Amenity Blog

Oilier skin provides an ideal breeding ground for the bacteria that is 90% responsible for acne. This is why oily and acneic skin conditions often go hand in hand. In order to determine best treatments for oily skin and acne, it’s critical to understand the facts.

Myth #1 - Oil can be controlled by drying ingredients such as alcohol. Ironically, stripping the skin of oil can actually cause skin to produce more of it.

Myth #2 - A blackhead is actually dirt inside a pore. Blackheads are merely whiteheads that have reached the skin’s surface and opened up, allowing oxygen and to finally enter the follicle, causing the oil and dead skin cells within the follicle to undergo a chemical reaction known as oxidation, leading to the darker coler.

Myth #3 - Sugary, refined foods contribute to acne. Foods don’t directly contribute to acne, but some foods do trigger excess oil production.

Myth #4 - Sunscreen increases oil production. While some sunscreens’ ingredients can make skin feel greasier and can be comedogenic (clog pores), there are new, more sophisticated formulas that provide protection with skin benefits.

Movember (the month formally known as November) is a charity event held during November each year. At the start of Movember, guys register with a clean shaven face. The Movember participants known as ‘Mo Bros’ then have the remainder of the month to grow and groom their Mo (Australian slang for mustache) and along the way raise as much money and awareness about male health issues as possible.

Movember culminates at the end of the month at the Gala Partés. These glamorous and groomed events will see Tom Selleck, Hulk Hogan and Borat look-a-likes battle it out for their chance to take home the prestigious Man of Movember title.

While growing a Mo (moustache) is left to the guys, Mo Sistas (ladies who support their guys or love Mo’s!) form an important part of Movember by recruiting Mo Bros, helping to raise funds and attending the highly anticipated Gala Partés.

But it’s not all fun and games, so why the extreme behavior?

Which ever way we look at it, men are far less healthy than women. The average life expectancy for men is many years less than females; seven years less for African American men and five years less for Caucasian men. This is due to the lack of awareness about the very real health issues faced by males. Also contributing to the problem is an attitude of having to be tough “real men” and men’s reluctance to see a doctor about an illness or to go for regular medical checks.

The aim of Movember is to change this attitude, make male health fun by putting the Mo (mustache) back on the face of fashion and in the process raise some serious funds for key male health issues (prostate cancer being the top benefactor of this very worthwhile and unique initiative).

1. Use Gel Face Cleanser once or twice a day to cleanse face (and shoulder if you have acne there). Gentle, liquid or gel cleansers will not dry your skin out as many bar soaps do.
2. Always shower or wash face using lukewarm water, not hot. Hot water is drying.
3. Within 5 minutes of stepping out of shower or washing face, apply After Shave and Face Moisturizer to your skin. This will attract moisture all day long.
4. Apply After Shave and Face Moisturizer again at bedtime after splashing face with lukewarm water.
5. Invest in a humidifier to cut down on dryness in the air while you sleep. This could benefit your respiration as well as your skin (and you won’t wake up with such bad dry mouth).
6. For rough or cracked feet: apply Foot Spray to them in the morning. At night, apply The Balm and then cover with white, cotton socks. This will increase greater moisture absorption.

Losing the pounds and keeping them off is so difficult because it requires a lifestyle change. If you incorporate these healthy living tips into your life, you’ll drop the pounds and keep them off.

1. Eat up to six small meals throughout the day - this maintains your metabolic rate.
2. Drink more water - avoid caloric beverages.
3. Keep healthy snacks nearby - fruit and energy bars are better than chips and pizza.

It looks like aMENity has done it again!

Two weeks ago I received a special prerelease bottle of the newest Amenity product:  Foot Spray.  I’ve tried other foot sprays in the past and at first, I was a little skeptical of a luxury foot spray, but I figured it was worth a try.

The first few times I used it, what really caught my attention was the smell that for some reason reminded me of the odor of an herbal spa treatment I had a few months ago.  My girlfriend quickly mentioned that my feet smell better, which was a little bit of a shock because I didn’t know they smelled in the first place.  I also noticed a mild tingling, which I like because it
makes you feel as if the stuff is actually doing something.

So for the past two weeks I’ve been spraying it on the soles of my feet and in the insides of my shoes daily.  Although, I can’t speak to the healing of crevices at this point, I can say with absolute certainty that my feet are noticeably softer and the texture is much, much smoother.  Being a soccer player I have grown accustomed to having dry scaly feet, but now my feet
look and feel as if they are healthy and smooth.

I really cannot think of anything bad to say about the product at this point and I am eager to see if the patented ingredient will really heal crevices and smooth out my rough areas as promised.  I will keep you updated.

As the person responsible for safety and quality control at Amenity, it is my job to ensure that we use the finest ingredients known to us in the formulation of our unique clinical grooming products. Amenity does not test - nor have we ever tested - our products on animals. We offer our customers products of the highest quality which have been tested thoroughly in laboratory environments to ensure maximum safety.

The POM brand is synonymous with 100% pomegranate juice. Tons of money is spent on advertising this product, but I don’t know anyone who drinks it. Pomegranate juice has three times more antioxidants than red wine or green tea. California’s San Joaquin Valley is a center of commercial cultivation of the fruit here in the US.

If you believe the rule that darkly colored vegetables and fruits are healthier than there lighter counterparts, you may want to consider adding the occasional pint of pomegranate juice to your diet. Consumption of this forbidden fruit has been credited with benefits that lower your risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and several types of cancer. Another widely recognized benefit is clearer skin.

If you’re not interested in purchasing this pricey new drink, check out Solaray’s pomegranate extract capsules. Better yet, buy an actual pomegranate. Once you figure out how to eat it, share your secrets with the rest of us (dispel the myth that pomegranates only serve as decorative fruits alongside gourds at Thanksgiving).

During a recent meeting at Dermatology Partners in Boston last week, I found out that dermatologists were increasingly seeing more men in the office. Men have traditionally been a little more carefree than women about their looks, but eventually sun damage, low-to-no skin maintenance and everyday stress catches up with them. Experience tells us that men, like women, do want to enhance and improve their appearance. The difference between men and women’s skin is largely due to hormones. Because of their testosterone, men have thicker, oilier skin, making their appearance “tougher and rugged”. The top problems men are visiting dermatologist for include:

Acne and Acne Rosacea - Because of their more active oil glands, men tend to have more acne, not just on the face but also on the chest and back. Later in life, fair skinned men can suffer acne rosacea, which causes broken capillaries, redness and bumps on the face.

Shaving Bumps - Many men are prone to ingrown hairs and shaving bumps. These occur when hair works its way back into the skin, causing irritation, redness and dark spots. Black men, because of their curly facial hair, tend to be more prone to this condition.

Moles and Cysts - Because of increased oil production, men tend to have larger pores that can often grow into larger bumps, moles and cysts.

Unwanted Hair Growth - Because of their testosterone, men have more body hair than do women.

Frown Lines - Testosterone results in bigger and more defined muscles. On the face, this gives men more lines of expression, such as frown lines. These may sometimes result in an ongoing worried look.