Exploring Textured Hair Care as a Meaningful Occupation: A Thematic Analysis.
Christina MacDonald, Esme Kurulak, Roseleen John
PMID 40398444WHAT IT FOUND
Black and Mixed race occupational therapists in Canada said textured hair care is a meaningful occupation that was never mentioned in their practice or their training, and that hospital combs and shampoo do not work for it.
Key findings
01Participants said textured hair takes more time and physical effort to care for than non-textured hair, describing arm fatigue from working above the head, and said mood, thinking and the planning involved can all make it harder to do.
02Those who had worked in acute hospitals said the combs and shampoo provided there were unsuitable for textured hair; one team bought their own products to keep for clients whose hair had matted during a long admission.
03All twelve participants said they had never considered textured hair as an occupation before the study and that it was not discussed in occupational therapy practice or education; none knew of textured hair-specific assessments or interventions apart from ones they had created themselves.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Twelve people took part, eleven of them occupational therapists and only one assistant, so assistant views are barely represented. Everyone who took part was female, and eight of the twelve practised in Ontario. Some provincial associations did not respond to recruitment emails and the Territories were never approached, so it is unclear how widely the invitation reached. Participants described their own hair care, not their clients'. No clients were interviewed, so the study does not tell you what clients want or experience. The authors note that the term textured hair may not resonate with everyone.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest and report that they received no financial support for the research, authorship or publication of the article.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that changing how you handle hair care improves anything for clients. It reports what twelve therapists said in interviews, mostly about their own hair, with no client outcomes measured and no intervention tested.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →