While it’s nothing new, the trend of using rice water for hair growth and hair treatment has been spreading like wildfire. DIY beauty enthusiasts love it because it doesn’t cost them hundreds of dollars, while hair gurus swear it has helped them add inches to their hair.

However, while most of them will tell you of the immense benefits of rice water, they’re often reluctant to talk about the downsides. This article explores the side effects of rice water on hair, so you can know what you may be signing up for when you take up this regimen.

 

Three Side Effects of Rice Water Hair Treatment

Understanding how rice water damages hair enables you to devise a way to enjoy its benefits without altering your hair’s health. That said, here are some of the side effects of rice water as a hair treatment.

1. May Leave a Bad Smell on Your Hair

Although there’s no evidence to back this up yet, most people who use rice water as a hair treatment swear that fermented rice water is far more effective than regular rice water.

The fermentation is said to lower the pH level of rice water to that of hair. As a result, your hair absorbs rice water vitamins more readily, resulting in increased growth.

However, fermented rice water tends to have a pungent smell, and when you use it on your hair, especially if you do it regularly or use rice water only, it may impart this smell on your beautiful mane.

To prevent this from happening, ferment your rice water for a maximum of 24 hours, and consider adding an essential oil like lavender. Also, don’t rely solely on rice water. Incorporate other nice-smelling hair products into your routine.

 

2. Rice Water May Inhibit Moisture Absorption

Rice contains 80% starch, about 7-`6% protein, Vitamins B and E, minerals, and antioxidants. Usually, when you use rice water on your hair, all nutrients are absorbed except proteins.

Why? Well, protein molecules are way too large to be absorbed. Instead, they form a protective coat that helps strengthen your hair.

However, too many proteins on your hair impede moisture absorption, leaving you with dry, stiff hair susceptible to breakage. The key to maximizing rice water benefits while avoiding a protein overload on your hair is to use it in moderation, especially if you have low porosity hair or a dry scalp.

 

3. Rice Water May Contain Toxic Elements

Rice water, especially when it’s made from inorganic rice, may contain toxic elements that will do more harm to your hair than good. One such element is arsenic. It exists in the environment and has a high affinity for keratin.

This means when exposed to your hair, arsenic will quickly accumulate in your hair, resulting in excessive hair loss.

 

Practice Mindfulness

The phrase too much of something is poisonous rings true in rice water as a hair treatment. Using too much rice water on your hair will only result in negative results. The key to avoiding the potential side effects of rice water on hair is to practice mindfulness.

Don’t use rice water because your friend uses it. Find out your hair type, its porosity, and how it may respond to different rice water recipes. While at it, check us out for more informative pieces and everything hair related.

On average, hair grows around 3 inches in 6 months. If you take care of your hair strands and prevent breakage, you could see up to 6 inches of hair growth in only 6 months!

If you wonder what 6 inches of hair growth looks like on you, implement the LOC method into your routine, and see what difference it makes in your hair growth.

 

What Is The LOC Method?

The LOC or Liquid Oil Cream method is a guide for locking moisture into your hair. You first hydrate your hair with a liquid, lock the moisture in with an oil, and then apply a cream to seal the hair cuticles.

 

Which Hair Types Are Suitable for LOC?

LOC works best on the type 4 hair types, described as curly, kinky, or coily. 4a, 4b, and 4c hair types will benefit from LOC. It is also suitable for frizzy type 4 hair. High porosity hair has been shown to benefit significantly more from the LOC method than low porosity hair.

 

How to Do LOC

The LOC method maximizes moisture retention in the hair. First, you wet your hair with water or a spray. Next, you slather your hair in oil to lock in the moisture. Third, you cover it all with cream or butter to seal it.

Watch the following video to learn how to do LOC method to moisturize curly hair.

 

Best Products for LOC According to Hair Type

Here are the best oil product choices for different hair types. Combine these with a curl cream or butter for the best results:

High Porosity– castor oil, olive oil

Neutral Porosity– jojoba oil, grapeseed oil

Low Porosity– avocado oil, argan oil

 

How Often Can You Use LOC?

You can technically do the LOC method every day, although it comes down to personal preference. Some people find that doing LOC every day leaves their hair with product buildup. To increase 6-month hair growth for women, use LOC at least once a week. To increase 6-month hair growth for men, use LOC at least every other week.

Pros:

Increases moisture retention

Tames frizz

Can promote faster hair growth

 

Cons:

Can leave hair feeling weighed down

Not suitable for all hair types

 

LOC vs. LCO

The LCO or Liquid Cream Oil method is just a switched up LOC. It is preferable for low porosity hair. LCO works by saturating your hair with liquid, coating it with cream so your hair can absorb its water content, then covering it with oil to mix with the cream and form a thick barrier.

LOC works best with high porosity hair. The LOC method can often leave low porosity hair feeling full of product and weighty. High porosity hair absorbs more liquid and takes in more oil and cream, leaving a light coating on your strands.

 

Conclusion

The LOC Method is one way that you can hydrate your hair and promote faster growth. If you have been struggling with dry hair or looking to increase your 6-month hair growth, introducing the LOC method into your hair routine could help you achieve your desired length and strength!

If you’ve spent a lot of time in the hairstyling world, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard people refer to hair type 4 and their subtypes A, B, C. People with naturally curly hair tend to be especially familiar with the hair typing system since hair care companies use it to recommend hair products and styling tips for natural hair. But what do these hair type labels mean, and how can you tell the difference between 4A, 4B and 4C?

