Jealous of how your Asian friends never seem to age? Asian women have some of the world’s most beautiful complexions, so it’s no wonder why we so often turn to the East for their skin care secrets.
One secret is so common it’s shocking. All over Asia we see rice as a staple food — but what about rice as a staple cosmetic? Over the centuries, countries like China and Japan have discovered all of rice’s myriad uses, including its benefits for the skin. As it turns out, water left over from soaking or cooking rice can make a great skin toner!
Some cosmetic companies have jumped at this opportunity to add an ancient beauty secret to their own products. You can find such skin care products here:
Pai Rice Plant & Rosemary BioAffinity Toner
Happily, there are also plenty of simple recipes available to make your own rice water skin toner at home. Rice water boasts a long lists of health and beauty benefits – it makes your skin softer, pores smaller, and even firms wrinkles, making it the perfect ingredient for a facial toner.
You can also make your own rice toner at home. First, you’ll need to find or prepare your own rice water. This is an easy process. All it takes is cooking rice the way you normally would, in a saucepan over a stove top, but instead of allowing the rice to soak up all the water, use about twice as much water as you normally would, and then strain the excess rice water from the pan, which you can store in the fridge as a toner, which will last up to 5 days. Let the rice finish cooking. So you can prepare your dinner and facial toner ingredients at the same time! Just make sure to use organic rice, as any pesticides used in cultivating the rice could inhibit the rice water’s beneficial effects for your skin.
While simply applying rice water can give your skin rejuvenating benefits, it’s also fun to try rice water in combination with other natural ingredients your skin will love. For example, combine a few tablespoons of rice water with a few tablespoons of steeped green tea – your skin will love the antioxidant-rich green tea!
For more instruction and rice water ideas, check out this instructional video.
