Montclair's 'Lice Lady' Adds To Her Hair Care Empire

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Risa Barash has gotten used to being called the “Lice Lady.” After all, her line of natural lice prevention hair care products – launched in 1999 – is now sold across the U.S.

But even with her success, she’s not done building her own “hair care empire,” the Montclair resident says.

For Barash, the journey into entrepreneurship has been a long and winding road. After leaving New York University for a job in public relations, she launched a career in standup comedy, “auditioning for TV shows that were never made” and generally “having the time of her life.”

When she started a family, Barash made the leap into the business world, launching her own product line, Fairy Tales Hair Care, alongside her husband and co-founder, Robert.

The timing was right, she says. That year, lice outbreaks were rampant on Long Island, helping to drive demand for their flagship product, Rosemary Repel Shampoo.

Barash recalls more about how it all began on the company’s website:

“It all started back in 1999 at the Fairy Tales Hair Salon in N.Y. Head lice had become rampant on Long Island, so the salon owner developed the first version of Rosemary Repel shampoo. Our co-founder, Robert, was there and watched as frantic moms came in and the shelves couldn’t be refilled fast enough with the lice prevention shampoo. So, Robert comes home and tells me about all this just as my years’ long stand-up comedy career is waning (another long story!) and I decide to take this idea of salon inspired, lice prevention hair care to the hairdressers of America.”

Here's what happened next, she says:

“I worked with our manufacturer to create a cleaner, greener version of the shampoo, added a fabulous conditioner and leave-in detangling spray and began selling it into NYC salons. I would walk up and down the streets of Manhattan offering to put it in salons for free. After a few years and this new thing called the internet, our products began to really take off. Moms fell in love with the confidence that our products gave them in not only preventing head lice, but with the amazing performance that our products delivered. Retailers such as Target, Walmart, Ulta and Bed Bath and Beyond came calling, and we were on our way.”

Now, more than 20 years (and a move to Montclair) later, Fairy Tales Hair Care is sold in thousands of stores, pharmacies, grocery chains and salons. But that wasn’t enough for Barash, who eventually noticed that the personal care products market was in need of items that specifically cater to the needs of youth going through puberty. Thus launched the TBH Kids line, a DTC brand that focuses on hair, skin and body care for tweens.

Through all the stress and challenges, her family and friends have helped her to remember to “find the humor in life,” Barash said.

And as seen on social media, they apparently still manage to inspire her on a professional level, too.

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