Rice water has a lot of benefits on hair and this explains the growing popularity of using rice water on hair. But, does rice water work on all hair types? And more specifically, is rice water good for low porosity hair?
In this article we will answer this question and cover other important factors you need to consider before you jump on the trend of using rice water.
I learnt the hard way that blindly copying other people’s rice water routine can be detrimental. Read on to understand why you need to be SUPER careful with rice water if you have low porosity hair.
Is rice water good for low porosity hair?
Rice water is good for low porosity hair as long as it’s used in moderation to avoid protein overload. Low Porosity hair has cuticles that are tightly packed and overlap each other making it harder for water and other elements such as the rice protein to penetrate the hair shaft.
When rice water is put on hair, the rice protein forms a protective coat on your hair which is why you will notice that your hair feels stronger after using rice water.
The protective protein coat turns bad when you keep adding more rice water hence more protein on the hair shaft. This condition is known as protein overload and is characterized by dry and brittle hair.
Because low porosity hair has tightly packed cuticles, it means the proteins from rice water piles up faster.
This is why you should use rice water less frequently on low porosity hair in order to reap from the protective shield and not suffer from protein overload.
With that said, rice water has very many benefits on hair as listed below.
Benefits of rice water on low porosity hair
- Helps with managing your hair as it makes the hair detangle easily and therefore requires less effort to manage and style
- Boosts the elasticity of the hair and strengthens damaged hair as it contains a carbohydrate called inositol
- Promotes healthier and longer hair
- It makes the hair shinier and smoother
While rice water has a lot of important nutrients and has a lot of topical benefits to your hair, other factors will also come to play in determining whether it will work for you or not.
Hair porosity is one key factor.
People with low porosity hair may have completely different results from people with high porosity hair.
Other factors that will determine the effectiveness include genetics, lifestyle, hair texture and diet.
How to use rice water on low porosity hair for best results
If you have low porosity hair, the best way to make the rice water work well for your hair is to exercise caution when using it.
Start by monitoring the progress of your hair constantly after using rice water to see how it reacts to your hair.
Here is what you need to consider;
How often should you use rice water on hair?
The recommended frequency is anywhere from once a month to once a week. Ensure you space out the rice water protein treatment according to what works for your hair to avoid protein overload.
How long should you leave rice water on hair?
When using the rice water on low porosity hair, you need to leave it in your hair for at most twenty minutes especially if it’s the first time you are working with the rice water just to see if it is compatible with your hair type.
To learn why this is important, read this article.
Use a patch test
Avoid the risk of damaging your hair, by doing a patch test which involves testing the rice water on a small section of your hair.
If you spray the rice water on a section and notice that the hair feels brittle, it is best to dilute the water.
Hair that is low porosity tends to be packed with a lot of protein and this means that adding a lot of rice water will overload the hair with more protein and eventually cause dryness of the hair.
How to fix the side effects of rice water on low porosity hair
Although many people are in favor of rice water and can testify to its numerous benefits, you will still find a number of people who have not had positive results after using rice water especially people with low porosity hair.
Read this article to understand why excessive use of rice water can lead to hair damage.
As mentioned above, the main issue for people with low porosity is the protein overload that one can get from using rice water more times than they should. Other issues are dryness and breakage as well as some buildup on the scalp.
If you have low porosity hair and have been using rice water religiously and still notice unusually dryness of the hair, change in texture or the hair is not easily manageable then chances are high that there is too much protein in your hair and you need to slow down on the rice water.
If you have the protein overload, you can fix that problem but it will take some few days or some few weeks to see some significant changes in the hair. You can fix the problem by doing the following;
Pause the rice water and go slow on protein products
Once you notice your hair is affected by protein overload caused by rice water, you should hold off on the rice water for a while.
Additionally, check for other hair products in your regimen that contain proteins and pause on using any unnecessary protein products for a few weeks.
You can switch to non-protein shampoos and conditioners and use them intermittently with your protein products. Mixing them up will reverse the damage that has been caused on your hair for a while and will prevent your hair from being accustomed to a particular product.
In short, all that is to say, if you have a protein overload avoid proteins and focus more on products that have a lot of moisture.
Use the LCO Method
If you suffer from protein overload as a result of excessive use of rice water, it means that your hair requires a lot of hydration as it is super dry.
While trying to solve the protein overload problem, you should be careful not to also have excess moisture in the hair that will lead to moisture overload. T
This is why the LCO method is a great solution that helps you achieve that balance of moisture and protein in the hair. The LCO method will help you put enough water in the hair strands without overdoing it.
You should definitely consider incorporating the LCO method in your hair regimen for a while.
For starters, you can try twice a week and then adjust the frequency accordingly depending on how your hair will react.
Deep Conditioning
Deep conditioning your hair at least once a week will help you deal with the protein overload resulting from rice water. Getting the right deep conditioner and combining it with the LCO method will help your hair significantly.
Just like using rice water, it is important to adjust the frequency of deep conditioning your hair according to your needs and what works for you best as opposed to following what other people ae doing.
Conclusion:
Rice water is good for all hair types including low porosity hair but caution must be exercised when using rice water on low porosity hair. This is because overusing rice water on low porosity hair could lead to severe hair damage.
If rice water is used correctly it can be very helpful for your hair and can help it grow stronger and healthier. Rice water can be used during pre-poo, as a shampoo or as a hair rinse.
To Learn more on rice water, here are other related articles:
- How long should you leave rice water on your hair?
- Can rice water damage your hair?
- Side effects of using rice water on hair
- How to make rice water for hair growth
- The Yao women rice water recipe
- How to make fermented rice water that smells better
Before you leave, you may find this recommended products page useful. Here you will find the natural hair products that my friends & I have found to be very good for natural hair.
