It accompanies traditional dishes from here and elsewhere, turning into a dessert accompanied by milk and a vanilla pod… Rice is inseparable from our plate, but it is in the form of a beauty ingredient that it currently does. Water and rice powder prove to be essential treatments for shiny hair and naturally glowing skin.
Since the pandemic, our bathroom seems to have become a true pantry. We no longer count the ingredients from the kitchen that are gradually invited to meet the different needs of our skin. Eggs to moisturize and smooth, sugar to clear, honey to depilate, olive oil to nourish. And now rice to mattify oily skin and counteract the signs of aging. Thousand-year-old beauty secrets resurfacing to respond to the climate emergency, as well as the new concerns of a public seeking natural and eco-friendly solutions.
The ally of dull hair…
Whether in grains, powder or in the form of water, rice has been used in cosmetics since time immemorial. In Asia, women have been recycling the water in which they cook rice for centuries to strengthen their hair and accelerate growth.
Rich in minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, rice cooking water can be used as a hair mask, although the texture and fragrance are not the most glamorous. However, leave it on for a few minutes to make your hair stronger, more voluminous and shinier, speed up growth and even combat frizz. A real bargain when you know how many treatments and products are needed to meet these different needs.
…And all skin types
But rice is also good for the skin. As incredible as it may seem, it is the ally of combination to oily skin, such as dry, sensitive and mature skin. It is busy! Shiny skins, however, are the ones that will appreciate rice powder the most for its high absorbency and therefore its mattifying ability. This is also why we often find the star ingredient in certain makeup products such as mattifying powders, eyeshadows and even certain blushes.
Mature skin will also turn to rice for its anti-aging properties and lack of firmness. Benefits we owe to the antioxidant active ingredients. Rice water is said to fight the signs of aging, reduce fine lines and wrinkles and benefit from smoother skin. The icing on the cake, the grain, still in the form of water, is also said to deeply moisturize and nourish the skin. Reasons that could encourage many brands to integrate rice into the formula of their future cosmetics.
(ETX Daily Up)