Artist of the Month: Steven J. Magner, Designer

Into the Woods Soap label designed by Steven J. Magner

The following post is by Steven James Magner, Herban Lifestyle’s February 2014 Artist of the Month. He designed a label for our limited edition Into the Woods Soap, available exclusively at the Herban Lifestyle store.

At first I wanted to be a professional Baseball player. That never materialized so I decided the University of San Francisco was the next best choice. Nineteen and fully immersed in the Bay Area as a Marketing Student I started focusing on the creative. One thing led to another — including a move to Los Angeles — and now I am designing to my heart’s content. My inspiration is drawn from Wolfgang Weingart, Josef Muller-Brockmann and many other Swiss Style designers. I have been branding professionally for over four years and continue to love every minute of it! My belief is that good design creates connections. These connections are developed by communicating your style in a relevant, accessible way. Your logo, business card and website say something about your brand and tell your customers something about you. As an artist, I spend time working closely with clients on their projects, as well as collaborate with other creatives in the field. You can see more examples of Steven’s work in his online portfolio.

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Movember Wrap-Up: An Ounce of Prevention

Movember has come and gone, and with it, a flurry of facial-hair growing activity. As promised, I am posting photos of the evolution of Anthony’s mustache. Congratulations to Anthony and his team, The Wade Boggs All-Stars for raising $7,817 and awareness about the dangers of bad facial hair, I mean, men’s health, in the month of November!

In my last Movember post , I talked about some of the risk factors for developing prostate cancer. In this post I will talk about some things you can do to help prevent it. Having watched a friend, a renowned medical researcher go through the frustration of wading through conflicting research and professional opinions, it appears that there currently is no one clear path to preventing prostate cancer. However, you can do your best to be healthy overall, and avoid certain things that are thought to contribute to the development of prostate cancer. I’ve compiled the following information from the Mayo Clinic, LiveStrong, Movember and President’s Cancer Panel websites.

1. Eat the Right Things. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, which should be the main part of your diet. For protein, include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, legumes, eggs, and nuts. The fat you eat should be from plant sources, rather than animals. And avoid processed foods with trans-fats, sodium, enriched flour, and refined sugars. It is also a good idea to limit the amount of dairy products and red meat you consume. For more details, see LiveStrong’s list of foods to avoid.
2. Watch What You Drink. Green tea is full of anti-oxidants and has been found to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. And alcohol has been linked to all types of cancer, so it is best to limit yourself to no more than one or two drinks per day, if at all. . A standard drink is one 12-ounce bottle of beer or wine cooler, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.
3. Breathe. First of all, don’t smoke. It’s undeniably related to cancer, not just of the lungs. Also, remember to breathe. Stress and the accompanying biochemicals it creates in your body have been found to contribute to all types of chronic illness. So learn some techniques, like meditation and visualization, for controlling your stress.
4. Move It! Men who exercise regularly have a reduced risk of prostate cancer, along with other chronic illnesses. If you don’t currently exercise, start out slow and work your way up to the optimal 30 minutes minimum per day.
5. Avoid Those Chemicals. Do your best to limit your exposure to Cadmium, Dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), bisphenol A (BPA), all of which are suspected of causing cancer in general, and prostate cancer in particular. BPAs and other chemicals are capable of mimicking human hormones and are suspected of causing prostate and testicular cancer. In a recent study, BPA was found to cause biochemical changes in prostate tumor cells in a laboratory setting. Avoid chemical pesticides, too. An NIH Agricultural Health study found that farmers, men who worked as pesticide applicators, and men who manufacture pesticides have a significantly higher risk for prostate cancer. The Environmental Working Group has information on other environmental toxins that are suspected of contributing to cancer.

Now, to get back to the fun stuff. To wrap up their month of serious facial-hair growing and awareness raising, Mo participants all over the world hosted Mo Galas last week to celebrate their success.  Here are some photos from the Washington, DC festivities. And, as promised, here are the photos of my Mo friend, Anthony, in the second half of his mustache-growing-for-charity adventure.

