Days 8-14

In case you missed my last post, here’s a quick update. I’m in love with Castor Oil. It’s shrinking my cyst and makes my skin feel wonderful. All the other things I’m doing really haven’t had time to show their benefits yet. Still I continue to follow the original plan to give them some time to work.

The Tools

Castor Oil – touted as an excellent moisturizer to help skin retain moisture, improves saggy skin and reduces cysts.

Microneedling at home , improves wrinkles, increases collagen, improves scarring and stretch marks.

Red Light Therapy – builds collagen and minimizes inflammation, reduces fine lines, improves texture and tone and reduces pain.

Bone Broth – increase collagen, promotes wound healing, improves gut health and improves joint pain

Vitamn C– brightens skin tone, boosts collagen, improves texture of skin, soothe redness and irritation, supports wound healing.

Collagen– improves elasticity, skin firmness, gut health

Dry Brushing – exfoliates, can reduce cellulite by breaking up fat deposits,, gets the lymphatic system moving, unclogs pores.

Rooibos Tea – prevents toxins from damaging your skin, anti-aging, brightens complexion.

Vitamin B5– Anti-aging, skin healing, scalp health, improved digestion, promotes hair and nails growth.

Exercise – strength training, lunges, squats, planks, weights…it helps with a lot of things but for now we will focus on building muscle in my abs, glutes, and arms where my problem areas are.

The Journal

Day 8

The beginning of a new week, so far my skin is feeling very moisturized which feels so much better then I thought it would. Castor oil, is my new favorite lotion. It doesn’t smell amazing but the benefits are worth it.

Today I’ve booked an appointment in my home spa for the Steamer and Microneedling session. It’s Saturday and it’s my self care, housecleaning, and errands day. I like to get it all done on Saturday so I can rest Sunday.

I took a before picture of my stomach so I could have a reference but the results are minimal and not worth posting this week but hopefully by the end of the month I’ll have something to show you.

Well at my home spa, the steamer was delightful. I put a drop of jasmine essential oil in the water and the smell was sweet and relaxing. The Microneedling was less uncomfortable today. So bonus. The vitamin c felt great after.

Day 9

Today I put on my workout gear and guys it’s a happy day. My skin is still crap but my muscle tone is starting to show. That makes me feel like if it doesn’t help benefit my saggy skin at least some good has come from it.

I’m thinking about trying a castor oil pack and doing a cleanse soon. I’ll need to do my research but I am considering it. I now so believe in Castor oil after seeing how it moisturized my skin so I want to check out some of the other benefits. The bags under my eyes look great, my skin looks great. The cyst is a little disappointing because it shrunk but today it seems regular size.

My hair does seem shinier and my nails feel stronger.

Day 10

It’s Day 10 and parts of my skin are looking amazing, just not the skin that is saggy. Which was my main goal.

Still It’s well moisturized and has a glow so that is something. I go through my normal routine and it seems my cyst is wearing down again. This thing kills me and I swear if this doesn’t help I will just let the dermatologist cut it out.

Day 11

I’m sore today, the working out while making me look more defined is also making me a little tender. I guess that’s part of the deal.

I also am starting to see some small changes on my stomach. They are very small differences but they are there. Tomorrow I am Micro-needling again. I try to do it twice a week so my skin can heal during the off days.

Day 12

My skin is really starting to show all the benefits of the love I have been showing it. Lots of people are asking me what I’ve been doing.

There is also a slight improvement in my saggy skin and my cyst is sooooo slowly making progress.

Tonight was another micro-needling session. Dang it hurt tonight, to be fair I was not being very gentle. Hopefully tomorrow the pain will be worth it.

Day 13

Guys my cyst is starting to look really ugly. The skin is starting to peel off and I hope this means it’s working.

As for my Microneedling no difference this morning but I always notice the change a few days down the road.

Day 14

Alright it’s the end of week 2! I feel proud of myself for making it this far!

Why am I proud, not because I have to massage the castor oil all over my body, or even because I put a castor oil pack on my cyst twice a day. Not because of the supplements I have religiously been taking daily, or the food I have added to my very strict diet. It’s not even withstanding the miniature torture device I use for micro-needling.

What makes me feel like patting myself on the back is all the exercise I’ve been doing. This may be the longest I’ve ever consistently worked out.

My day consists of a toning workout twice a day. I also spend 10 min on the rebounder twice a day. I get a minimum of 10,000 steps a day and do a series of arm weights working my biceps and triceps. This may not be much for someone who is dedicated to exercising but for me….it’s more than I’ve ever done in years and definitely the most consistent I’ve ever been.

I’m tired at the end of the night but I feel good. Sometimes I’m sore but that feels good too – in I hurt because I pushed through even when it was hard.

The Recap

At the end of week 1, I hadn’t noticed much difference but now as I finish week 2 the changes are starting to show a little more. It’s still not crazy improvements but subtle changes are starting to happen.

My face, and my skin is soft and supple. The texture is incredible and if it wasn’t for this cyst on my face I would almost say I look glowing and healthy.

Speaking of my cyst, it actually looks worse then ever, but it shrinking and slowly peeling off. I wasn’t prepared to see it look so ugly but as long as it’s going down I’ll keep going.

My saggy skin on my stomach is starting to improve but oh so very slowly. My arm skin not much better to be honest but my arms are toning up and there is some muscle starting to form which makes them look better regardless. In my legs it’s a similar story.

My hair and nails are getting stronger and the hair that falls out when I shower or brush my hair is less than when I started.

So overall I am seeing some progress and that encourages me to keep going.

If you’re interested to see how next week goes keep up with my blog.

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