Nettle

I find nettles mesmerising.

There’s something almost childlike about them. All those tiny hairs, ready to sting anyone who gets too close, fiercely protecting a plant that holds far more than we tend to give it credit for.

As a child, I was so frightened of dogs that I once decided throwing myself into an enormous bush of nettles was preferable to meeting one.

I’m not entirely sure my younger self had thought that through.

And yet, here I am, completely captivated by them.

Have you ever really looked at a nettle leaf?

Especially once it’s dried. Those jagged, almost saw-toothed edges, the delicate network of veins, the tiny hairs running along its surface. The extraordinary detail in something we so readily dismiss as a weed.

But it’s not just the beauty of nettle’s leaves that fascinates me. It’s the whole plant.

Our skin is constantly responding to the world around it. Sunlight, pollution and even the ordinary business of being alive can create unstable molecules that, when they build up, can damage our skin’s cells.

Antioxidants help to keep these molecules in check. Nettle naturally contains antioxidant compounds and is strongly astringent, making it particularly useful for oily, congested skin.

And I can’t help but smile at the contradiction.

Here is a plant that can leave your skin hot, prickling and itching, yet within those very same leaves are compounds that help protect and calm the skin.

There’s something I love about that.

Explore nettle in our balms