Rice Water for Hair Growth, Ayurveda for Hair Health, and Tea Rinses for Hair Loss: How to Combine All Three in One Step
I’d like to think that people that visit my page, whether it be my personal instagram page (shameless plug @lalalearnsya, because they value my content and my eloquent pontifications on the deep wellsprings of my mind.
The reality is, the questions I get most often from those that chose to engage with me are always about my hair.
Because as a natural novice, yeeeeeeeears ago, I too was diligent in my search to find any morsel of information that might be useful. Out of the myriad of the things I have tried, there are a few things that have maintained consistent: Ayurvedic practices, Rice water, and Tea. Each provides substantial benefits to my hair strands and has contributed to my tail-bone length hair. This Ayurvedic Rice Water tea has been integral to helping me achieve tailbone length hair.
What is Ayurveda?…
Ayurveda is actually much larger than simply hair care. It originates in Southeast Asia and is a holistic approach to wellness and healing. According to Chopra.com , the word Ayurveda means “the science of life” and is an ancient and practical approach to living a healthy life. Dr. Shelia Patel says to think of Ayurveda as the original “lifestyle medicine,” originating in India around 5,000 years ago, (although I would add that many ancient cultures have their own holistic approaches to overall health and wellness). This system teaches you that when you align your daily habits with your natural cycles, support your digestion, eat the right food, move your body regularly, and get good natural sleep, your physiology can work optimally. In doing so, you can prevent, and even reverse, disease. In addition, you can increase your well-being on a daily basis to reach your full potential for health and happiness. Some of the major tenants include,
Practices that improve digestion such as oil pulling, tongue scraping, drinking warm water, spices to aid in digestion, intermittent fasting, walking after meals, and eating seasonally
Practices that nourish the tissues and skin such as oil pulling, self-massage with oil, and ingestion of healthy oils in amounts appropriate for each mind-body type
Aligning with your daily rhythms by waking and sleeping with your circadian rhythms, eating the largest meal at lunch, and reducing activity in the evening to prepare for sleep
Practices that calm the mind such as meditation, restorative yoga, and deep breathing.
Periodic detox at season change and times of stress to clear the system of accumulated toxins and boost the digestion
Using healthy herbs and spices to activate your own digestive enzymes and digestive processes
This is a vastly oversimplified version of an ancient technique, but I thought it important because it further supports what science already has proven: healthy lifestyles yield healthy lives; hair, skin, and nails are simply a visible extension of internal conditions.
The herbs, powders, and spices have also proven to be highly beneficial if they are included in hair care practices. Including them throughout the years is a major factor in the success I have had not only in growing long hair, but in growing healthy hair. And I have chosen to do this by combining it with another ancient practice, this one from East Asia: rice water.
Rice Water for Length Retention…
Rice water rinsing has become very popular in the western world for hair growth and hair health. The Hair Routine states that the origin of this practices goes back thousands of years to the Yao women in China, who use fermented rice water to wash their beautifully shiny, long black hair. The same amino acids and vitamins that are beneficial when consuming the nutrient-dense food are also advantageous externally. The water, when infused and fermented with rice, provides a protective barrier over the hair that reduces friction and increases hair elasticity. You can see how this would be very beneficial to people with kinky, curly, or highly textured hair as the friction caused by our strands rubbing together can lead to breakage and fairy knots.
Tea for Hair Growth
The final ancient practice I utilize has origins in Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. People have been utilizing tea for centuries as more than simply and delicious drink for internal health; the properties of tea have been shown to reduce hair shedding, promote hair growth, reduce breakage, and promote scalp health. Similar to rice water, these are traditionally done in the form of a hair rinse that is left on the hair for 15-30 minutes and then washed away.
How I Use Ancient Techniques in Modern Life
So me, in my extraness, and after trying all different methods separately, decided that their has to be a way to harness the power of these three practices in a way that is less time-consuming, yet still as effective. Over years of trial and error, I have made my own mix and decided to share it here, as it is one of the most consistent practices in my regimen that I know has made a difference in my ability to grow, retain, and maintain my hair. I make my own Rice-water spray infused with Ayurvedic powders and Herbal tea in order to harness the protective powers of the rice and the promotional powers of the powders and tea. Here is my process…
What you will need
1) Rice-(I use black rice. I mean, this website is called BlackGirlGolden so it’s only right. But seriously, black rice has little to no smell when fermented, whereas white rice has a horrible smell. Because I use this as a leave-in, we want the least offensive smell possible).
2) Distilled water
3) Tea- Generally, I purchase my tea from Chagrin Valley, but you can use green or black tea that is readily available.
4) Ayurvedic powders- There are so many to choose from. Each has a different benefit and purpose. My favorites are Amla, Brahmi, Fenugreek, Aloe Vera, Henna, Bhringraj, and Hibiscus. But you do not need to use all of these. If I could only pick two, they would easily be Amla and Fenugreek.
