Benny Harlem and his record-breaking hair (more photos)

June 17, 2020 6:47 AM

Benny Harlem is not only one of the most successful hair influencers on Instagram, but he’s also a Guinness Record holder, for the world’s tallest high-top fade.

Benny Harlem and his record-breaking hair (more photos)

California-based male model and artist Benny Harlem rose to fame in 2016, when photos of his impressive afro hairstyle went viral on social media. The fact that his daughter Jaxyn, who obviously inherited his hair genes, also featured in most of these photos only made them more popular.

Harlem has always been a promoter of natural hairstyles and he has instilled the same kind of love in his daughter from a very young age. To maintain their regal locks looking fresh, Benny says that he and Jaxyn only use natural shampoo that they make at home, using natural ingredients.

“I look at our hair like a plant. Most plants need natural ingredients to grow and stay alive, and honestly, our souls and our bodies need the same thing,” Benny told XO Nicole. “In my family, we make our own shampoo, just as we take the time to make our own meals. It’s just a discipline.”

In 2018, Benny Harlem was acknowledged by the Guinness Book of Records for having the world’s tallest high-top fade hairdo, which at the time measured a whopping 20.5 inches. This only added to his online fame, pushing the number of Instagram followers over 500,000.

Unfortunately, in late 2018, Benny Harlem became somewhat of a controversial figure after being accused of allegedly “hustling” his followers by selling ultra-expensive hair care kits that he allegedly bought much cheaper from various retail stores and simply relabeled the bottles. He was reportedly asking for $399 per kit and justifying the price tag by claiming that he was traveling to Africa to gather the ingredients himself.

It was never proven that Benny ever defrauded his fans, but the scandal around these accusations didn’t exactly do wonder for his career as an online hair influencer. In fact, he stopped posting in 2018, and didn’t post for a year. He’s been uploading pics pretty rarely since. He still has that same impressive hair, though.