Is Rice Water Good for Low Porosity Hair? Or, Is It Bad?

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Rice water is a DIY natural hair treatment that many naturals have taken for a test drive. In one lab study on damaged hair, it made strands slicker and more elastic, which may mean less breakage on wash day.

But could it work for low porosity hair? Is rice water good for low porosity hair?

If you want to learn the answer to this and more, we're happy to tell you that you're in the right place! In this article, we'll examine whether rice water is good for low porosity hair and walk you through how to use it.

Is Rice Water Good for Low Porosity Hair?

Rice water can be used on low porosity hair, as long as you dilute it and watch for buildup. No study has tested it on low porosity hair, though, and rice water isn’t the protein treatment it’s often made out to be. Most of the protein in white rice doesn’t dissolve in water, so what ends up in your jar is mostly water and starch, with small amounts of vitamins and minerals.

That starch is part of why rice water can make hair feel smoother, but it can also leave a coating behind. In the lab study, rice water on its own left visible flakes on the hair. 

Low porosity hair has a tight, intact cuticle, so it takes longer to soak up water and products. That usually isn’t damage; for a lot of people, it’s simply how their hair grew. But it does mean a starchy rinse is more likely to sit on the surface and build up.

That buildup can leave your hair feeling stiff, dull, or gritty. The stiffness often gets blamed on protein, but with rice water, starch is the more likely cause, and a clarifying wash usually takes care of it. 

This doesn't mean that you can't use rice water on low porosity hair. You've just got to be careful about how you use it. We'll tell you how to do that in the section below. 

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How to Use Rice Water for Low Porosity Hair

Now you know that rice water can work for low porosity hair, as long as it’s used correctly. In this section, we'll give you step-by-step directions on how to do just that! Here's everything you need to know.  

Gather Your Materials

• Spray bottle
• White Rice
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Shower cap
• Essential oil (optional)

Instructions for Using Rice Water on Low Porosity Hair

1. Start by getting your rice water ready. Don't have any on hand? Here's a quick guide on how to make rice water. 
   • Thoroughly rinse half a cup of rice with water. 
   • Pour the rice into a cup and cover it with 2 to 3 cups of water. 
   • Let it soak for 30 minutes. 
   • Strain the rice, mix the rice water with an equal amount of plain water, and pour it into a spray bottle. Diluting it helps keep a starchy coating from building up on low porosity hair. 
   • Add in a few drops of your favorite essential oil if you like the scent, and shake well. Go easy on it, since some oils, like peppermint, can irritate your skin. 
2. Spray the rice water onto your hair until it's fully saturated. 
3. Put on a shower cap and wait for 15 to 20 minutes. The cap keeps the rice water from drying on your hair or dripping while you wait. Gentle warmth won’t open your cuticles, so there’s no need to add heat. 
4. Once your time is up, rinse your hair thoroughly with warm water.
5. Shampoo and condition your hair as usual. 
6. Apply a moisturizing leave-in conditioner, since rice water can leave some curls feeling dry or stiff. That stiffness often gets called protein overload, but with rice water, starch buildup is the more likely cause. 
7. Dry and style your hair as normal. 

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How Often Should You Use Rice Water With Low Porosity Hair?

There isn't a specific frequency at which you should use rice water on low porosity hair. A good starting point is once a week, diluted. If your hair still feels soft afterward, you can keep going at that pace, and if it starts to feel stiff, use it less often.

The main thing to keep in mind is that you'll have to pay attention to how your hair responds to the treatment.

If your hair starts to feel stiff, dull, or gritty, wash it with a clarifying shampoo, skip rice water for two or three wash days, and dilute your next batch even more. If it still feels dry after that, skip rice water altogether. 

Do's and Don'ts of Using Rice Water on Low Porosity Hair

Ready to give rice water a try? Before you do, check out this list of do's and don'ts. Keep them in mind to help ensure your rice water isn't doing more harm than good.

Do's 

• Do cover your hair with a shower cap while the rice water sits. 
• Do throw your rice water away after four or five days. 
• Do store your rice water in the fridge in an airtight container. 
• Do see how your hair is responding before continuing to use rice water on your hair. 
• Do dilute your rice water with an equal amount of plain water, and add more water if it still leaves your hair stiff. 
• Do follow every rice water rinse with a moisturizing conditioner, since the starch can leave your hair feeling dry. 
• Do stick with plain soaked rice water. Fermented rice water keeps for only about 3 days, and no study shows it works better on hair.
• Do make small batches, so your rice water doesn’t go to waste.

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Don'ts 

• Don't leave rice water on your hair without rinsing it out.
• Don't start with more than one rice water rinse a week. 
• Don't use a protein treatment on the same wash day when you’re first trying rice water, so you can tell which one your hair is reacting to.
• Don't keep using rice water if it’s making your hair dry or brittle. 
• Don’t use homemade rice water if your scalp is broken, raw, or flaking, if you have eczema or dermatitis, or if your immune system is weakened.
• Don't leave rice water in your hair for longer than 20 minutes at a time.

Tips for Taking Care of Low Porosity Hair

As we mentioned before, low porosity hair has a tight cuticle, so it takes longer for water and products to soak in. Luckily, there are measures you can take to keep your hair moisturized and thriving.

We'll discuss some of them below. 

Use Heat When You Deep Condition Your Locks

Low porosity hair takes longer to get wet, so give your conditioning treatments more water and more time, and add gentle heat if you like how your curls feel afterward.

Gentle warmth from a hooded dryer, hair steamer, or thermal cap may help some conditioners spread more evenly. It won’t open your cuticles, though, so it’s a nice extra rather than a must.

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Avoid Heavy Products and Oils

Heavy products and oils can overwhelm your strands and leave them looking greasy. If you use too much, they can also sit on the surface of your hair and cause buildup.

Instead, opt for weightless (often called "lightweight") formulas and oils. Here are some of our picks for the best lightweight hair oils. 

• Grapeseed oil
• Argan oil
• Jojoba oil
• Sweet almond oil

Use Regular Clarifying Treatments

Low porosity hair is more susceptible to product buildup, so get rid of it once or twice a month with a clarifying treatment or shampoo.

Clarifying shampoos and treatments have high concentrations of cleansing ingredients that cut through stubborn buildup and leave your strands feeling squeaky clean. 

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Try to Use Products Formulated for Low Porosity Hair

With so many different products on the market, you can usually find one formulated to meet your hair's specific needs. Products labeled for low porosity hair are usually lighter formulas, though there’s no standard for the label, so try one and see whether it will help your hair retain moisture. 

Sleep With a Silk or Satin Bonnet

Wearing a bonnet protects your strands from rubbing against your pillowcase all night.

You can also get a silk or satin pillowcase, which helps if your bonnet tends to slip off at night. 

Use Pre-poo Treatments

One of the most challenging parts of caring for low porosity hair is making sure it stays moisturized. Pre-poos are a hydrating treatment you apply to your hair before you shampoo it.

They help cushion your strands from your shampoo, and in a lab test, coconut oil used before washing cut down on the protein hair lost.

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Related Articles

• How Long Can Rice Water Last in the Fridge
• How to Make Rice Water for Hair
• Moisturizers for Low Porosity Hair
• Define Porosity Hair

We hope this article has helped explain the dangers of using too much rice water on low porosity hair. When used in moderation and diluted, it may help cut down on breakage.

But you don't have to take our word for it. Just follow the tips and information we've gone over today, and your hair will come out looking and feeling amazing!