5) A funnel
6) Glass jar/Mason jars
7) Cheese cloth
8) Aloe Vera Gel/Juice
9) Essential Oils- My oils of choice are Rosemary, Lemon, or Lavender
Directions
1) In a medium to large mason jar, add a cup of rinsed rice and distilled water. (Make sure you cleanse the rice one or two times before adding to the distilled water to ferment it, especially if it’s organic rice). After closing the jar, shake the rice and water for a few seconds, and then place the jar in a cool, dry place to ferment for one day to a week. (I generally wait a week or two…again…I’m extra. Be aware that the Lao women allow their water to ferment for at least a month; that is an option if you have that amount of time).
2) Once you have the fermented mixture, pour it into a boiler and add your teabags. If I’m using a store-boat tea, I use two bags. Otherwise, I use two tablespoons. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and then allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes before removing the bags.
3) Using the funnel, add the hot mixture back into a jar where you will add about a tablespoon of each of your chosen Ayurvedic powders.
4) Shake the warm mixture up in your closed jar and place it back into the cool, dry place for another day to a week.
5) When the mixture is adequately infused with your powders, you will need to prepare an empty jar by covering the top with cheesecloth. Pour your mixture into the new jar, using the cheesecloth to remove the powders from your mixture. Be patient; you may have to repeat this process many times to get the clearest mixture possible.
6) Once you are satisfied that the majority of the powder has been removed, add a few drops of your essential oil and your aloe vera juice. Aloe vera has collagen, UV protection, and scalp benefits, and it will allow you to dilute the mixture.
7) Pour your mixture into your spray bottle of choice. (Be mindful, I have not had success with the mister bottles and this mixture, as it is generally too thick for the mechanism to work correctly. The links for the bottles I recommend and use will be below.)
8) Spray the mixture into your hair as often as you like, and use a scalp massager weekly in conjunction with the leave in. I chose to do this before bed, as the smell has time to dissipate before morning and the scalp massage is an extremely relaxing part of my bedtime routine.
What to know before using this mixture…
1) You need to know your hair info-I have medium to high density hair with fine strands. And each of these strands is high porosity, meaning my hair easily lets water in but does not retain moisture well. This is why these practices work well for my hair; the protective coating of the rice and powders helps my hair stay moisturized longer and gives my very find strands for strength.
2) Know your lifestyle- The majority of the time my hair is in protective styles (wigs, clip-ins, or buns), so the slight smell of this leave in won’t offend people in my daily life that aren’t used to the potency of Ayurvedic powders and rice water. Although this mixture has a very earthy smell, people who are used to floral and fruity smells in hair products may not like this if they are used to wearing their hair out and loose. Just know that even in using Black Rice, there will be a smell.
3) You need to clarify your scalp weekly- Even with multiple strainings, it is impossible to remove all of the powders from the final mixture, and some will inevitably get on your scalp. I have no problems with this, but some with a more sensitive scalp my want to wash more frequently.
4) Know what your hair can take- Many people have reported that these ingredients act in much the same way as a protein treatment. If you are protein sensitive, tread lightly with this until you are sure. I am not protein sensitive, but I still worked my way up to utilizing this leave-in two to three times a week over a course of months before I found what works for me.
5) Keep the mixture preserved- I refrigerate my mixture. Once you have stopped the fermentation process, it will spoil. One medium mason jar full will normally last me one month (using it three times as week) and a large jar will last me two. However, I generally only make a month’s supply at a time.
6) You decide how to use this- Many chose to use tea and rice water and rinses instead of leave-ins. I would suggest trying both and seeing what you are ultimately comfortable with using.
Final thoughts…
Use this post as a spring board to research more about each of these three practices, and other ancient practices with modern benefits. For example, since recently learning about Chebe powder, originating in Africa, I have started adding a tablespoon of Chebe to my Ayurvedic powders. I am watching to see if my hair makes any positive changes from this addition. Whether you choose to utilize this mixture, or some form of it, as a leave-in or rinse, try it and see if your hair responds in positive ways. Change doesn’t happen overnight, so give yourself at least three months to observe 1) if your shedding has decreased, 2) if your density has increased, and 3) if your trims become less severe. This is what I found over six months of using this leave-in and massage ritual weekly.
I have an Instagram video showing this process visually. And while I’m certainly not a videographer, it may be helpful for those that would like to watch this process for themselves. Be sure to go to @lalalearnsya, follow me, and see what else I’m up to.
Below are links to all of the products used in my leave-in spray.
FTC Disclosure: (Let’s keep things legal and laughing, shall we?)
This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. (And by small commission, I really mean a super-fat check that affords me the ability to fund my villa in Italy and my addiction to Hermes.)
Are you still reading? Whew…if you are…you are my people! Now, to really be honest, some of these posts do contain affiliate links, but in reality, you’re just helping me continue to fund this blog and pay off my student loans. So I’d appreciate your support…and if not, I just appreciate you staying this long. Blessings!
Happy Growing!…
