Baby Heir Speaks: Soleil Guerrero of Bebonia Curly Extensions
Written by Baby Tress Marketing
This month on Baby Heir Speaks, we're chatting with Soleil Guerrero, the founder, and CEO of Bebonia. Bebonia is a curly extensions brand that Soleil made with love for curly-haired girls who are looking for damage-free, texture-matched protective styles. In this interview, she discusses how she used her struggle to accept her natural look to forge a path to loving her natural, curly hair, and she shows us how she laid her edges for the first time using the Edge Styler®.
We love your mission to provide a healthier, damage-free path to one's hair goals! When did you start Bebonia, and what's the story behind the brand's creation?
The idea for Bebonia Curls was born in 2017 when I had an “aha!” moment. It was clear to me that there were no curly clip-in hair extension options for people who wanted to accentuate their look, even though the market was saturated with straight extensions. My personal experience and struggles with falling in love with my curls paved the way for me to create this amazing collection of curly extensions.
As a Latinx beauty founder, how are you paving your way in an industry that generally leaves women-of-color out of the conversation?
It’s an honor to be part of the beauty industry. I’m specifically proud to be part of the curly hair community, where I am starting to see more and more female founders of color disrupting the industry in innovative and meaningful ways. My goal is to set an example for minorities that it is possible to have a voice and an impact in the beauty world today.
Tell us about where you grew up. What was the beauty culture like when you were young and how did that shape your contributions to the beauty industry in the present day?
Growing up, straight hair was always highlighted as being more elegant and desirable by beauty culture and American culture in general. It was tough for me to love my curls, especially when my sister had pin-straight hair. I remember having hair envy! Luckily, my parents loved my curls and encouraged me to wear my hair naturally. My personal experience of embracing my curls has helped Bebonia connect with the curly hair community because I understand the emotional struggle it takes to love your curls.
Tell us a beauty ritual that your mom passed down to you.
One of the most memorable rituals I recall from childhood was using ripe avocado and egg masks on my hair for shine! My mom was a huge fan of using this technique weekly to maintain hair health.
Did you grow up laying your baby hairs? When was the first time you styled them?
Not really. I always had frizzy unruly baby hairs! My first time was with you this past week, I loved the way it looked!
Who was the first person you remember with poppin baby hairs?
Janet Jackson!
We love extensions as a protective style. Which Bebonia product is your favorite for simple styling while protecting one's hair and why?
Thanks! We appreciate the love. Our Bebonia drawstring ponytail is my fave product to use for protective hairstyles. It’s as simple as quickly wrapping your hair in a bun and fastening the ponytail on. Out the door in minutes!
Now that you have an Edge Styler® which baby hairstyle are you most excited to try on yourself?
I’m going to slick back my hair into a high bun, put on my Bebonia ponytail, and use my Baby Tress brush to style slick swooshes around my edges.
Tell us 3 songs you love hearing/dancing to while doing your beauty ritual.
Music is key to my beauty ritual! It depends on my mood, but I’d say my go-tos’ nowadays are:
1) Sade - No Ordinary Love
2) Marc Anthony - Tu Amor Me Hace Bien
3) Drake - Passionfruit
