How Anna Dzhilavyan and Ksenia Zaytseva’s Childhood Friendship Evolved Into Bur Bur Hair Care
When childhood best friends Anna Dzhilavyan and Ksenia Zaytseva started playing hair salon at home, using homemade hair treatments based on their grandmother's family recipe, they had no idea that their efforts would someday manifest as the popular hair care brand Bur Bur.
Created in 2022, the brand gets its name from the powerhouse plant, burdock, which, in addition to being a key ingredient in the recipes from their youth, serves as an anti-inflammatory that strengthens hair while enhancing growth. It's also a primary ingredient in Bur Bur's beloved Growing Seasonal botanical hair oil. As fans of both the brand and their story, we jumped at the opportunity to chat with Anna and Ksenia to learn more about Bur Bur and what makes it stand out in a sea of hair care brands.
Names: Ksenia Zaytseva and Anna Dzhilavyan
IG handle: @burburcare
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Zodiac signs: Gemini and Libra
1. Ksenia and Anna grew up with a passion for beauty and tinkering with formulas.
"Growing up, we enjoyed experimenting with our grandmother's kitchen recipes, including hair and face masks made from amazing ingredients we harvested ourselves or commonly found in our household. We used her hair mask for years, and as friends began asking for the recipe, the idea of turning it into a product sparked one day. 'Wow, if only we could have this as a product, we would use it all the time.' That's how the idea came to life."
-Ksenia and Anna
(Image courtesy of Bur Bur)
2. The name "Bur Bur" is all about a very special ingredient.
"'Bur' refers to the flower of the burdock root, a foundational ingredient in our formulas. Burdock grew abundantly around our childhood home, and we fondly remember playing with the prickly dried flowers as kids. Naming our brand after this flower felt natural and nostalgic."
-Ksenia and Anna
3. Bur Bur has a simple mission of providing clean products with ethically and uncontroversial ingredients.
"We're genuinely inclusive of all hair types, ensuring that everyone feels represented and cared for in our brand community."
-Ksenia and Anna
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4. Ksenia uses Bur Bur as a weekly essential but also says a good hairbrush can be a game-changer.
"In fact, we're currently developing two brushes ourselves."
-Ksenia Zaytseva
5. Anna's favorite products from the brand are the face oil and eyelash serum they're currently testing.
"They're going to be amazing additions to our lineup."
-Anna Dzhilavyan
6. The best advice Ksenia ever received is that "Slow and steady wins the race."
"A seasoned businessman shared this wisdom with me when we were comparing ourselves to other brands that were scaling quickly. His advice to learn, observe and then utilize that knowledge has been invaluable."
-Ksenia Zaytseva
7. Anna says the duo's perseverance and kind attitudes toward themselves have been key in getting them to where they are today.
"We've learned to navigate challenges with resilience and compassion, which has kept us moving forward."
-Anna Dzhilavyan
(via Bur Bur)
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8. Anna's biggest tip for healthy hair growth is that consistency is key.
"Stick to your hair care routine religiously, and you'll see results over time."
-Anna Dzhilavyan
9. According to Ksenia, the most rewarding thing about the work they do is being able to stay true to why they started in the first place.
"It's the feeling of encapsulating the memories of our childhood and our grandmother's wisdom in every bottle. Knowing that our products carry that legacy and resonate with others is incredibly fulfilling."
-Ksenia Zaytseva
10. Above all else, the founders genuinely care about what they do and how they do it.
"Our mission is to bring awareness and change to the beauty industry, raising the standards for ingredients and educating consumers about what we put in our bodies and use on our skin."
-Ksenia and Anna
(Image courtesy of Bur Bur)
For more insights from beauty industry entrepreneurs, click HERE to read about Alyson Haog, founder of brow band Genuist Beauty.