What’s better than one natural style? Two.
And Jay-Z knows this to be true, too, as he’s been exploring different natural hair looks as of late—be it locs or an afro—and reminding us of the beauty and versatility of our hair each time. For one, he not only captivated audiences with his undeniable flow and performance at the Roots Picnic earlier this month. He also turned heads because he debuted his afro on the stage—after a team of trusted hair stylists spent nearly a week combing out his signature locs.
Since then, he was last seen rocking a braid-out while courtside at game 3 of the NBA Finals earlier this week. As for who’s been responsible for keeping this Knicks fan’s hair healthy post-loc takedown? Hairstylist Letisia Ravelo, known for textured hair expertise and work at Anthony Dickey’s renowned salon Hair Rules.
As you can imagine, Ravelo leaned on trusted hair products from Cécred, to bring the style to life. As a base, she used the brand’s Moisture Sealing Lotion to lock in moisture. After that, she braided him up, put in the Cécred Edge Drops to nourish his scalp, and followed up with the Cécred Foam. “I put a durag on him and told him I’d see him in a week,” she tells ESSENCE, via phone, with a laugh. After taking down the braids, “I used a handy dandy hair pick for volume and just blew the roots out a little bit.”
Additionally, Ravelo mentions the importance of caring for Jay-Z’s scalp leading up to this moment. “Because he went through a week of manipulation,” when it came to taking down his locs, “I wanted to make sure that his scalp was treated before we did anything else,” she shares. “I gave him a good deep condition, red light therapy on his scalp, and I just made sure that his scalp was really moisturized.”
And, thanks to Ravelo, we can’t wait to see what he’ll rock next. Maybe a twist-out? Maybe an up-do? Afterall, when it comes to natural hair, the possibilities are endless. Either way, as Native New Yorker working with one of the city’s GOATs, Ravelo is soaking in this game-changing moment. As she shares with us, “it’s so crazy how everything is coming full circle.”
Jay-Z’s Braid-Out Lineup
