If you make rice at home, you may want to think twice before you drain the rice water right down the sink. That rice water has a lot of potential still.

Fermented rice water is made by letting the water from the top of the pot you just cooked rice in sit out and become a little sour. What you might not know is that this liquid can help your hair grow as well as prevent signs of aging.

Yao ethnic women from Huang Luo, China swear by this ingredient in their haircare routines. They claim that fermented rice water is what makes their hair grow so long and maintain its shine.

Along with its haircare benefits, fermented rice water can also be used as a dark spot treatment and to help heal dermatitis damaged skin.

So next time you boil a pot of rice, save that water for your own beauty benefit.