To most, it seems an odd decision: to offer head lice removal for strangers in the community. But for Lucky Lady Lice Removal, the business is not about pests or strangers, but about family, acceptance, and love. Now in their eleventh year of business, the mother/daughter team of Rebecca Busch and Chelsea Busch help families all over the Wilmington, NC area as Lucky Lady Lice Removal, or “The Lice Queens.”

A decade ago, Rebecca Busch was considering what her next career move was. “I thought, what did I need in this town that wasn’t provided? I needed help getting rid of lice at one point, and couldn’t find anyone!”

So Rebecca went into research mode. She spent over a year talking to doctors, studying scientific papers, and discovering a way to help remove head lice. Her method, currently with a 100% success rate, is a non-toxic treatment program that breaks the life cycle of lice.

Before you get squeamish, it is important to Lucky Lady Lice Removal that people understand there should be absolutely no shame or stigma attached to having head lice.

“For so many people, this is a horrible experience, but it doesn’t have to be! And we are working hard to make sure it isn’t,” Chelsea explained. “We are here to remind people that getting head lice is no one’s fault, it just happens.”

For Rebecca, who has a degree in counseling, the reaction parents have to head lice in their home is something she helps them work through. The Lice Queens know that, for most, lice are something that immediately cause panic. So Rebecca and Chelsea are available at nearly all hours for calls and text from clients.

“My degree in counseling comes into play,” Rebecca admitted, “because I have to talk a lot of people off the ‘lice ledge.’”

What Rebecca and Chelsea do has made a huge impact on the community. Families that were once clients become dear friends (sending Christmas cards and sometimes texting just to say hello). They get calls from the Department of Social Services to help with lice removal cases, which they answer. And local parents speak of Lucky Lady Lice Removal with reverence and love.

So what makes them so successful?

The Lice Queens have realized that a one-time chemical solution will not work on the vast majority of people with head lice. This is due to the life cycle of lice. First, lice have developed a gene making them resistant to most over-the-counter treatments. Second, lice have a life cycle of two to three weeks. A one-time treatment will kill lice that are alive at that moment, but soon after, they are back and the itching starts again.

Rebecca and Chelsea have figured out how to break this life cycle and effectively remove the pesky creatures. It involves oil, combing, and by-hand nit-picking.

Lucky Lady Lice Removal gives their clients a treatment plan, empowering them to finish the schedule at home if they choose to.

“We educate our clients on lice, and put them on the path,” Rebecca said. “Really, it’s not rocket science, but you do have to know what you are doing.”

It may not be surprising, given how passionate Rebecca and Chelsea are about helping families, that Lucky Lady Rice Removal keeps services affordable. (Currently, treatment is $60 per individual and this includes initial treatment and comb through as well as an ongoing plan, with full access to their advice and help for as long as needed.)

“We would hate to see anyone have lice because they can’t afford the treatment,” Chelsea said.

Using their expertise, Lucky Lady Lice Removal has also created a natural repellent they sell out of their home and online. Their preventative, non-chemical oils are yet another way of taking the service they offer and bringing it to the community. And, luckily for Wilmington families, The Lice Queens aren’t about to stop.

“I absolutely love what I do,” Chelsea said. “We have a lot of compassion for families, and we want to make what they are going through as enjoyable as we can.”

“Ultimately,” Rebecca shared, “what we do is about a family helping a family. This isn’t just a business to us. It is so much more.”

Learn more about Lucky Lady Lice Removal by visiting their website at luckyladyliceremoval.com or connecting with them on Facebook. You are also invited to follow The Lice Queens on Instagram (@the_lice_queens) and Twitter.