Friday Food for Thought: Rice

Beauty Food: Rice by bellinatse

Ah rice, a staple Asian grain. A food item that some of us can’t eat a meal without. Like having a sandwich, but without any bread (think of the mess!). Don’t underestimate those tiny grains of rice — it’s more than just a food staple. It’s also an eco-friendly DIY skincare item.

When preparing rice as a main entree, it’s always necessary to wash and drain the rice with water two to three times before cooking it. Next time you do so, don’t let the water go to waste. After washing the rice for the second or third time, save the rice water. You can either pour it into a spray bottle, refrigerate it, and use it as a mist or toner, or you can use it as a facial cleanser.

Cooked rice can also be used on the face. Take a small amount, roll it up into the shape of a ball, and gently roll it across your face; when done you’ll see that the rice has taken any dirty debris, sebum, and flakey skin off of your face, leaving you with a smoother, softer complexion.

Rice’s starch content can naturally get rid of the skins excess sebum and oil. Rice also contains vital nutrients such as vitamin B3, vitamin B1, and vitamin B6. When we wash and drain the rice, it’s nutrients are left in the water, making it the perfect natural toner and cleanser, suitable for oily or sensitive skin. Any kind of rice grain can be used; brown rice contains vitamin E and B12, red rice is a good source of calcium, iron and vitamin B1, and black rice has antioxidants and vitamin E.

My mother used rice water to cleanse her face as a teenager when she was experiencing acne, as there were no acne medications or skincare products available when she was growing up. So everyday, after preparing rice for lunch or dinner, she would save the rice water and use it to wash her face. The rice water definitely helped calm her acne condition, and kept her skin moisturized and toned, while helping to get rid of excess sebum.

Don’t always eat rice? Try using Japanese brand Rice Force’s skincare line. Their products are produced with rice extracts at a sake brewery; the owner of the sake brewery discovered that the workers’ hands remained considerably young after working with the rice extracts to produce the Japanese alcohol, and the idea to make a skincare line out of a simple ingredient was formed.

So never underestimate natural beauty; sometime less is more. Simple organic foods are not only nutritious, they’re also great for our skin.