Let’s take a quick look at one of the most commonly used hair typing systems used in the hair industry. Then we can dive deeper into how to tell which type of hair you have and how to best style and care for it.

 

Andre Walker’s Hair Typing System

Andre Walker, who achieved fame as Oprah’s favorite hairstylist in the ’90s, created his hair typing system to group hair types by visible characteristics. Walker’s system labels each hair type with a letter that indicates how straight or curly the hair is, followed by a numbered subtype to denote the size of the hair’s curl pattern.

The numbers one through four indicate where your hair is in the range from straight to curly:

• Type 1: Straight
• Type 2: Wavy
• Type 3: Curly
• Type 4: Kinky/Coiled

The subtypes describe the tightness or looseness of your waves or curls using letters from A to C :

• Type A: loose
• Type B: medium
• Type C: tight

For example, a person with tight coils would be considered a 4C hair type, whereas a person with loose waves would have 2A hair. It’s not always easy to tell the difference between similar hair types – 4A vs. 4B vs. 4C hair, for example, can look pretty similar if you don’t know what to look for.

If you’re still not sure after looking at the chart, look at the differences and suggestions below to determine whether you have type 4A, 4B, or 4C hair.

 

Differences Between Type 4A, 4B, and 4C Hair

Most people have a mix of hair types, making it even more confusing to figure out what hair type you have. For now, let’s focus on hair types 4A, 4B, and 4C, which can be hard to tell apart at first glance.

Most African Americans have type 4 hair, which tends to be dense and springy – perfect for creating unique sculptured hairstyles, but sometimes requiring additional maintenance to prevent frizz or excessive breakage. All type 4 hair will have some similarities, of course, but each subtype has specific characteristics and care needs, so it’s essential to know which subtype you have.

Type 4A Hair

Type 4A hair forms larger, visible coils about as big around as a standard crochet needle. The coils form an S shape if you pull the end to straighten it a bit.

Care

4A hair can suffer from dryness and easy breakage, but less so than 4B and 4C. This type benefits from moisturizing treatments and curling creme to help define individual curls.

Styles

There is an endless number of styles that can be achieved with type 4A hair, whether it’s short or long. Because it naturally forms into defined curls, this hair type is especially well-suited to wash and go styles.

 

Type 4B Hair

Type 4B hair forms coils that are tighter than type 4A and the curl pattern has more of a crimped, zig-zag shape to it. Because the coil pattern is so much tighter, 4B hair can have up to 70% shrinkage.

Care

4B hair is drier and more prone to breakage than 4A, so it’s crucial to use treatments for strength and moisture. Using curl defining cream after washing it will help you form more defined curls.

Styles

Type 4B hair is suitable to wash and go styles, although it needs a little more work than 4A to define your curls and prevent shrinkage. Because it’s more delicate than 4A hair, it can also benefit from protective styles.

 

Type 4C Hair

Type 4C hair features no defined curl pattern, often clumping together at the ends rather than from root to tip, as in some other hair types. This hair type also tends to shrink quite a bit, sometimes as much as 75%.

Care

4C hair is the most delicate of the hair types and benefits significantly from frequent strengthening and moisturizing treatments.

Styles

Because it’s so fragile, type 4C hair favors protective hairstyles that keep the hair safe from unnecessary damage. Type 4C tends to be very dense, giving people with this hair type a lot of hair to work with to create impressive yet protective styles.

 

Ways to Tell If You Have Hair Type 4A, 4B, or 4C

Everyone’s hair is different, even if it falls into the same category. That can make it hard to tell by pictures or descriptions which category your hair belongs to. If your hair type isn’t apparent to you by reading the hair type descriptions above, you can do a couple of tests to get a better idea.

Examine Individual Strands

One way to determine your hair subtype is by examining individual strands. With this method, you’re mainly looking at the hair pattern:

• Type 4A will have a fairly consistent curl about the diameter of a standard crochet needle
• Type 4B will have a tighter and more angled, Z-shaped curl pattern
• Type 4C will have a very tight curl with no discernable pattern

When using this method, remember that not all the hairs on your head are necessarily the same subtype. It’s a good idea to look at strands from a few different areas of your scalp.

 

The Wet Test

The wet test involves wetting your hair and watching its behavior as it dries, so it’s a good test to try after your next shower. You’ll be looking for:

Whether your hair dries into distinct curls:

• • 4A: will dry into defined curls with little or no help from you
  • 4B: may or may not dry into defined curls on its own – might need some prompting
  • 4C: will not form into defined curls on its own

 

How much shrinkage there is from wet to dry:

• • 4A: will shrink less than the other types as it dries
  • 4B: will shrink up to 70%
  • 4C: will shrink over 70%

 

Ask a Professional

If you’re struggling to pin down which type of hair you have, ask a hairstylist, who will be able to give you an idea about your hair type, and also recommend styling tips and products made for type 4 hair.

 

Conclusion

As you can see, although it’s easy to assume that all type 4 hair is the same, that’s far from the truth. Figuring out your hair type isn’t an exact science, but this guide should get you well on your way. Taking the time to get an idea of where your hair falls in the spectrum will give you an edge when it comes to finding a hair care routine that works best for you.