Does rice water make hair grow?

We found no study that tested rice water on hair growth in people. The one study of rice water itself, by a Japanese cosmetics company in 2010, measured how hair strands behave, not whether hair grows. The nearest human trial tested a rice bran extract, which is a different product.

What rice water has been tested for

Researchers at Kracie, a Japanese cosmetics company, tested yusuru, the water left from washing rice, on hair fibres. It reduced friction on the hair surface and made hair more elastic. Used on its own it left flakes on the hair, and the team moved on to extracts. Hair growth was not measured.

The rice bran trial

In a 2015 Korean trial, 50 people with androgenetic alopecia applied a 0.5% rice bran extract or a placebo to the scalp for 16 weeks; 43 finished. Men on the extract gained more hair density than men on placebo. For women the difference in density was not significant. Two of the authors worked for the company that made the extract, and the paper does not say the trial was registered. The extract is drawn from the outer layer of the grain with carbon dioxide under pressure; it is not the water left after rinsing rice.

Where the story comes from

Japanese dictionaries record that court women of the Heian period washed and combed their hair with yusuru, often rice water. In Huangluo, in southern China, Yao women known for very long hair describe fermented rice water as part of their tradition; their hair is traditionally cut once in a lifetime, at 18. Neither account measured whether the rice water made any difference.

What reviews say

A 2023 review of hair-loss remedies popular on TikTok, in the dermatology journal Cutis, found "limited clinical data to support the use of rice water for hair growth". A 2023 letter in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology put it more bluntly: "there is no scientific evidence that rice water leads to hair growth." We found no dermatology guideline that mentions it.

Downsides

Besides the flaking in the Kracie study, Shari Lipner, a dermatologist at Weill Cornell, has said the starch in rice water can pull water out of the hair and leave it dry.

Sources

米のとぎ汁（ゆする）のヘアケア効果 (Hair care effects of rice washing water, yusuru) · Journal of Society of Cosmetic Chemists of Japan, 2010
Safety and Efficacy of Rice Bran Supercritical CO2 Extract for Hair Growth in Androgenic Alopecia: A 16-Week Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial · Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 2015 · PMID 26632177
The Evidence Behind Topical Hair Loss Remedies on TikTok · Cutis, 2023 · PMID 37075186
Hairfluencer social media trends every dermatologist should know in 2021 · Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023 · PMID 35621251
泔（ゆする） — Nihon Kokugo Daijiten / Daijisen · Kotobank, 2024
Long Hair Festival: 250 Chinese women land record with beautiful combing ceremony · Guinness World Records, 2023
Side effects of rice water on hair · TODAY, 2024

Checked against its sources on 2026-09-30, by us, not by a doctor. A research register, not medical advice: talk to a dermatologist about your own case. See why we're not doctors.