"Hair Water" Is the Ancient Japanese Beauty Trend Making a Big Comeback Right Now

(Image credit: Marie Claire)

For centuries, Japanese women have washed their hair with rice water—yes, as in the starchy stuff drained from the pots in their kitchen—to stimulate growth, make strands stronger, and improve scalp health. The revival of this D.I.Y. treatment has been hailed the "hair water" trend.

Always looking for new ways to tend to my poor damaged strands, yet a dud in the kitchen thanks to a little thing called Seamless, I, of course, needed a shortcut for this ancient technique. And now, thanks to the yes-I-have-that-random-thing-you're-looking-for magic of Etsy, I have it.

All-natural skincare brand Ash & Nectar has concocted its very own Rice Water Hair Milk, formulating it with real rice water to strengthen the roots while adding body and shine, as well as a slew of essential oils including rosemary (helps ingredients penetrate the strands), lavender (deep conditions), and argan (hydrates split ends). The milky emulsion also contains leucidal liquid, which is a natural preservative comprised of radish root ferment that has anti-bacterial properties i.e. your hair will also get a nice natural cleanse in the process.

Here's how it works: After shampooing, massage the hair water into the scalp, then down through the ends. Once your hair is fully saturated, leave it on for 5-10 minutes, then rinse it out. And that's it! See? If you play your cards right, lazy tendencies don't have to be the downfall of good hair. There's plenty of humidity for that.

Ash & Nectar Rice Water Hair Milk, $22; etsy.com.

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Lauren Valenti is Vogue’s former senior beauty editor. Her work has also appeared on ELLE.com, MarieClaire.com, and in In Style. She graduated with a liberal arts degree from Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts, with a concentration on Culture and Media Studies and a minor in Journalism.