Lenny Kravitz on How He Takes Care of His Locs and Launching Twice Oral Wellness

Lenny Kravitz may be best known for giving us some of the most unforgettable rock hits since his debut album "Let Love Rule" was released back in 1989, but over the past few decades, the now multi-hyphenate superstar has made it clear that he's nothing if not a renaissance man.

From fashion to fragrance, acting, photography, and home decor, Kravitz has dipped his toes into many rivers — and he's not done yet.

As a Bahamian-American, the Hunger Games actor spends several months out of the year living in his hometown of Eleuthera, Bahamas. And while the island may be known to tourists as a paradise destination for sunny beaches and clear waters, often times, the locals don't necessarily have access to the basics, including proper oral care — a problem Kravitz knew he could help solve.

"I had friends and neighbors that were having really serious problems, and I wanted to do something about it," the rockstar shares with InStyle. "I got together with my friend [and personal dentist], Dr. [Jonathan] Levine and his family, and we got to it. It started very organically in my backyard, you know what I mean?"

ALL NATURAL: Lenny Kravitz Locs — Courtesy of Lenny Kravitz/ InStyle

The group created Twice, a vegan, cruelty-free, and science-backed oral care and wellness brand, they originally launched in 2018. Twice has select products available at Target, and the full line can be found at smiletwice.com.

"It has grown into this beautiful product that we have now," Kravitz says. "I think it's wonderful that it started as a mission and then turned to a product as opposed to the other way around, which is fine. But it's just beautiful to me that it started out with a real purpose."

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Oral Wellness Toothpaste Invigorating Wintergreen Peppermint

twice oral care lenny kravitz toothpaste — Courtesy

The plant-based, vegan, cruelty-free, and pH-balanced formula is infused with vitamins A, E, and aloe vera to help neutralize free radicals in the mouth and support healthier gums and teeth. Use twice daily to whiten teeth over time, prevent cavities, and reduce sensitivity.

Philanthropic work aside, being in the Bahamas has also changed the way Kravitz looks at self-care when it comes to his own beauty and wellness routine.

In a past interview with Vanity Fair, the star has revealed that he uses sand from local beaches as a physical exfoliant (which is very West Indian of him to do). "We have the most incredible powdery coral sand," he exclaims. "One day I was just in the water and I just, I don't know, I just started scrubbing my body and my face with it. I was like, 'This is incredible.'"

But it's aloe vera, straight from his garden, that has been a true game-changer.

"I drink it," Kravitz says. "My morning drink that I've been doing is fresh water, chia seeds that have been soaked overnight in the water, lemon. And then I take the meat of the aloe vera and I blend it and add that to it as well."

And the plant has also been his best-kept secret for washing and caring for his locs.

"We do a thing called the shakeout where we take the aloe — you take the skin off and then you take a knife and you scrape, scrape very gently until the gel keeps falling into a bucket," he explains. "And then once you get enough of that, you add water and then you put that in your locs. Get it all through it, and then you shake it. You shake it out in the sun until most of the gel is out. You leave that in your locs until you wash it the next time. I learned that from the locals 30 some odd years ago."

"It just keeps [my hair] growing nicely," he adds. "It keeps it soft, and keeps your scalp really nice as well. Aloe vera is so healing."

On the topic of healing, beyond bringing a line of oral wellness products into the world, that's Kravitz's main goal for Twice, and part of the awareness he wants to spread when it comes to mouth health.

While there have been a plethora of people the star, along with Dr. Levin and his sons, have assisted over the years, there's one in particular story that sticks out to the father of one.

"There's one lady that — unfortunately it's so sad — she had her teeth knocked out by somebody she was in a relationship with," Kravitz shares. "She was, and now is again, but she was a person who was vibrant, had a big personality. You already know what problems she was having already just not having teeth. But on top of that she shut down her personality, she shut down her communication. She didn't want to open her mouth. She did not want to speak. She did not want to smile. To see this person have a mouth full of teeth again, and to have everything healthy and in order, to see the transformation that was instant.'

"She just felt like she had her life back, and that she could now continue to shine her light, and put love out into the atmosphere," he continues, emphasizing the importance of oral care, whether it be basic or cosmetic. "It gets quite deep. You realize that you're helping people with these problems, but they go so deep because they get into the person's spirit and heart and mind."

Another factor of the mission that separates Twice from the rest is the fact that the "savior complex" many foundations are known to put on the shoulders of those they help is no where to be found in Twice's ethos — which may seem basic, but is tragically uncommon.

"This woman said, 'I feel like I paid top dollar for this service. I don't feel like somebody gave this to me. I feel like I paid for it with top dollar.' People have their dignity, they don't feel strange about it."

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Before hopping off the phone, I wanted to ask Kravitz about one more thing, which was only slightly off-topic: His unforgettable 2022 Grammys look. Was he paying homage to his own '93 MTV VMAs style?

"Ha! I wasn't thinking about it at first," Kravitz laughs. "I knew I wanted this jumpsuit and we made this jumpsuit — my friends at Chrome Hearts made it for me. I designed these boots and then found this great boot maker who worked on them with me and collaborated with me on that. Then I was like, 'Oh, wait a minute. I did something like this in '93,' but I mean, it was different. It was the same vibe, kind of just an updated version of that."

But truly, who better to give an ode to three decades of Kravitz's timeless style than the man himself?

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