FAIRFIELD — Jill Taft was in a predicament.

Her local elementary school in New York City was experiencing a lice outbreak, but the shampoos the school was using to treat the lice contained harmful chemicals, including pesticides. Taft knew there had to be a better way, so she began doing research into ways of treating lice using natural methods and ingredients.

This is how Taft got into “green chemistry.” She created her own proprietary enzyme, and word quickly spread among parents in the class, who were eager for an alternative product. Taft shared her creation with them, and realized she might be onto something.

“I started getting calls from moms in California and Florida saying, ‘Hey I heard about this product you made. Can you please send me some?’” Taft said.

Taft said that the anti-lice products that contain pesticides are designed to kill the insects when they drink the host’s blood. But Taft sought a different approach, trying to attack the lice from the outside in.

“This enzyme targets their exoskeleton,” Taft said. “Their exoskeleton has a waxy cuticle on it, and the product erodes that waxy cuticle so it’s able to penetrate the exoskeleton. It targets the louse’s nervous system, and it dies. It also kills the nits in all stages of development, which are the most difficult things to get rid of.”

Taft began bottling her homemade lice treatment in her kitchen sink and started sending it out. Then she started getting requests for it from stores.

“I knew I had to move it into an FDA-registered facility,” Taft said.

Taft wanted to make sure her own product was safe and effective, so she had it tested for 1.5 years before listing it for sale nationwide. Taft began selling her products through Amazon in 2012. Taft credits Amazon as being an important factor in allowing her business to grow.

Her product line, LiceLogic, expanded to include TotLogic, and was later extended to include dog products, through a line called BarkLogic. Taft dubbed her company Logic Products because her style of only using natural ingredients is a logical, common-sense approach.

“I feel like there isn’t a lot of common sense about the ingredients that are going into products, and it’s astounding the more you know about ingredients, you learn how much garbage is put in,” Taft said. “It’s unnecessary and harmful, and drying to the hair and skin. I wanted to infuse the common sense that people use on themselves, their kids and their pets.”

Logic Products’ website includes a complete list of all the substances that are not in their products, such as synthetic dyes, petrochemicals, phosphates, chlorine, synthetic fragrances and many more. All products are vegan, cruelty-free, made in the U.S., and using recyclable packaging.

In 2018, Taft, her husband Joel Roodman and their family moved from lower Manhattan to Fairfield. After living in town for about a year, the couple secured a downtown office space on the west side of the square, which had an apartment upstairs, meaning they could live above the business. Taft said it was important to work downtown because the business relies on freight for its deliveries.

Their downtown office space is not technically a retail outlet, though they will sell to people who come in off the street. About 60 percent of their revenue comes from online sales.

The pandemic hurt some of the company’s product lines while helping others. There was less of a demand for LiceLogic since students weren’t in school, but since more people got pets, the demand for BarkLogic rose.

The business made a breakthrough in 2022 when Walmart agreed to stock Logic Products in 500 of its stores, including in Iowa City. Logic Products has added another line, SalonLogic, a unisex haircare line in larger bottles than TotLogic.

Taft said Logic Products are licensed for sale in the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and Europe, with negotiations to enter the markets of Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

Roodman, who joined the company five years after Taft started it, said he’s so happy to see it grow during these last 10 years.

“We’re fortunate to have great products, and we love the fact we’re here in Fairfield,” Roodman said.

“We’re fortunate to have loyal customers who come back again and again,” Taft said. “It’s a nice feeling to know that you’re making products that help people, that are safe, and that are void of harsh ingredients.”