A 100% natural, non-toxic product made in North Queensland is providing parents a safer choice to terminate headlice and protect the entire family from future infestations.
Kellie Crowhurst, owner/operator of NRG Devine Reiki Therapeutics and an Essential Oils Safety Advisor, began formulating The Liceorator when her kids were around six and seven years of age, the prime age for headlice infestations.
“My children were in grade one and two and that’s when we first started having problems with headlice,” Kellie explains.
“It was a constant problem and I was wasting so much money and time treating their hair with products that didn’t work. I decided that I was going to fix it myself with my own concoction I made with my formulaic background (in essential oils).
“Other mums started asking for it but because it’s a headlice product, you can’t just freely sell it, it’s got to be regulated because it’s a pesticide. Even if it’snatural, it’s still considered a pesticide.”
This took Kellie on the journey to getting the product approved, retail ready and listed with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
“That took forever because I’m self-taught; other companies usually get a sponsor or mentor who can take care of the process for you, but they also charge you a lot,” she says.
“About five years ago in 2017, it was approved by the TGA and I’ve spent the last four years getting it trademarked ready and retail ready.
“I was still supplying it but not many people in the community knew about it and I was more focussed on structuring the business for longevity, rather than marketing and selling the product.”
Relying mostly on organic and word-of-mouth reach, The Liceorator has caught the attention of the Indigenous community who have taken to the all-natural ingredients that have come from the land.
“I’ve been talking with Indigenous Elders in both Townsville and Mount Isa who are supporting The Liceorator and promoting it within their community as well,” Kellie continues.
“The ingredients in it have been carefully selected for people with sensitive skin and all hair types.”
“In those indigenous communities where headlice can become a widespread problem, when they hear about the product, they want to know what’s in it and if they can use it.
“From there I’ve also ended up speaking with (nurse, midwife and Bindal Elder) Gracelyn Smallwood who put me onto some other contacts and now we’re talking about how we can make the products available within the health system.”
Currently, The Liceorator is stocked online and in a handful of specialty and general traders around Townsville and Adelaide with plans for wider reach in the new year.
“For me, one of the biggest challenges is just getting the product and the name out into the market. I’m not a marketer by any means,” Kellie says.
“My expertise is in the ingredients and knowing what works well together. Now that the product formula is done, I just want to get it out there and into homes and that’s the focus now.”
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