When most of us hear the words hair growth, we immediately think about results. How fast. How much. How soon. It can start to feel like something we need to manage or measure instead of something that happens naturally when our hair is supported the right way.

For founders Ksenia Zaytseva and Anna Dzhilavyan, burdock was never a buzzword. It was part of childhood. A kitchen ritual passed down from Ksenia’s grandmother. A messy homemade mask that friends kept asking for. That ritual eventually became the foundation for Bur Bur, their clean, botanical haircare brand rooted in tradition and backed by modern science.

In this conversation, Ksenia and Anna share how that early ritual evolved into a modern botanical formula, what science confirms about burdock and scalp health, and why creating the right environment for hair may matter more than rushing the outcome.

In Conversation with Ksenia Zaytseva and Anna Dzhilavyan

When people hear “hair growth,” they often think about speed and results. How does burdock reframe that conversation? Burdock reframes growth as a byproduct of health rather than a race. It works at the root, literally and metaphorically, by supporting circulation, calming the scalp, and creating the right environment for hair to grow naturally over time.

I like to compare it to a plant. If you give a plant good water, care, and natural nourishment, it grows strong, full, and stays healthy for a long time. Fast results don’t always mean sustainable results. Creating the right environment for hair growth is something that can support you for a lifetime.

Burdock oil wasn’t something you discovered later as founders, it was already part of your lives. At what point did you realize this family tradition had the potential to become something bigger? The realization came very organically. One day Anna and I were sitting in the kitchen and I was mixing the original burdock mask recipe for a friend. That happened a lot. Most of our friends were asking for the recipe or asking us to make it for them once they tried it.

I remember saying to Anna, this is so messy to make at home, I wish there was a product that was exactly this recipe. And she just said, let’s make it. That was the moment it clicked.

Ksenia, your grandmother Ludmila sits at the heart of BUR BUR, and even her name means “love to the people.” What did she teach you about self-care, and how does that philosophy continue to shape both the product and the values behind the brand today? Her name translates so perfectly to what we believe in. The concept of care, for me, was never something that needed words. It was shown quietly, through small, everyday moments and actions. Taking care of yourself helps you learn how to take care of others too. That understanding lives at the core of BUR BUR and shapes how we think about care, both in the product and beyond it.

Anna, when Ksenia first shared her family’s burdock ritual with you, what stood out as something worth preserving and how did you help translate that deeply personal story into a brand with intention, structure, and longevity? I’ve known Ksenia since we were kids, and I’ve always known how deep her bond with her grandmother was. In a way, they were soulmates.

What stood out to me was how real the ritual was. It came from our childhood, from our family, from traditions. BUR BUR exists because of those deeply personal stories and i think people can feel it. I think thats why Bur Bur feels special and different.

As you began developing BUR BUR, what did modern science confirm about burdock that aligned with what you already knew intuitively? Growing up in Eastern Europe, burdock oil is one of the most well known ingredients for hair health. What stood out to us was how little people in the US knew about it.

Science confirmed what tradition already taught, that burdock is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant rich, and supportive of scalp health. It strengthens the foundation where hair grows. That alignment between science and tradition gave us confidence to introduce it in a thoughtful way.

Your formula is intentionally minimal and botanical-focused. How do you decide which ingredients truly belong in the formula and which don’t? Every ingredient has to make sense in relation to the original grandmother’s recipe and to scalp health. Nothing is there just to sound good. Hair oils have a stigma of being too heavy or hard to wash out, so we spent a long time perfecting the balance. When we found our botanist and developed the way our burdock and nettle infusion is made, it changed everything. Every other ingredient exists to support and balance that infusion. The formula ended up being even better than we imagined.

Why was oil the right delivery system for burdock, especially when oil is still misunderstood in hair care? Burdock plant doesn’t produce oil on its own, it has to be infused into a carrier oil. Oil allows for slow absorption, massage, and ritual.

Oil is misunderstood in hair care because not every oil works for every hair type and it needs balancing ingredients. Our formula is carefully balanced to nourish without weighing hair down.

“Clean” can mean many things in beauty. What does being a clean brand actually mean to you in practice? To us, clean means transparent, non-toxic, and made with intention. No unnecessary ingredients, no greenwashing, and no shortcuts.

Clean isn’t a label or a trend. It’s a series of choices we’ve made consistently, even when it’s harder or more expensive. It’s simply our standard.

Sustainability is deeply embedded in BUR BUR, from glass packaging to reforestation. Why was this non-negotiable from day one? Because care can’t be selective. If we’re asking people to care for their bodies, we have to care for the environment those bodies live in.

Sustainability wasn’t an add-on, it was part of the moral foundation of the brand. Anything else would have felt dishonest.

For someone discovering BUR BUR for the first time, how should they think about incorporating your product into their routine Think of it as a ritual. Use it with intention. It’s like going to the gym, eating well, or taking care of your nervous system. Consistency matters. Ideally, it becomes something you do for a long time, not a quick fix.

Beyond product use, what lifestyle factors do you believe most impact hair health and growth? For me personally, sleep is huge. Stress management and nutrition play a massive role. I notice immediately when I’m not eating well, sleeping enough, or when stress is high, my hair growth slows down.

Everything affects hair, from shampoo to brushing to the products you choose. It’s all connected.

What should people realistically expect to notice first when using burdock before visible hair health and growth? Most people notice shine, softness, and manageability first. Within two to three weeks, they usually see significantly less shedding. Our clinical testing showed a 50 percent reduction in shedding after 50 days.

Growth comes with consistency. But after 6 months to a year, I truly believe you won’t recognize your hair.

Discover Bur Bur’s burdock-based formula here.