Anthony: Movember, Day 15.

Here is Anthony on Movember, Day 15. He mustache seems to say, “Hey, can I interest you in a used car?”

Anthony: Movember, Day 30

And here is Super Mario, I mean Anthony, on Movember, Day 30! Congratulations, Anthony! Now, can I interest you in some all-natural, vegan, toxin-free men’s grooming products?

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Movember: Risky business

image copyright movember

We are now on week two of Movember, a moustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for prostate cancer and men’s health in general (Mo, by the way, is Australian slang for mustache). Last week I provided some statistics on the incidence of prostate cancer in the United States, and this week, I thought I would list some risk factors for the disease. And again, to balance out the seriousness of this topic, I will follow the cold hard facts with some mustache-related photos for your enjoyment.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Prostate Cancer Foundation have put together lists of prostate cancer risk factors based on current research. They are:

Age. Although it is very rare in men younger than 50 years, rates of prostate cancer increase exponentially over age 50. The rates are 1 in 10,000 men under age 40, 1 in 38 for ages 40 to 59, and 1 in 15 for ages 60 to 69.

Race. At all ages, incidence of prostate cancer in African Americans exceeds those of all other races. African American men are 60% more likely to develop prostate cancer compared with Caucasian men, and they are nearly 2.5 times as likely to die from the disease. [Note: I would guess this is largely due to dietary and environmental factors, including health care disparity and greater exposure to environmental toxins]

Family History. About 15% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer have a first-degree male relative (e.g., brother, father) with prostate cancer, compared with approximately 8% of all men.

Obesity. Obese men diagnosed with prostate cancer are more likely to have advanced disease that is more difficult to treat.

Where you live. Men who live in cities north of 40 degrees latitude have the highest risk for dying from prostate cancer of all men in the United States. It is thought that this might be related to reduced vitamin D levels due to low exposure to sunlight during three months of the year.

Dietary Fat. Prostate cancer rates varies from country to country by as much as 20-fold, and studies have demonstrated a direct relationship between a country’s prostate cancer mortality rate and average total calories from fat consumed by the country’s population. For example, studies of immigrants from Japan have shown that native-born Japanese men have the lowest risk of clinical prostate cancer, first generation Japanese-Americans have an intermediate risk, and subsequent generations have a risk comparable to the U.S. population. There are several possible reasons for this association, which you can find out more about on NCI’s website.

Dairy and Calcium Intake. In a meta-analysis of ten research studies (eight from the United States and two from Europe), it was found that men with the highest intake of dairy products and calcium were more likely to develop prostate cancer than men with the lowest intake. [Note: I would be curious to see if this applies to vegan men who get most of their calcium through green, leafy vegetables]

Hormones. There is evidence suggesting that the degree of cumulative exposure of the prostate to androgens is related to an increased risk of prostate cancer (see NCI’s website for technical details).

In addition to NCI’s list, the groundbreaking President’s Cancer Panel Report 2010 discusses some other environmental factors that contribute to risk of developing prostate cancer. For example, some chemicals thought to contribute to prostate cancer are inorganic arsenic in drinking water, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). BPA, which has been in the news a lot over the past couple of years, is also strongly indicated in contributing to the incidence of prostate cancer. The Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction also concluded in 2008 that there is “…some concern for effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures to bisphenol A.” Several chemicals capable of mimicking the body’s hormones are suspected of causing prostate and testicular cancer, and BPA was found to cause biochemical changes in prostate tumor cells (in the laboratory) that could interfere with prostate cancer treatment.*

The NIH Agricultural Health study found that although overall cancer rates among farmers and pesticide applicators are not higher than other men and women in the study states (IA and NC), there are increased risks for specific cancers. For example, farmers and pesticide applicators have a significantly higher prostate cancer risk (female pesticide applicators have significantly higher incidence of ovarian cancer). Those who manufacture pesticides are also at a significantly higher risk for prostate cancer.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation, one of the benefactors of Movember’s fundraising efforts, also has a list of risk myths on their website.

