JOIN USThe secret to long & healthy hair
The number one concern women face with regards to their hair is hairfall. Women try a variety of haircare products such as oils, shampoos, serums, hairmasks and conditioners to combat hairfall and make their dream of healthy hair come true.
Yao women from the hinterlands of the south-western Chinese village of Huangluo have a small secret to share for long, healthy hair. And the secret lies in — fermented rice water. Women in this ancient Chinese village flaunt soft, silky and shiny hair. Some of them have hair as long as 1.4 metres. They have been using fermented rice water to wash and nourish their hair for centuries. This village is referred to as ‘long hair village.’
Rice water is the translucent liquid left after boiling rice. Instead of draining this magical liquid away, keep this water aside at room temperature for a day till it is fermented. Boil it, cool it, add few drops of essential oils and use it for washing your hair. Here is how adding fermented rice water to the hair regime puts an end to hairfall and makes them happy and luscious:
• Prevents hairfall: A combination of 18 amino acids come together to make protein and keratin that form hair. Rice water possesses eight of these vital amino acids. No wonder, it does wonders to prevent hairfall in a natural way. Rice water is also packed with vital vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. Vitamin B lends strength, Vitamin C helps produce sebum that moisturises the scalp, and Vitamin E prevents the oft-dreaded demon: hairfall.
• Adds strength: A heavy dosage of amino acids, besides offering growth, also provides strength. And that keeps the problem of split ends at bay. Because of it, your hair becomes weak towards the ends and that leads to split ends. Regular use of fermented rice water helps restore the pH levels of hair, adding elasticity and health in each strand.
• Lends shine: Fermented rice water is a rich source of Vitamin E that is known to turn frizzy, damaged hair into soft, silky tresses.
• Combats dandruff: Besides causing discomfort and an itchy scalp, the white flakes of dandruff also lead to embarrassment. Dandruff-affected scalp causes unhealthy hair that is more prone to breakage and hair fall. Fermented rice water is fully capable of fighting the fungi that causes dandruff and hence helps manage and eliminate dandruff.
• Possesses the rarely found ‘inositol’: There’s another reason to go all out and add fermented rice water to our hair regime. And that’s inositol. It is a carbohydrate that mends damaged hair. Inositol is a must for hair that is exposed to frequent styling, coloring and dyeing. And it is found in rice water.
Fermented rice water is blessed with miraculous benefits to solve the problem of hairfall.
(The author is a celebrity cosmetic dermatologist)