Going to the hospital isn’t fun for anybody, especially when you know you’re going to be there for a few days. None of your stuff is there and you’re left sporting a hospital gown while your real clothes are shoved in a bag somewhere. You’re reliant on the hospital to provide everything from food to shampoo and while they can customize your food to your dietary restrictions, when it comes to hair products, you’re usually stuck with whatever they have.
But all hair isn’t the same and hair products made for straight fine hair won’t work well for curly or kinky hair. Typically people who have kinky coils have to bring products from home but a good bit of hospital stays aren’t planned, so then what?
Katherine Lane found herself in this situation recently. But when she asked for a comb to braid down her hair, she was so surprised by what was brought to her room that she recored a video and uploaded it to TikTok.
Lane turns the camera around and shows a small hospital tub full of hair care products for textured hair that the nurse brought her. There were two bonnets, leave in conditioner, shampoo, a comb to detangle, one to part hair, a pick and more. The selection was impressive to say the least.
It seemed like the patient relations department had some diversity training or maybe the hospital is partnered with a program that provides these items. Commenters were just as excited as Lane.
@the_kitchen_drawer Like bby whettt! They lit for that! #fypシ゚viral #fyp #hospital #christiannortheast #stl #fypp
“Girl you hit the jackpot! That hospital is dope,” one person wrote.
“Talk about Diversity and Inclusion! I love this,” another said.
“That is so cool! All mine carries is a fine comb and Johnson 2-1 shampoo,” a commenter revealed.
While this video shows how much this option is needed, it’s should be noted that this is something that other hospitals are starting to implement. The University of Maryland Medical System released a statement in February 2023, explaining that they would now carry personal care products for people with kinky hair. A hospital in New York announced their own initiative called the Crown Hair Care Project and several Children’s Hospitals are following suit.
One woman has partnered with over 4,000 hospitals to provide them with proper textured hair care products to better serve their patients with kinky curly hair. Having proper personal products in the hospital can make you feel more cared for and maybe even help you stay be more pleasant. Maybe one day in the near future access to textured hair care items during a hospital stay will be so normal that its an expectation and not the exception.