Reader Question: A Guy's Quest for the "Lenny" Look

I love when the male readers of Naturally Leslie write in with a question! It's always cool to get a guy's perspective. Here is a message I received from D requesting help to get the Lenny Kravitz look and my response follows below.

Hello,

So I stumbled across your website looking for hair styles for black men. I was happy to see your piece on natural hairstyles, particularly the afros. I'm looking to grow my hair out this summer and was looking for some advice seeing as how I've always kept my hair short. Looking to change things up a bit and saw some really interesting styles I would like to try out but am not entirely sure how to go about executing them properly. I've attached a a couple of photos, how my hair looks now and how I would like it to look (Kravits). Thanks so much for all your help and I look forward to your reply.

Warm Regards,

D.

Hi D!

Thanks for your email. I am glad that you stumbled on my site and I hope you find it helpful. I think it is cool that you are trying something new for the summer, what better time?! So, it looks like your hair is currently quite short. To get the Lenny look your first step is to continue growing your hair out all over. To maintain a somewhat neat look, you could continue to edge up around the front hairline, the sideburns, and the nape of your neck. While you are growing out your hair, you will need to invest in some haircare products to keep your hair healthy. What kind of shampoo/conditioner do you currently use? I don't like to make assumptions but many guys I know just use whatever they find lying around! If that is not the case for you, I would get these basics:

1) A sulfate free shampoo of any kind (you can get these at most health food stores and at some places like CVS, Wal Mart, Target, etc)
2) A moisturizing conditioner (my faves are Herbal Essences Hello Hydration [Target, Wal Mart, any retailer], Pantene, etc.
3) A Leave In/Moisturizer- Carol's Daughter Hair milk is a good one that is light and moisturizes without leaving your hair greasy, Cantu Shea Butter Leave In
4) A light natural oil/butter- I use a small bit of raw shea butter that I emulsify in my hands. I also like jojoba oil or olive oil. You can get these at a health food store or the grocery store.

I would shampoo no more than once a week but you can do steps 2-4 as often as you like. This will keep your hair and scalp healthy as your hair grows out over the next few months.

Now, once you reach the desired length of hair, you can style it in many different ways. You can simply run your hands through it or massage the curls with your fingers to get the piecey look that Lenny has. If you want a more defined coil pattern, you can make small coils with your fingers when your hair is wet, allow it to dry, then separate. That will give you a more chunky, defined look.

I hope these tips help and please let me know if you have any more questions. I get many questions from women but it is always nice to hear from the men who visit the site too!

Take care,

Leslie

If you have any tips for D, add them to comments below!