Rapunzel's Lice Boutique was founded by Sarah Casello-Rees, Michigan's pioneer in non-toxic head lice treatment. Sarah opened her Lice Brigade business in the fall of 2008 after battling lice in her own family. "How I wished there were someone to help me with this overwhelming process," Sarah thought. Then it occurred to her that perhaps she could be that someone for other Michigan families.

The Lice Brigade was a huge success, but Sarah felt she could do more to help people. In April of 2009, she opened Rapunzel's Lice Boutique, Michigan's first Head Lice Treatment Center. This gave families a more affordable option because they could avoid the mileage charges associated with house calls. Her staff could also treat more people because they did not have to spend time on the road.

The first Rapunzel's Lice Boutique was located in Ann Arbor, MI, but Sarah noticed that a large number of her clients were coming from other parts of Michigan. As a working mom, she knew what a hectic schedule other mothers had to maintain and the stress of needing head lice treatment was more than enough for anyone. Fitting a long drive into an already full schedule could only add to that stress. So, in November of 2011, Sarah opened a second Boutique in Sterling Heights, MI.

When Sarah first started the Lice Brigade, she knew she could not use the exisiting remedies for head lice treatment. Most of them are not only toxic, but they have also lost much of their effectiveness because lice are becoming increasingly resistant to them. She needed an effective non-toxic way to treat head lice and she knew that this treatment would need to be based on sound science and research.

Sarah's husband, James Rees, worked as a researcher at the University of Michigan. He used his experience and expertise to help develop an effective treatment. After many hours in the laboratory, Sarah Casello-Rees and James Rees developed the Lice-Sense™ line of head lice treatment and prevention products and the protocol for its use. Lice-Sense™ Extra Strength Lice Killer is shown to kill 100% of lice within 10 minutes. This breakthrough allowed for the early success of Rapunzel's Lice Boutique and Lice Brigade, but it didn't stop there.

Photo by Rapunzel's Research and Development Team

The early treatments used by Rapunzel's Lice Boutique and Lice Brigade required follow up visits. This is because there was not yet an effective means to kill the lice eggs. Sarah was aware that a new device was under development that promised to revolutionize head lice treatment. In December of 2010, Rapunzel's Lice Boutique and Lice Brigade became the exclusive provider of the LouseBuster™ Professional Head Lice Treatment System in Michigan. The LouseBuster™ is a medical device, cleared by the FDA, for the treatment of head lice and it has been shown in clinical studies to kill 99.2% of the lice eggs. This treatment is now the Gold Standard for head lice treatment. With one visit, clients are free of lice. The photo to the left shows the dramatic results of the LouseBuster™ treatment. The shiny object on the right is a louse egg prior to treatment. The dark shriveled object on the left is a louse egg after treatment.

The practitioners at Rapunzel's are the best in the business. It is not easy to become one of our practitioners. Sarah hand picks each employee based on a number of criteria. Each must be friendly, compassionate and able to work well with children. Additionally, the job requires good eyesight and great attention to detail.

After hire, the training program is extensive. It requires extensive study and practice. Not everyone succeeds, but those that do are the finest in the industry.