Hi! I'm Dannica, and when it comes to skincare products, I am incredibly prone to being influenced. When I saw that the skincare girlies of TikTok were making their own rice water and using it on their skin, I simply had to see what the hype was all about. So over the course of a week, I used homemade rice water on my skin to see if it made any noticeable differences, and if it would give me "glass skin".
Now, the rice water trend has been going viral on the internet because not only does rice have rich benefits for the skin (and hair, apparently), but it's also incredibly easy to make! On TikTok, the conversation surrounding rice water has garnered over 800 million views.
And judging from the comments from different rice water videos, people are totally on board and believe in the power of rice. Some users were totally satisfied with their skin after incorporating rice water in their skincare routine, while another user saw the long-term effects of it on her grandma's skin, saying, "My grandma does this every day and looks amazing":
With all the positive "reviews," I was pretty excited to start! I've used rice-based skincare products before, and it's actually an extremely common ingredient, particularly in Asian skincare. But just so that we have a little more context surrounding the benefits of rice water and what it can actually do for the skin, I enlisted the expertise of Annie Chiu, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of The Derm Institute, to help me along this little rice water adventure.
But first, let's get into the term "glass skin." I've heard this phrase used before, particularly in reference to Korean skincare. Basically, it's when your skin is so shiny, bright, and clear that it could be glass. NGL, I've seen some people with amazing skin just like that, but how realistic is it, really? According to Chiu, it can be challenging, but not entirely unrealistic. Though many skincare products offer the ingredients to help achieve glass skin, Chiu says, "It's important to note that achieving 'glass skin' involves a consistent skincare regimen and a healthy lifestyle, and genetics can play a role as well."
When it comes to rice's role in skincare, this trend actually dates way back in Asian culture. Chiu tells BuzzFeed, "Rice has been a prevalent ingredient in Asian skincare products for centuries, particularly in Japan, Korea, and China. Rice contains various compounds, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which can be beneficial for the skin. These components can help improve skin texture, provide hydration and mild exfoliation, reduce inflammation, and even out skin tone." Conveniently, that is everything my skin needs, which made me even more excited to incorporate rice water into my pretty simple skincare routine.
OK, before we get into the rice water-making, this is not a jump scare, this is my skin:
Alright, so judging from the TikToks I've watched, I went ahead and used about two cups of rice. Considering I live in an Asian household, I did not need to go out and buy rice, because we keep, like, a 25-pound sack of white rice all day, every day.
Next, I put the grains in a big bowl and filled it with cold water. I used just enough water to fully cover the rice.
The rice water we're going to be using is essentially the water that's used to rinse and wash the rice. If you've never washed rice before, no worries! Once your bowl is filled with cold water, you're going to take your hand and mix the rice in the bowl. The water should start to get cloudy, which is just the starch coming off the rice. After washing the rice once, pour the water out while keeping the rice still in the bowl, and repeat the process. We're only going to be keeping the rice water from the third time we rinse, just to ensure that we're not getting any dust, debris, or too much starch.
The water from the third rinse is what we want to keep! So after I rinsed my rice for the third time, I strained it into a measuring cup. I then needed to transfer the water into an air-tight container to keep it from going bad, so I put it into this thing that I'm pretty sure was meant for smoothies.
Finally, when you're done making your rice water, you can either use it right away or wait for it to chill in the fridge. When I asked Chiu about the best practice for storing rice water, she said, "Storing rice water in the fridge is best as it helps preserve its freshness and prevent the growth of bacteria. When rice water is left at room temperature, it can spoil more quickly and begin to smell bad. If stored in the refrigerator, rice water can last for a few days to a week, depending on how clean the container it is stored in is." Considering I also made a fairly larger batch, I tossed that bad boy into the fridge.
NIGHT/MORNING #1: Once the time came for my nighttime skincare routine, my rice water was pretty cold, so I was excited to see how it would feel on my skin. One of the things I questioned was which step in my skincare routine would using the rice water be — is it an essence, a toner, a mask? Turns out, it's pretty versatile! Chiu says, "You can use it as a misting spray to refresh your skin throughout the day, or as a toner after cleansing and before applying other skincare products. Alternatively, you can use rice water as a part of a DIY face mask by mixing it with other natural ingredients." With that in mind, I decided to use my rice water as a misting spray and a toner, so I went ahead and transferred a little bit of the water into this spray bottle!
I ended up doing my skincare routine as usual but swapped out my regular toner for the rice water. Having it in a spray bottle made it really simple to apply, but if you prefer not to use one, you can always grab a cotton pad and use that instead! I patted the rice water into my skin using my hands, and it felt sooo nice. Since it was in the fridge for a while, the coolness of it felt so calming and soothing. The rice smell wasn't very strong, either, so if you're sensitive to smells, you should be okay!
DAYS #2–6: As the week went on, I was consistently using my rice water at night as a toner and throughout the day as a misting spray. I never took it out with me because I didn't want it to spoil, but I rarely really go out anyway, so it wasn't that big of a deal. If my skin felt tired or I just wanted something to help cool me down, I reached for the rice water.
I know that trying a new skincare product or routine takes a while to see a difference, so I was trying my best to look for the smaller changes or differences in my skin after each night. My redness refused to not be the main character on my face, but my skin's texture slightly improved from the first day of using the rice water.
I consider my skin fairly sensitive, so I wondered if rice water could also be an irritant. When I asked Chiu if rice water worked better on certain skin types, she said that even though it can be used on all skin types, "people with very sensitive skin should exercise caution as it can be mildly exfoliating and may cause irritation in some cases." That had me wondering if maybe my skin felt irritated by the mild exfoliation, especially considering the cleanser that I use also provides the same thing. I decided that I didn't want to risk anything, so I ended up switching my cleanser and using a daily hydrating facial cleanser for the rest of my little experiment.
DAY #7: Not gonna lie, by the seventh day, I'd say that my skin's texture was better, it looked less dull, and I found myself not as oily! I honestly think that a lot of the little changes I noticed had to do with me being consistent. In terms of sticking with a routine and using all the products I'm supposed to, I'm not very good at it. But since I really wanted to see if there would be results from using rice water, I was the most consistent with my skincare routine than I've been in a long time.
Redness aside, I was pleasantly surprised with the little changes using rice water has done for my skin, but I'm even more impressed by how easy it was to DIY it. I literally didn't spend any money for this skincare "product," and I had so much rice water to spare. If my rice water didn't go bad by the end of the week, I'd probably try using it as a face mask! If I do make some more rice water, though, I'd definitely make a much smaller batch to reduce waste. Anywho, here is a side-by-side of day one and day seven using rice water:
Would I use rice water on my skin again? Honestly, yeah, probably. It's so accessible and easy to make, and I think it's awesome that, rather than spending money on a product that has rice in it, I can DIY a product that provides the same benefits. If you plan on making your own rice water and incorporating it into your skincare routine, here are some tips from Annie Chiu, MD to remember!
Tips for using rice water as part of your skincare routine:
• It's essential to approach TikTok beauty trends with caution, as not all viral skincare practices are suitable for everyone. Some potential concerns include skin sensitivity or allergies to rice water, so always perform a patch test first.
• Excessive use of rice water can lead to over-exfoliation and skin irritation, so it's important to incorporate it into your routine moderately.
• Storing rice water in the fridge is best as it helps preserve its freshness and prevent the growth of bacteria.
• Rice water is a very versatile skincare product, so don't be afraid to test out different methods of using it to see which works best for your skin.
• Remember that the term "glass skin" is more of an aspirational goal rather than a strict beauty standard since everyone's skin is unique.