Quick Stats

Who is she?: Chicoro

Representing: the Midwest.

How long have you been natural? I have been natural most of my life. I got my first relaxer at 18 and I got another one after college. My challenge has not been transitioning and getting away from relaxers, my issue has always been related to learning how to gain and retain healthy length on my natural hair.

What caused/prompted the change? What prompted the change for me, to get a relaxer in high school was that I was trying desperately to get my hair to grow. Two girls in my high school who had cottony soft hair, that was also waist length, were both relaxed heads.

What was the experience like? After my second relaxer, I instantly hated the way my hair looked-again. I just pinned it up. I kept oil sheen on my hair, as I had been doing for years. I did not do a big chop. I got a job in Mexico and knew that I would have to maintain my hair, with the relaxer on it, myself. I knew that I loved to wear my hair in a ponytail. Thus, I made the decision to not cut my hair until it was long enough to pull into my beloved ponytail. Once my hair got long enough to put into a ponytail, I cut off the thin, broken, relaxed ends. That was kind of my big chop.

*The Journey:*

What has the natural journey been like so far? I see and read about so many woman saying that their friends, family and significant others objected to their natural hair. You really have to get past worrying about what other people think to be successful in life.  I have always worn my hair pulled up and for my family, that was always a disappointment. The issue is that it’s my hair.  The other challenge is that it takes courage to express yourself and to be who you are. Thus, you are going to have challenges.

Has anything changed in your life since you became all natural? I have always been a very outspoken, direct person. That makes me not so popular in many circles. The point is that for me, being natural is another component of my way of expressing and being. I think for many women who go natural, it is the first time that they become introspective. Thus, many have these tremendous epiphanies and “Aha!” moments.  I started on that journey years ago, so natural hair is just another footstone or stepping stone on my path of a journey I have been on for awhile.

*More About Hair:*

How would you describe your hair? I would describe my hair as healthy and very strong.

What are your favorite hair care products and tools? My favorite hair care product is a natural ingredient. I like aloe vera gel. I also like my spray bottle where I mix up my own concoction to keep my hair moist on a daily basis. The concoction consists of water, cheap conditioner, panthenol, aloe vera, oil and glycerine. My favorite tool is a K-cutter comb. I could not detangle without it.

What’is your hair routine? For regular wash day, I rinse the product from my hair if it is gummy, greasy or crunchy from product buildup. Then I apply a pre shampoo of aloe vera and castor oil and a bit of glycerine. I may add a drop of sage, basil and rosemary essential oils.  Then I section my hair and braid it loosely. Then I rinse again and shampoo with diluted shampoo. I continue to shampoo until the water runs clean and clear. Then I use an inexpensive protein conditioner like LeKair or Queen Helene, adding castor oil or another seed/vegetable oil to it and apply it to my braids. I undo each braid and comb through with the conditioner on it and detangle. I re-braid and rinse my hair in braids. Then I apply a leave in, usually my aloe vera/glycerine/vegetable oil mixture. Then I style and I am done.

*Grow It:*

Well first off, what prompted you to write such an in depth helpful book? First of all, thank you very much for the mention of and the compliment regarding my book. I appreciate it very much.

I wrote the book because I could never find a book that focused on growth for natrual hair. Also, there was conflicting information- but the interesting thing was that it was not necessarily incorrect information. It was just that people were communicating things to do in a format that was just a collection of data and information. There was no connectivity. Without the connectivity, there was no process. I wanted to communicate the information and provide people with a process so that they could fashion it to their lives. When you understand a process, you don’t have to painstakingly analyze every piece of data that comes through. When you have a process or model, you can leverage it and more quickly determine if it fits for your hair, your life, your beliefs and your goals.

I thought it was important that people understood the “why” behind doing or not doing certain steps. I am a believer in teaching people to fish so that they may create autonomy for themselves. Many books focused on just handing folks a piece of fish for the day. If you just give someone something, and don’t explain why or how to duplicate the  process for themselves, you really leave that person at a disadvantage. Real change comes about when you are provided with information that you can internalize, and make applicable to your own life.

Grow it offers a lot of information on carefully washing and detangling the hair. Which of the methods do you find to be the best? I think you must be careful with what you do to your hair every step of the day. Thus, there is no best method. How you implement washing (whether it be in braids or with loosened hair), and how you detangle (whether it be with conditioner or without conditioner, etc) is really up to the individual. There is no one best way that works for everyone. There is a process, and within that process is flexibility to perform each step in a way that best suits the individual, her hair, her situation and her goals.

Please add any information you would like to share about your book, and or your authoring process. Also is there anything we should expect in the future as far as books? The only thing I would like to illuminate about authoring a book is what you said. It’s a process. With any goal you have in mind, it’s a process. Too often we give up because we want instant results or gratification. Sometimes it’s just not like that. Relating it back to your hair journey, as long as your hair is reasonably healthy, meaning there is no alopecia or baby smooth bald spots, you have an opportunity to improve the health of your hair. That means you may need to rely solely upon your faith and the vision that you only can see in your mind’s eye, of your success and of the ultimate goal you are trying to reach. It is a daily process. That may be the only ‘improvement’ you see for weeks and months. Your job is to stick with it.

