DIY Review + Tutorial: Green Tea Rice Toner & Rice Powder Mask

Wandering around on YouTube, I discovered a DIY tutorial on making a Rice Water toner. The benefits of rice water are exceptional. It can help soothe, lighten, and soften your skin when used regularly. I had to try it! I followed the video, made my toner, and used it after taking off my makeup and washing my face every night for a week. I noticed my skin would feel softer and smoother.

But why stop there? I had recently given up my Southern Style Sweet Tea in favor of a lightly sweetened iced green tea in efforts to drink more green tea since green tea has so many health benefits. I was also wanting to cut back on my sugar intake, and my iced green tea calls for less sugar per gallon than the sweet tea does. If drinking green tea is so good for you, wouldn't putting it on your skin be great too?

DIY: Green Tea Rice Water Toner

Alrighty, to make this toner you will need the following:

• 2-3 tablespoons of organic rice (color/type doesn't matter)
• A coffee mug/microwaveable safe glass
• About 3/4cup of water. Distilled/purified preffered.
• 1 teabag of green tea
• A small bowl
• A chopstick or spoon to stir with
• A container for your toner.

Gather all your materials together and follow these steps.

1. Pour your water into your coffee mug and place it in the microwave for about 80-90 seconds. You want it to be too hot to drink, but not boiling. If you prefer, you can also warm your water on the stovetop.
2. Place your green tea teabag into the coffee mug and steep for 10 minutes. Remove the teabag. The water should still be warmer than room temperature, but not hot.
3. Place your rice into the bowl and cover with the tea water. You want to cover the rice, but don't fill it up more than an inch above the rice.
4. Stir the rice in the green tea water for about 2 minutes. The water will take on a cloudy look.
5. Pour the water into your toner container, leaving the rice in the bowl.
6. You now have green tea rice water! This water will last about 3 days at room temperature, or up to 6 days in the refrigerator.
7. To use your green tea rice water: apply some of the water to a cotton ball or cotton pad and wipe it across your face after you have removed your makeup and cleansed your face. Be sure to use it before your night cream.

This really doesn't have a very long shelf life, which is why I say to use so little rice. If you want to make it without the green tea, then you can use more rice and just make it in the same fashion. Make sure the water is warm when you add it to the rice. Afterwards, you can save the rice for eating. I use so little at once so I don't waste any. Since I add the green tea water to it, I don't want to eat it afterwards. I actually keep the rice that I use for my toner and make a face mask with it! I use this mask twice a week.

DIY: Rice Powder Facial Mask

For this you will need the following:

• The leftover rice from your toner
• A food processor or a mortar and pestle
• Some milk. Any kind is fine, but organic is best. I like to use organic almond milk.
• Vitamin E oil (optional)
• A bowl for mixing

Gather your materials and follow these steps:

1. Drain any remaining water from your rice and set it on a papertowel to dry for at least 15-20 minutes.
2. Grind the rice into a fine powder with your food processor or the mortar and pestle.
3. Put the powder in your bowl. Add two drops of vitamin e oil (optional) and then add just enough milk to make a fine paste. Add a little at a time, stirring as you go. You can always add more milk later!
4. Rub the mixture on your freshly cleansed face and let it sit for a half hour.
5. Wash away with lukewarm water and pat dry. Be sure not to rub at your face! You want to treat your skin gently.
6. Enjoy your soft smooth skin. Add a night cream to help seal in moisture while you sleep.

My Review

Green Tea Rice Water Toner

★★★★☆ The toner really did smooth my skin, and I noticed it looking better right away. I didn't care for the smell though. It didn't smell bad, but it wasn't exactly a great smell either. I could just smell the starches a little more than I had hoped to. A drop of essential oil solved this, but seemed like a waste of oil considering I was having to make the toner twice a week to keep it from going bad.

Rice Powder Facial Mask

★★★★★ The rice was really easy to turn into a powder thanks to my Magic Bullet. Leaving the milk slightly chilled felt great on my skin.