 depending, and put the other in the fridge for a couple days. It works great as a shampoo (thank you shikakai), and my hair seems to really like it. I usually do it every other week or so, because I've heard using it too much can result in protein overload. I condish every other wash or so, but I don't find it's essential. My hair usually ends up pretty soft after the rice water.

[TatsuOni]

I know it's been a while, but I thought I'd post an update. I've gone from boiling my entire mixture to just using the rice water without boiling it. I put rosemary, Lavendar EO (or the flowers, but right now they're packed due to our upcoming move) and grapefruit peels. I also add shikakai powder, amla, and fo-ti powder. I put lids on (I usually do two jars at a time) and let them sit for a couple days. I use one the night of day 2, or day 3 depending, and put the other in the fridge for a couple days. It works great as a shampoo (thank you shikakai), and my hair seems to really like it. I usually do it every other week or so, because I've heard using it too much can result in protein overload. I condish every other wash or so, but I don't find it's essential. My hair usually ends up pretty soft after the rice water.

Thank you for the update! Always fun to hear about other peoples experience

[SleeplessDreamr]

Hello all, how are you?

This is one of my first "mane" posts in the community and I'm excited to hear from you.

So I have been experimenting with rice water, and I really have come to enjoy it- the primary issue I have is that I tend to make a little much, or
have it get too fermented before I can use it on my hair.
I'm partially wanting to hear how others come up with RW (Rice Water) Recipes, what things you might add to it to help strengthen your hair or prevent breakage and keep it volumous and shiny,
and I wanted to know if anyone has any tips on making the recipe last longer.

Currently, I usually either collect rain water or just use tap water (I am not picky, lol), and 1/2 cups to 1 cup of rice put into a glass jug, and I use 1-2 grapefruit rinds (I don't have pomelo in my area),
and I add in some Hollywood Beauty brand Vitamin E oil as well as some Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair strengthening Oil from Mielle. Not a whole lot, maybe a few good drops of each.
I'm planning on adding a bit of lemon juice as well to this new batch since I'm currently in the process of letting my hair lighten back to its natural color.
Usually, I'll soak my hair with this and some conditioner from the same Mielle brand as the rosemary oil for about 30 minutes to maybe an hour and wash it out, and follow up with some leave-in conditioner.
Usually the mixture, once the rice is removed after a couple days of soaking, lasts a little under two weeks, but I'm wondering if there is a recipe that lasts longer storage wise.
What is your recipe my dears?

[TatsuOni]

Hello all, how are you?

This is one of my first "mane" posts in the community and I'm excited to hear from you.

So I have been experimenting with rice water, and I really have come to enjoy it- the primary issue I have is that I tend to make a little much, or
have it get too fermented before I can use it on my hair.
I'm partially wanting to hear how others come up with RW (Rice Water) Recipes, what things you might add to it to help strengthen your hair or prevent breakage and keep it volumous and shiny,
and I wanted to know if anyone has any tips on making the recipe last longer.

Currently, I usually either collect rain water or just use tap water (I am not picky, lol), and 1/2 cups to 1 cup of rice put into a glass jug, and I use 1-2 grapefruit rinds (I don't have pomelo in my area),
and I add in some Hollywood Beauty brand Vitamin E oil as well as some Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair strengthening Oil from Mielle. Not a whole lot, maybe a few good drops of each.
I'm planning on adding a bit of lemon juice as well to this new batch since I'm currently in the process of letting my hair lighten back to its natural color.
Usually, I'll soak my hair with this and some conditioner from the same Mielle brand as the rosemary oil for about 30 minutes to maybe an hour and wash it out, and follow up with some leave-in conditioner.
Usually the mixture, once the rice is removed after a couple days of soaking, lasts a little under two weeks, but I'm wondering if there is a recipe that lasts longer storage wise.
What is your recipe my dears?

I've put you're question in a larger thread about the topic. This way you're more likely to get answer and can look through the thread to find a lot of information!

[SandyBottom]

I used to use the rice water and fermented rice water a few years back, making slight tweaks here and there to see what I liked. I no longer use the rice water because my hair started getting dry and frankly, the time and effort involved seemed unnecessary. Some observations from along the way: Heat sped up the fermentation process, much like yeast needs warmth to bloom. I would use hot tap water in a glass container with a lid and put it in a sunny spot by the window. Glass and lid hold the heat better and it fermented in no time. I liked the kind of sour smell it produced, it didn't leave a smell afterwards though. I used to add a drop or two of lavender EO. I never used the amount of rice they said (frugal me), a few tablespoons is all. I do remember it making my hair soft and shiny in the beginning. To make it last, I would use what I wanted and refrigerate the rest. When I needed it again, I would warm it a bit in the microwave to take the chill off so as not to pour ice cold water on my head in the dead of winter! I played around with using as a rinse or a shampoo or a conditioner or even just on its own. Can't remember the separate results. Also, I remember reading to leave it on for like 20 minutes before rinsing. It didn't take me long to adjust that. Wasn't a fan of chilling in the shower freezing cold and soaking wet. This was close to the beginning of my active growth journey and I had a lot of personal stress and upheaval at the time. This was as much about finding time for myself and healing as it was about helping my hair. Sorry for rambling. Hope you find this helpful. Good luck!

[Frida177]

Wow that is really fascinating!!
Im tempted to try.