Already have an account?
Get back to the

Met Gala 2016: Lupita Nyong’o, Amandla Stenberg, Solange Knowles and Willow Smith’s Natural Hairstyles, Explained

Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Nyong’o Karwai Tang/WireImage

Keeping it real! Lupita Nyong’o, Amandla Stenberg, Solange Knowles and Willow Smith all rocked natural ‘dos at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala 2016 this year, letting their tresses and their dresses do the talking.

Related: PHOTOS: Met Gala 2016 Red Carpet Fashion: Best Dressed Stars

One look that was on everyone’s lips? Lupita Nyong’o’s, which featured gravity-defying updo. The 12 Years a Slave star, 33, had longtime hairstylist Vernon Francois fashion her locks into a bun that went above and beyond. “I didn’t use any products,” Francois told Us Weekly. “It was more about molding with my hands using a bit of oil, hair spray and a blow-dryer … and I used my own products that I’m launching later on this year. Bobby pins were used to help hold the look together, but Lupita’s hair is very versatile.”

Related: PHOTOS: Met Gala 2016 Red Carpet Fashion: What the Stars Wore

Nyong’o, who wore a sequin, jade green Calvin Klein Collection gown, explained that her inspiration came from more than one place. It stemmed from “the sculptural hairdos from all around the continent,” she told Vogue. She also noted that her ‘do was a nod to Nina Simone.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BE7Rn0GwojA/

Amandla Stenberg
Amandla Stenberg Larry Busacca/Getty

Related: PHOTOS: Met Gala 2016 Beauty Breakdown: Celeb Hair, Makeup Looks

Stenberg, 17, also chose Calvin Klein Collection for the gala, wearing a merlot evening jacket, a bandeau and trousers. But her hairstyle, decked with silver accessories, was a direct nod to the Manus x Machina theme of the evening. Her hairstylist Lacy Redway tells Us that she aimed to keep Stenberg’s look “cool, fresh and youthful, very much like her personality.” Redway used Devacurl DevaCare Arc AnGel gel ($19.95, ulta.com) to sculpt, and diffused with her Harry Josh Pro blow-dryer. Stenberg tilted her hair back to volumize her curls. Shea Moisture Yucca and Plantain Firm Hold Gel Cream ($9.95, target.com) smoothed her hairline before Redway put on the Glossy Ball Chain Wide headband ($220, modaoperandi.com) and the Squared Pearl headband ($215, modaoperandi.com) from Lelet NY. Oribe Anti Humidity Spray kept everything in order for the night.

Solange Knowles
Solange Knowles and Willow Smith Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic; Karwai Tang/WireImage

Elsewhere, Knowles wore a structured Afro that complemented her bright yellow David LaPort dress with accordion pleats. And Smith, 15, swept her dreadlocks into an intricate bun. Her hairstylist Marcia Hamilton posted a May 3 Instagram snap of the look and said that she “had an absolute blast creating this ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ Lock Revamp” using KeraCare styling products. Smith, a Chanel ambassador, wore a black satin bustier, sequin and rhinestone-embroidered jacket, cropped pants and shoes from the fashion house.

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!