Want to grow your hair super fast, without the funky smell of fermented rice? In this post, we’ll go over how you can make rice water smell good, every time!
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Rice water is amazing for hair growth. If you haven’t tried it, you’ve at least heard other people talk about it. It’s powerful and effective for getting long, shiny hair, but there’s one problem….
The smell. If you’ve made fermented rice water and let it sit for more than a day or two, then you know it. It’s a little funky.
But don’t let that stop you from using this potent hair growth treatment.
What if I told you there are a lot of natural ingredients you can add to your rice water to make it not stink?
If you’re committed to your hair growth journey and want an easy solution to make your rice water experience better, look no further. Here are 15 ingredients you can use to make rice water smell a lot better!
What is Rice Water?
Rice water is the water that’s left over after rice has been left to soak in it. It’s been used for hundreds of years by women in Asia, to promote hair growth and make the hair shiny and smooth.
It helps to strengthen hair follicles and with it’s anti-inflammatory properties, it soothes scalp conditions.
Rice water has also been said to brighten the skin, reduce irritation, and make the skin softer. It can be used as a daily toner in your skincare routine.
You can find a more in depth post on how to use rice water here, including an easy recipe. It uses a secret ingredient that’s even more potent than white rice.
Why Does Rice Water Smell Weird?
Rice water creates an odor because of the fermentation process that naturally occurs when rice is soaked in water. During fermentation, the starches in the rice break down, releasing compounds that result in the pungent scent.
Allowing your rice water to sit for over 1-2 days often results in this…interesting smell.
If you want to use fermented rice water for hair growth but don’t enjoy the smell, here are 15 simple and all natural ingredients to make it more enjoyable.
15 Ingredients to Make Rice Water Smell Good
So, what can you add to rice water to make it smell good? All of the below are amazing options. Pick whichever you like the smell of the best. You can simply use one, or combine a couple of them!
- Orange, lemon, grapefruit or lime peels
- Peppermint essential oil
- Grapefruit essential oil
- Whole spearmint or peppermint leaves
- Lemongrass essential oil
- Eucalyptus essential oil
- Whole cloves
- Rose essential oil
- Rosemary essential oil
- Vanilla essential oil
- Sandalwood essential oil
- Whole rosemary
- Jasmine essential oil
- Lavender essential oil
- Bergamot essential oil
Aside from smelling nice, all of these rice water ingredients have benefits for your hair and scalp. They can really make this an extra strong DIY hair growth treatment.
If you’re reading this post, you probably want to know which ones are the best for faster hair growth, right?
Some of the most potent ingredients on this list for growing your hair longer are rosemary essential oil, peppermint essential oil, and cloves.
Keep in mind that different scents can be useful for different times of day, or for promoting different moods.
If you’re going to do your rice water rinse in the morning, try using ingredients with an energizing scent, like citrus peels, eucalyptus or peppermint.
For a more calm scent to help you relax, try lavender, rose, or vanilla. For something more earthy and spicy, try sandalwood or cloves.
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How to Use the Ingredients
With each of these ingredients, add them in right at the beginning of making the rice water recipe. Allow the ingredients to steep in the water as long as you keep the rice in the water.
Letting these ingredients linger with the rice will help them create a stronger smell to mask the scent of the fermented rice. When you’re ready to use your rice water, strain the rice and your other chosen ingredients out.
You can experiment with different amounts and adjust the recipe according to your scent preferences. To start, here’s how much of each ingredient you can add to your rice water:
Citrus Peels
The peels from 1/2 to 1 whole citrus fruit
Essential Oils
10-15 drops
Whole Leaves & Spices
2-4 tablespoons
By experimenting with different combinations of natural ingredients, you can unlock a ton of scent combos to make rice water smell better. Try out a few of these and discover your new favorite hair growth treatment!
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