Nettle leaf extract haircare promises to deliver lush, healthy locks.
A new naturally-derived haircare line aims to get to the heart of hair health, with traditional herbs used in Mongolia.
Eternal Blue is a collection of shampoo, conditioner and scalp serum founded by Mongolia-born New Zealander Saraa Orgilmaa.
At the heart of the line is a Mongolian botanical – wild nettle (Urtica Dioica) – prized for its ability to support hair health. Orgilmaa recalls foraging for the plant in the wild as a child with her grandfather, before a haircare infusion was created by simmering the leaves they had collected. It was then used to regularly treat their locks.
After moving to New Zealand in her teens, her interests turned to beauty formulation. While looking for natural ways to support hair growth, health and density, she returned to the abilities of that traditional process.
For Eternal Blue she has used that wild nettle in conjunction with other advanced modern hair ingredients. Each is chosen to target the factory of healthy hair – the scalp.
The brand’s name is a nod to the nickname of her birthplace. Mongolia is often referred to as ‘the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky,’ given its clear, expansive skies and connection to nature.
The Auckland-based founder says while she called upon modern cosmetic science to ensure her products were effective, a natural, herbal approach felt right for her belief in nurturing the body as a whole.
“I’ve always been someone who keeps asking why, especially when the usual answer doesn’t feel like the whole truth,” she says. “Through my own experiences with health, that curiosity became much more personal.”
Those challenges led her towards nutrition and eventually traditional medicine. “I discovered a more interconnected way of understanding the body, one that recognized the relationship between the body, nature, food, seasons, and even our emotions. ”
Beauty and skincare became part of that relationship. She chose haircare as way to share what she’d learned – and those time-honoured traditions – because it appealed to her nature as a problem-solver.
“I noticed that so many people around me was unhappy with their hair. Almost everyone seemed to have problems, whether it was thinning, breakage, dryness. Our range is designed to support healthy hair growth, reduce excessive shedding, and strengthen weakened hair.”
Wild nettle is the hero, used for medicinal and culinary purposes in Mongolia and other Central Asian countries for centuries. It contains minerals like silica and vitamins A, C and K. Nettle also contains naturally occurring plant compounds, including beta-sitosterol, which has been studied for its potential to inhibit DHT production, through more research is needed. DHT is a hormone commonly linked to hair thinning.
Beyond this extract, other natural ingredients have been chosen for their abilities. For example, the Restoring Shampoo uses gentle plant-derived surfactants for cleansing without stripping, aloe vera helps soothe and hydrate the scalp, while green tea leaf and Panax ginseng extracts provide antioxidant support for a balanced, healthy scalp environment.
To ensure her products could stand among other luxury options in the category, she has fine tuned their sensorial nature and sleek packaging, too.
“Hair affects our confidence and the way we feel about ourselves so much,” says Orgilmaa of its place in our routines. . “It’s deeply tied to our identity, and yet we often don’t prioritise hair care as much as skincare.”
She says after giving birth she became even more aware of how many women put themselves last.
“Taking care of your hair isn’t superficial, it’s part of feeling healthy, confident and beautiful from within.”
The line is now available from the Eternal Blue website.
