Roots of Culture

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Occupational therapy refers to activities of daily living as ADLS. Typical ADLs are brushing teeth, dressing, bathing, and feeding. Haircare is often overlooked. Haircare is beyond washing and styling. Hair is a part of one’s identity and wellness. For many families, especially families with curls, coils, and texture, hair care is more than just grooming. It is an activity containing culture and connection.

              Haircare is a part of everyone’s routine, falling under the OT domain of personal care & grooming. With washing, moisturizing, brushing, and styling, these tasks require time, routine, and practice. Just like learning to tie their shoes or brush their teeth, children gradually build independence in hair care with support, modeling, and repetition. Children with textured or curly hair may require more products and tools, but this does not make it “extra” work: it is their routine.

Hair holds cultural significance in many communities, especially within the Black community. Pride and confidence are directly tied with hair. Hair routines become family moments. Wash day becomes a time for storytelling. Braiding becomes a moment of bonding. A child seeing their curls moisturized, defined, and cared for communicates, “My hair matters, and so do I.” When we frame haircare as an ADL, we validate the emotional and cultural importance wrapped within these routines.

Many families are surprised to learn how much skill-building happens during haircare. Children practice fine motor skills through hair accessories and styling. Gross motor skills are improved by maintaining their posture during the routine, reaching their hands behind their head to style, and holding their head steady. For children with sensory sensitivities, autism, ADHD, or motor delays, haircare can be challenging. That’s exactly why OTs are uniquely qualified to help.

Haircare is more than just “doing hair.”
It is cultural.
It is developmental.
It is emotional.
It is sensory.
It is relational.
It is occupational.

Recognizing haircare as an ADL helps ensure that children, especially those with textured hair, receive care that respects who they are and supports them in building independence, confidence, and pride

Colbie York, OTS