Media and health psychology have been complementary in increasing publicity or exposure to health information for the purpose of influencing behavioral modifications. To be relevant, health psychology constructs necessitate formative research to elicit and identify salient beliefs from the perspective of the population of interest. This practice generates theoretically sound and culturally appropriate content especially when the research being conducted is international in scope. This study reports results of an elicitation study that explored modal salient beliefs underlying information, motivation and behavioral skills for negotiating hygiene and haircare in low-income and lowpublicity contexts. Results indicate that respondents rely on informational heuristics, which compound their low motivation and efficacy in the various hair care negotiations they have to navigate. 

doi:https://www.doi.org/10.22720/HNMR.2017.1.1.024