When I was growing up in my African community, lice was unheard of… why you ask? Because people of the African diaspora tend to be less at risk for head lice infestation. This is due to the coily texture of our hair. This is especially true in North America where head lice and their crab-like claws are more adapted to straight or wavy hair strands typical among, Asian, European and Indigenous peoples. As we explore stigma and the effects it has on different groups with different hair textures, we find that sometimes unintentionally we fall into stigmatizing behaviors as health professionals when following QUOTE standardized practices. Lets explore how these standardized practices can be harmful, especially when it comes to kinky, coily or curly hair, and the many different styles and textures to consider. You may find there are students who wear their hair straightened, have extensions, a variety of braided styles, locs, or even wigs. However, regardless of the style or texture; if you are a school educator or nurse, and this is new territory for you, familiarize yourself with the following facts and allow for the standardized practices to include this new understanding: Wherever lice can’t grip, they also can’t lay eggs. The texture of coily and curly hair is significantly different from straight hair. This makes coily hair far less susceptible because common head lice find it difficult to grip onto a hair strand that is coiled. This also means that the same techniques that are used to diagnose and remove head lice should also be significantly different and specific to hair texture. The next digital short will go deeper and share some practical advice on the methods for head checks, diagnosing -and in rare cases -removing head lice for students with coily or curly hair. For now test your knowledge here.