I am currently working on the second book. It is called, “Nurture It!” It is the second book in the Beautify Bit By Bit seven (7) book series. This next book focuses on how to elevate and improve upon your physical beauty, naturally. I have the cover completed and 90% of the book written. I had hoped to get it out by March but sometimes things may not go the way you think they should go. I trust the process, so I just try to flow with it and do the best that I can.

Regarding future books, I am an advocate of self accountability. People can move in your way and try to stop you. They may even slow you down. They cannot stop you completelty and forever unless YOU allow it. My point is that it may take you longer, or your journey may be harder, but that is no excuse for you to place blame or accountability on someone else or something else for your shortcomings or failures. Be accountable for yourself, focus on yourself. When you are together, not only can you shift your world, you can shift that of other people’s in a positive way. All my books in my series focus on this idea of self accountability in every single area of one’s life.

*Advice and Tips:*

Tips for longer, healthy hair

• Understand that your goal is to maintain the physical structure of the hair. That means, you want to keep the cortex intact, and cuticle layer intact on every single strand of hair for as long as possible. Once the cuticles or the cortex are damaged, the hair strand cannot be repaired.
• You cannot gain and retain healthy length with a damaged hair structure. Although, in general you can say that the hair is not alive because the cells are no longer dividing-they have keratinized, there is a structure that needs to be in place. Rough handling, cheap styling tools, lack of moisture and poor style choices can damage that structure.
• Be mindful and gentle when  you handle your  hair. Handle it carefully and treat it well to gain longer, healthier hair.

Advice for those wanting to go natural

• Get informed. Expose yourself to stories of successes and setbacks. Identify what is your goal. Write it down, date it and put it somewhere you can see it often. Make it come alive by creating a collage or a series of photos in an electronic photo album. Create photos to support your goal. Meditate on it purposefully on a regular basis.
• Understand the why. Stop doing things only because somebody else is doing it. Think about what you are trying to do and try to understand why something works. Read the ingredients of a product. Understand why YOU are using the product. It is not enough to say, “I am using this to make my hair grow.” Nope, doesn’t work and at some point you WILL be disappointed. But if you say, “I am using this because my hair needs protein at least once a month,” that is far more effective.
• You  may later determine that your hair doesn’t need the protein as frequently. The important thing is that you have taken  the time to analyze ‘why’. Even if the product or step turns out to not be what you need, you can now eliminate that and you are that much closer to getting crystal clear about what YOUR hair needs – because you have a thorough understanding or better idea of why. You are no longer desperate and jumping from band wagon, to new fad to new product. You will begin to form a process- your process that works for you and your hair.
• Take Action. Understand that ultimately, you are on your own when it comes to making a change and moving toward going natural. No one can do it for you. You have to take action and perform trial and error steps. That’s part of the process.

*Other interests, and hobbies*

Hobbies: Shoemaking and design, and building and upholstering furniture are some of my interests.

Is natural hair professional? Why or why not? Absolutely! What I think  many black women don’t realize is that people on the job like to use your hair against you. That is because it is what is different about you. No one is perfect. So of course you make mistakes, make errors, can do some things better on your job. I am not talking about this.

You need to be cognizant and aware that people on your job may have agendas. Hence, they focus on your hair as an issue. They may not like that you are well spoken, that you excel in your job, that you are good at what you do etc. They then identify something about you that is obviously different from them. Then they begin to build their ‘case’ upon that.

Now, clown purple extensions shaped in a bow on your head is not appropriate at any job. That’s not what I am talking about. I would caution women to of course examine their hair if a comment is made. I would also strongly suggest that you be aware that people have a whole bunch of personal issues and inadequacies that they bring with them to the job from home. Give people the benefit of the doubt, but be aware that the issue may not really be your hair. They may have a problem with you because of their own feelings of inadequacy. It is not your idea to figure out why in this case. Just be aware.

People play all kinds of games on the job. Remember that ultimately, although they may seem to be attacking you personally, the issue lies with them. It really has nothing to do with you. Fortify yourselves, protect yourselves, continue to perform your job as best as you can. As I said before, it takes courage to be who you are. It is up to you to decide how important that is to you and how and where you want to pursue the way you express yourself.

What else can we expect to come from your website? I am writing articles on a weekly basis about

questions that people have about hair and sending it to the ladies who have given me their permission to do so.

Any particular links/books/sites etc that you find to be very helpful? I love the videos on Youtube, Fotki albums, Long Hair Care Forum, Black Hair Media, NaturallyCurly.com and Nappturality. These are great places to find support. Each has its own unique spin. The key is knowing yourself and knowing what you want.

Well there you have it. An amazing thorough interview with an amazing woman who knows her stuff in hair care and so much more. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to interview Chicoro and I hope you all have enjoyed this article. Please leave your thoughts/comments and feedback below and let me know what you think.

Where can we catch up with you? I am at: www.beautifybitbybit.com or beautifybitbybitGi.com (All my other links can be found there.) For more fabulous pictures on her hair check out her fotki

Stay blessed and Afroniquely You!

Well on to the review.. I must say this book was absolutely amazing…Very well written and jam packed with valuable information.
I particularly appreciated the chapters on Detangling and Protecting the hair and Growing it. Chicoro, made mention of her journey into better hair care from the dungeons of doom from the bad days. I could elaborate further, but this would rob a beautiful lady of all the time and energy she put forward into writing the book, so please get your copy here:

Just know it well worth the purchase and should be on everyone’s bookshelf if you desire a reference for great haircare.