A family-owned lice treatment service in the Portland area
Lice Charmers Lice Clinic does not use chemical pesticides at any stage of treatment. That choice is not arbitrary: it reflects what has happened to drugstore lice products over the past few decades as head lice populations across the country have developed widespread resistance to permethrin and pyrethrins. This page covers the resistance problem and explains how the heated-air alternative actually works.
Lice Charmers Lice Clinic has accumulated more than 200 five-star reviews in the Portland area, with consistent feedback about the calm staff and the relief families feel after a single visit. Reviewers frequently mention that the technicians took time to answer questions and to explain what cleaning was actually necessary at home, which tends to be far less than panicking parents assume. The single-visit resolution is the most-cited specific benefit, especially among parents who tried drugstore products first without success.
Lice Charmers Lice Clinic relies on the AirAllé, an FDA-cleared medical device that uses precisely controlled heated air to kill both lice and their eggs through dehydration. A standard appointment takes about 90 minutes and resolves the infestation in one visit. The heated-air phase is followed by a thorough comb-out, which removes the dead lice and any remaining nit casings from the hair. By the time the family leaves the clinic, the active problem is generally resolved, with no follow-up treatment required.
Stigma around head lice is more harmful than the lice themselves, in the view of the Lice Charmers Lice Clinic team. Staff approach each visit with the same neutral professionalism a family would expect at any medical appointment, and reviewers regularly note the calm and discreet handling of what can be a deeply embarrassing situation. The clinic's appointments are scheduled with enough spacing that families do not run into each other in the waiting area, which adds to the privacy of the visit.
When the school nurse calls about head lice, most Portland-area families' first instinct is a drugstore run. The problem is that over-the-counter lice products have lost their effectiveness against modern lice populations, which have developed widespread resistance to permethrin and pyrethrins, the active ingredients in most drugstore shampoos. Families end up applying the same product two or three times to a child's scalp without ever fully resolving the problem, then call Lice Charmers Lice Clinic out of frustration with the failed drugstore approach.
The educational portion of the visit is something many Lice Charmers Lice Clinic reviewers mention. Technicians explain the realistic transmission routes for head lice, the limited household cleaning actually needed (which is far less than most parents assume), and what reinfestation would look like in the days ahead. Families leave with a clear, evidence-based understanding of the situation rather than the panicked, internet-driven advice they often arrive with. That clarity tends to reduce the stress around the situation as much as the treatment itself does.
Mobile treatment is a third option alongside the two Portland-area clinics. A Lice Charmers technician travels to the family's home anywhere in the Portland metro area, bringing the AirAllé device and all required supplies. The single-visit treatment is identical to what families receive at the clinic. Mobile appointments are often booked when a household has several family members to treat at once, when small children are involved, or when the family simply wants to handle the situation privately at home.
Lice Charmers Lice Clinic operates two brick-and-mortar locations in the Portland area, a Portland clinic on SE Gladstone Street and a Beaverton clinic serving the west side of the metro area. Both clinics keep the same hours: 7am to 8pm, every day of the year, including weekends and holidays. The wide hours exist intentionally, because lice problems rarely strike at convenient times. A school nurse calls on a Friday afternoon, or a parent finds lice the night before a family vacation, and the clinic needs to be reachable.
The clinic offers free head checks for parents who are not sure whether an infestation is actually present. This is especially helpful after the school nurse sends a note home and nobody is certain yet what is going on. The check itself takes about five minutes per person and uses the same professional lighting and inspection technique the clinic uses for full treatment intakes. Families who turn out not to have lice leave with confirmation and peace of mind, with no obligation and no fee.
Family ownership matters to the founders of Lice Charmers Lice Clinic, Alexis Charriere and Conor Duggan, who started the clinic in June 2017 and still run the operation today. The clinic grew from a single Portland location into a two-clinic operation, supplemented by a mobile service that covers the broader Portland metro area. Through every stage of that growth, the original commitment to single-visit, chemical-free treatment has remained consistent, as has the founders' direct involvement in the day-to-day work.
Pricing for full treatment at Lice Charmers Lice Clinic ranges from approximately $189 to $260 depending on hair length and other factors. Itemized receipts are provided to support FSA, HSA, and most health insurance reimbursement claims. Free professional head checks are also available for families who want a confirmation before committing to full treatment, which can be useful after a school exposure notice when nobody is quite sure yet whether there is actually an active infestation in the family.
The Lice Charmers Lice Clinic approach uses no pesticides or chemical shampoos at any stage. Just heated air and a thorough comb-out, a particular relief for parents wary of applying repeated chemical treatments to their child's head. Many of the parents who book at the clinic have already tried two or three rounds of drugstore product without success, and arrive specifically looking for a non-chemical option. The chemical-free path also avoids the resistance issue that has steadily eroded the effectiveness of over-the-counter lice treatments.