Lice Lifters opts to Drop Heat treatment/gimmick!
Lice Lifters opened the doors to our first ever treatment center in 2009. We were so excited to be able to help multiple families, at the same time, with back-to-back appointments. We treated 3–5 families in one day, doing our best to help as many members of our community as possible. At the same time, we opened our Center; we were trying out a brand-new scientific lice treatment machine, called the LouseBuster. Our owners at the time were each certified in using the LouseBuster to treat head lice. There was a systematic way of applying the 120-degree heat to the head, so as not to burn the patient. The process included a timer of 30 seconds that needed to be started before the heat was applied to the head. There were specific sections of the hair that needed the heat application, so as not to miss one of the 150,000 strands of hair on the head that could be the home to a louse or egg. The process was time-consuming, exhausting, and quite tricky to manage. But during our first few years in business, those machines heated up our Treatment Center morning and afternoon, all year long.
Lice Lifters owners quickly realized that just using the machine was not going to guarantee that all the lice and nits would be gone/dead. For one, the bugs are quick at crawling through the hair, so there was no way to stop one from crawling to a place on the head where the heat was not blowing at that time. We also could not be sure that EVERY nit was dehydrated by the machine. If the phone rang during a treatment, did our staff pick up the treatment exactly where they left off? Did everyone overlap their sections for EVERY treatment? These were the types of variables that we could not completely control. And, of course, the schools did not want to see any eggs left in the hair after a treatment, even if we explained that they were dehydrated. We needed to add to the Larada process to ensure our lice-free guarantee to our clients.
To make sure we rid every patient’s hair of lice; we developed our Lice Lifters combing technique using our plant-based mousse that helps release the eggs from the hair shaft.
We initiated a systematic way of combing around the head to ensure all the lice eggs are removed. The 2nd addition to our treatment process was the application of Lice Lifters Treatment Solution. Our solution suffocates and kills all live bugs on contact. Our Lice Technicians refer to this solution as our “Oil”, but the oil only helps spread our suffocating agent. Our chemical-free and pesticide-free solution is made up of olive oil to help spread the solution, rosemary oil to make our solution smell good, and a high concentration of dimethicone to clog up both breathing holes of the louse. We recommend 4 applications of the oil to ensure that all the lice were gone off the head. This was the best process that we could use to confidently guarantee our treatment.
When our contract with Larada ended, Lice Lifters decided that it didn’t make sense for our businesses to join in Larada’s new clinic model. The best part of deciding to leave the LouseBuster treatment, (that by this time had to change its name due to a Copyright issue with another company and the machine was changed to AirAllé™ [pronounced air-a-lay]) was that we already had developed the best combing process and lice solution schedule that would make us as successful as before in treating lice. Instead of raising prices, we were able to lower our prices, maintain our profitability and offer The BEST lice treatment at all our Centers.
When we stopped using the heated air device we were very nervous at first. The heat was a wonderful “gimmick” that differentiated us from the other lice treatments in the area. But we soon realized that we had been working around so many challenges, we were better off without the hot heat. 1st, there was the heat. 120 degrees is hot. Most children disliked the heat immensely. They constantly pulled their heads away saying the machine was too hot.
When someone pulled their head away it was difficult to see which section you were doing along with how long you had the heat on that section. You had to redo that section, to be 100% sure you didn’t miss anything.
Another challenge was the timer we used with the AirAlle. Often in the treatment room, we spend the time during the treatment answering mom’s questions offering them some peace of mind. Lice can be stressful! For each section of hair, the device requires that you heat the hair for 30 seconds. If you were in the middle of answering a question or passing along some information and forgot to start the timer, you would have to count to 30 in your head to make sure that the time was long enough to dehydrate the eggs. At times, focusing on mom or child got in the way of starting the timer and the treatment would go on a little longer. If the client was pulling away during the treatment, that action could also prevent you from remembering to begin the timer.
Back when Lice Lifters first opened we offered each child a DVD player so they could watch their own movie during the treatment. This was a way of distracting the children during the treatment and hoping that they would sit still. Sometimes there were 2 DVD players going at full volume along with two AirAlle machines. The treatment room was filled with cacophonous sounds. When we removed the machine from our treatment rooms we found that technology had advanced as well. Today, a family will come into our room and see one single TV. That TV is hooked up to Netflix or Amazon Prime and allows our families to watch one show together as they are all checked and treated for head lice. Phones or tablets can also be used in the treatment room, without much concern. All in all, it is a much more pleasant experience to be in the treatment room without the sound of the machine.
Lice Lifters Treatment is fast, safe, and effective. Using a plant-based combing mousse, which helps release the glue the eggs use to attach to the hair and assists us in removing every egg from the hair. Then our Lice Solution kills all live bugs that may still be in the hair. Our customers leave, non-contagious, lice-free, and armed with tools and knowledge to keep them that. We truly have the best lice treatment around.
