Following head checks for lice, and in the rare event of nit or head lice discovery, in curly, coily or styled hair, here are suggestions on steps you can take. In an event that you find head lice in a child’s braids, locs or any other hair style. As a school nurse or head lice technician you should not remove the hair style on the child’s head immediately. Rather provide the child with a note or speak to the parents directly and make them aware of suspected head lice in their child’s hair. Please keep in mind that coily and curly hair must be wet first, actually the hair should be drenched in water. If not you run the risk of tangling hair as it may stick to the comb, thus hurt the child, and damage the hair itself. Water provides moisture, and allows the comb a smoother pathway for retrieving lice and nits. After drenching the hair in water, you then apply the needed products. Partition hair into really small sections and take the comb from the ends, slowly working your way to the root removing nits as you go. Take your time, because working hair this way ensures there is little to no breakage or damage on the hair. Alternatively, use a blow dryer with a curly hair attachment at a safe distance and at the base of the hair so as not to scorch hair or scalp BEFORE wetting the hair. This procedure kills the nits and lice so that when hair is then wet the removal will be easier. A recent study on effective non-chemical head lice removal procedures pointed out that applying direct heat to the hair can kill about 98% of nits and about 55% of lice. NEVER mix head lice shampoos with the blow dryer method as most lice shampoos are highly flammable. There’s more on head lice removal and available techniques, as well as hair discrimination, texturism, cultural humility and competency in our library of digital shorts. (pause) You can test your knowledge on head lice removal in coily or curly hair here.