I'm way overdue for a weight loss/fitness update, but better late than never, right? I want to make sure that I keep you in the loop about how I'm coming along with my weight loss progress overall. Here are my progress updates so far:

• I started this Fitness Challenge weighing…

Yay, I've lost some weight so far! I started this fitness challenge at the beginning of January 2013 at 168.8 pounds, and now I am sitting pretty at 162 pounds. Very pleased with six pounds of weight gone for good. I am working my way into the 150s pound range, and I hope to be somewhere in the low to middle 150s by…

As we trek along on our collective healthy hair journey, many of us eventually begin to look for more natural ways to keep our hair and scalps healthy.  We experiment with natural oils, fruit extracts and a plethora of other items in order to keep our hair growing long and strong. You may not have known that the aloe vera plant is a great natural item to add to your…

COVER UP The best way to protect your hair from the sun's rays is abstinence!  Block exposure to the sun by covering up your tresses with a hat or scarf.

STYLE WITH COVERAGE Many products including leave in conditioners have SPF built right into them.…

Are you a girl on a healthy hair mission? Are you determined to take your hair to the next level of strength, length, and/or thickness? That's awesome! Just don't fall into these easy traps for messing up your healthy hair regimen: 

Product selection: Be very picky about which…

Description:  Jojoba Monoi Deep Conditioner is fortified to balance the hair's moisture level, resulting in stronger, healthier, more manageably hair. Replenish and restore hair's natural beauty from over processing, damage, and dryness.  Excellent deep conditioner for all hair…

I got my hair relaxed a few days ago after stretching my relaxer for four months. In the past, I used Organic Root Stimulator's Olive Oil Relaxer, but I used Dr. Miracle's No-Lye Regular Relaxer this time (I wanted to change it up, and I am comfortable with Dr. Miracle's relaxer and its strength). My hair came out silky straight, smooth, and smelling great (the peppermint-smelling leave-in in the packet makes your hair smell heavenly, and also nourishes the hair post-relaxer). I gained a…

As part of my personal mandate to co-wash more and wear protective styles, I experimented with a new style and am happy to announce that it is my new staple look for a…

Here are pictures that I took of my hair yesterday and today:

 …

Off the the stretching finish line! For the last relaxer, I stretched 15 weeks. For this relaxer, I'm pushing it for a week more (16 weeks). It may just be an additional week of stretching, but I believe in taking it week by week when it comes to adding on stretching time. That way, I slowly evolve with learning how to take care of additional new growth over time. 

I have to pat myself on the back with this one: By Valentine's Day week, I will have reached four months of stretching my…

One of the best things about keeping up with my online hair journal on Cafe Belle is the ability to look over the posts and the pictures over the year and see how my hair has progressed over a long period of time. In the…

As the weather grows colder, it is important to make some changes to our hair care routines to make sure our tresses stay in top shape.  Cold winter weather has a tendency to leave your hair dry and brittle if you don’t take good care of your hair.  One word can explain why your hair goes through such a…

Time flies quickly, doesn't it? I honestly can't believe it is fall already. I'm pretty excited about it, as fall is one of my favorite seasons. I love nature's changing colors, the slight adjustment in temperature, and the overall change in decor and available fashions in some of my favorite stores. I also embrace this…

When it comes to taking better care of your hair and achieving certain hair goals, your thoughts matter. It's so easy to get caught up in products, ingredients, and technique, and forget that how we think about our hair can ultimately make or break our ability to achieve our healthy hair…

One of the best things you can do to keep your beauty and facial skin's health in check is to engage in a consistent beauty regimen every day and night. In this post, I want to share with you what I specifically do at night to cleanse my skin and get myself ready for a new…

The type of donut foam I use to fill up my bun. 

Just a quick update: I've decided to really cut down on flat ironing my hair and do protective hairstyles. My favorite style right now is a bun, where I wrap my hair around a small foam black donut hair item in order to give…

Written by: Cafe Belle's Beauty Guru

A Basic Facial Regimen to Keep Your Face Looking Great!

Your skin is the largest organ on your body so you want to make sure you take care of it. Your facial skin is particular need of TLC because it is subject to daily makeup, weather and environment effects (e.g., sunlight, pollution). As a…

It's been quite a while since my last post. I haven't had much to report - I've basically been engaging in the same ol', same ol' routine. However, starting about a week or so ago, I began air drying my hair as much as possible. I've mostly been doing braidouts, but today I air dryed my hair straight. 

In order to air dry my hair straight, I pretty much let my hair hang down after shampooing/conditioning it with a moisturizing leave-in and Chi Silk Infusion in order to prevent…

Some of you may be interested in finding a way to tighten your gluteus maximus and give it more of a toned look. These workout tip videos offer some great exercises to quickly tone up right on time for the upcoming spring and summer seasons!

 …