One of the obstacles Dr. Hicks-Graham faces at her practice is treating patients suffering from dry, itchy scalp – most of whom have kinky or curly hair – due to a lack of safe and effective products on the market. Typical dry scalp treatments include a never-ending cycle of damaging “scorched earth” products, medicated shampoos and additional soothing scalp treatments. Frustrated with the lack of safe, convenient options for her patients, she decided to take a leap into entrepreneurship and create her own company to solve the problem.
How did you get started?
I got started with LivSo during day to day patient encounters in my practice. I recognized a need for a hair care product to compliment the medical treatments that we use to treat patients with dry and itchy scalp conditions. As I considered what patients would need in an ideal product line, the products came to life. We compared ingredients and did lots of market research. We talked with cosmetic chemists and developed a formula that we loved. LivSo was born.How important is it to maintain a healthy haircare routine?
It is critical to maintain a consistent healthy haircare routine. I recommend that for curly or kinky hair types, hair should be washed and conditioned at least weekly. If you suffer from dry or itchy scalp, this routine care is particularly important. LivSo was developed to be used regularly, and the Moisturizing Scalp Lotion can be used on a day to day basis to soothe dry itchy areas of the scalp. Many of us neglect our hair, particularly if it is “natural” because we misunderstand the rules. Any hair that we expect to grow in a healthy way must be cared for gently and regularly.