For months now, users on TikTok and other social media sites have been claiming that using rice water can make hair shinier and stronger and even help with hair loss.
As usual, this trend isn’t brand new by any means. People in Japan and China have used rice water for hair for centuries. And some research suggests it really can help hair become thicker and stronger.
But there are also alternative options available today with much more robust scientific evidence behind them, experts tell TODAY.com. For some, using rice water for hair may also come with certain side effects, like increased hair dryness and scalp irritation.
Here’s what to know before you try this treatment — and why you might want to take the claims with a grain of salt (or rice).
Does rice water stop hair loss?
There is some evidence that suggests rice bran extract, which comes from the outer layer of the grain, can be helpful for people experiencing hair loss, Dr. Shasa Hu, an associate professor in the department of dermatology and cutaneous surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, tells TODAY.com.
Many animal studies have shown compounds derived from rice bran may reduce hair loss, delay hair graying and drive the release of growth factors that “are important for maintaining the health and blood supply to the hair follicle,” Hu explains.
She and fellow dermatologist Dr. Shari Lipner both pointed to a 2022 systematic review published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. The study compiled all the previous research on the use of rice products for hair growth and found 10 studies that analyzed the safety and efficacy of using rice extract products for hair.
Of those 10 studies, only one was conducted with human participants. That study, published in 2015, included 50 Korean patients with alopecia who were instructed to use a product containing rice bran extract (or a placebo) twice a day for 16 weeks.
At the end of the study period, the researchers found that people who…
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