The Story Behind Our Amazing Product

What really sets up apart from other lice clinics? Do we have the magical potion for treating head lice? Turns out we do and the magical potion comes in the form of an FDA-cleared and medically proven device called the AirAllé®. This device is what makes us the best lice clinic in the area with an incredibly high success rate. Here’s the history behind it…

Where Did It Come From?

We can all thank Dr. Dale Clayton of the biology department at the University of Utah. As part of his research as a biology teacher, Clayton came up with a new concept to kill head lice and their eggs. It was originally named the LouseBuster and changed the lice industry forever.

Dr. Clayton’s Story

Before coming to the states, Clayton’s lab was at Oxford University in England. While there, he studied the biology of birds and their feather lice. In the 80’s and early 90’s, Clayton made a big step in his research and cultured lice on captive birds for his research. Clayton moved his lab to the University of Utah in 1996 and faced difficulty keeping lice alive on captive birds. He collaborated with some colleagues who had been working on insects to seek help. He then learned that his colleagues were having difficulty and it was because of Utah’s extremely dry climate. He started to explore ways to solve this problem such as installing steam lines in insect culture rooms to increase ambient humidity. After installing such lines in bird rooms, Clayton found that the problem resolved and feather lice were relatively easy to culture.

Super Lice

Ironically enough, while Clayton was in the middle of his lice research, his elementary school children contracted lice at school. The lice were frustratingly resistant to drugstore lice shampoos. A light bulb started to go off as Clayton thought about his research with pigeon lice, which suggested that it might be possible to control head lice by reducing humidity near the scalp. Perhaps through dehydration. He thought about how he could accomplish this in a lice treatment.

He dedicated the next several years consisted of trial and error for Clayton. He came up with tons of concepts and tested them out. One of the methods he tested was blow dryers. He came to the conclusion that it is not feasible to control head lice using existing blow dryers, a new one would need to be invented. The blow dryer would need to have a tolerable temperature. He concluded that a combination of heat and considerable airflow is required to dehydrate and kill head lice. Conventional blow dryers lead to burns on the head.

The End Result

After months of experimental research, Dr. Clayton came to the conclusion that it might be possible to dehydrate and kill lice and their eggs with a custom-made device that would utilize a combination of fast-moving warm air, a precise angle of application, and the right duration of treatment. He began his research and trial and error period to perfect this device. He made several LouseBuster prototypes and tested them out. Clayton began to gain recognition for his hard work. He finally perfected it and his findings were published in the Journal of Pediatrics, showing that the LouseBuster was highly effective. They reported data on the relative success of the different kinds of hair dryers, compared to the LouseBuster device, for killing hair lice and their eggs. The university of Utah put out a press release that generated attention worldwide by the media and the public. People were interested in the device and were in need of it.

In 2006, Larada Sciences, Inc. came together and took the Louse buster to the market. Today, the LoueBuster is now known as the AirAllé® and is available at all clinics associated with the Lice Clinics of America. It has been proven effective with an incredible success rate and we can all thank Dr. Dale Clayton, a biologist and father determined to find the cure for head lice.