Have you ever heard of the popular product called SK-II? I am sure many of you must know that SK-II is one of the most expensive beauty products available in the market today. For those of you who have not heard of SK-II before, it is basically a product that is well known to utilise an ingredient known as ‘pitera’, which has been claimed to be beneficial in revitalizing the skin’s natural renewal cycle to give you a crystal clear skin. ‘Pitera’ is found in rice and its benefits were observed since time immemorial amongst Japanese ladies.


The benefits of rice water have been discussed widely over the world for ages. Elderly people used to give advice to their younger generations to wash their face with rice water as it contains various nutrients that may remove sebum, rejuvenate, lighten and smoothen the skin, and plays an active role in preventing numerous types of skin problems.

All you have to do is to keep aside the water used to wash rice before cooking it. It is best to use the rice water from the first ‘wash’. The water will appear ‘cloudy’ because you are actually washing off the starch so that the rice would not stick together when you cook it. If however, you are afraid that the water may be dirty, you can store the water from the second rinse.

Wash your face with your regular cleanser. Having done so, pat it dry. Then take the ‘cloudy’ substance from the rice water that you stored earlier with both your palms and pat the water on your whole face. Let the water dry naturally.

Follow this method twice a day, morning and evening, for best results. You will soon notice that your face is lighter, smoother and possess a naturally beautiful glow. The desired results will be obtained when this method is practiced regularly over time.

Additionally, it is also beneficial for your skin to rice-steam your face. Regular water-steaming by itself is great to draw the unwanted substances from underneath your skin. This is ideal for people having pimples or acne, though it may worsen the condition at the beginning but will begin to clear up after some time. It is really just like regular water-steaming; the only difference is you use the steam from cooking rice to do your facial-spa. The steam does not only confer one beauty benefits but also plays a part in relaxing one’s facial muscle and is great in calming down one’s mind after a long stressful day.

After the steam, beware not to wash your face immediately. Wipe the water off your face first with a clean towel / tissue and wait for awhile (about 5 minutes), or you may end up having a skin condition called pityriasis if you wash your face immediately. Then, rinse your face with very cold water and wash it with your regular cleanser. Remember to tone your skin as the steam would have opened your pores earlier.

Do rice-steaming at least TWICE a week to keep your skin in tip-top condition. If however, you are unable to do it TWICE a week for whatever reasons, try to keep up with the ‘once-a-week’ regimen to enjoy the benefits of rice-steaming.

Combining the practices of the rice-steaming and leaving the rice-water on your face regimens, your skin will be at your satisfaction.