Anthony: Movember, Day 8

As promised, I have posted an updated photo of Anthony Moriello, the face of Movember for my blog. He has gone from a clean-shaven man to an aspiring Erroll Flynn. You can support Anthony and his Movember team, the Wade Bogg All-Stars, by going to their Movember team page and making a donation. The funds raised by Movember go to some great organizations that promote true cancer prevention research, as well as screening, treatment and survivorship initiatives.

Erroll Flynn rocked the subtlest of mustaches

*Wetherill, Y. B., Hess-Wilson, J. K., Comstock, C. E. S., Shah, S. A., Buncher, C. R., Sallans, L, Limbach, P. A., Schwemberger, S., Babcock, G. F. & Knudsen, K. E. (2006). Bisphenol A facilitates bypass of androgen ablation therapy in prostate cancer. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 5, 3181-3190.

Meet One Well, Our New Eco-Chic Brick and Mortar Friend

image copyright one well

The One Well opened its doors in Brooklyn last month. It is a home and body boutique featuring the work of local and global eco-friendly artisans along with carefully selected vintage pieces. The One Well was created by owner Kerry Jones as a place where people can find beautiful, environmentally responsible items to help beautify their homes and treat their bodies.

image copyright the one well

The One Well offers artisanal foods (like a yummy-sounding authentic Mexican caramel made with goat milk), hand casted beeswax candles, quilted bedding, gorgeous paper goods, unique jewelry and much more.

image copyright the one well

I met Kerry when she visited my booth at this year’s Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn, NY. As she described her vision for One Well, it sounded like the perfect place for my products and a place where I would love to shop. Along with the work of a variety of artisans, the One Well will carry a special line of my fuzzy soaps in earth tones, with earthy scents, as well as my MAN grooming products.

image copyright the one well

You can read more about them and see more photos of their gorgeous offerings on their Facebook page.

Their grand opening celebration is being held on the very auspicious date of 11.11.11. One Well is located at 165 Greenpoint Avenue (between Manhattan and Guiness), Brooklyn, NY.

Meet The Modern Man, Our New Brick and Mortar Friend

image copyright The Modern Man

Portland is one of my favorite places in the world, and now I have yet another reason to visit. Last month, The Modern Man, Portland’s newest barbershop opened its doors. The Modern Man is a gathering spot with a delightfully retro feel. And I am thrilled that they have asked to carry my MAN grooming products, which I have to say, look right at home with their late 1800s/early 1900s decor.

They offer gentlemen’s hair cuts in every style you can imagine, classic hot towel shaves, beard trims and mustache trims. They also carry an assortment of men’s grooming products including cologne, aftershave, mustache wax, gels, pomades, shaving kits, shoe polish and more. And they sell a variety vintage oddities for that special guy on your gift list.

Another reason to love The Modern Man is their commitment to community. They offer free VIP service to any man who is out of work and/or homeless who needs some grooming for a job interview. Isn’t that the cat’s pajamas?

image copyright The Portland Mercury

To learn more about The Modern Man, and see the staff in action, check out this great video on Thrillist. There is also a wonderful article on The Modern Man in The Art of Manliness. Also, both The Modern Man and Herban Lifestyle are featured in Thrillist’s Movember Grooming Guide!

You can also check out their Facebook fan page to see more photos and hear the latest news. The Modern Man is located in Portland at 5018 NE 22nd Ave, Portland, OR 97211.

Herban Lifestyle’s Etsy Store Featured on NBC New York!

Herban Lifestyle Men's Grooming Set on the set of LX.TV

Recently, Herban Lifestyle was honored to be part of the Etsy Valentine’s Day gift recommendations on NBC New York’s LX.TV. In their segment entitled “With Love from Etsy,” Herban Lifestyle Man’s Grooming Set was one of 6 items to be featured. You can view the full segment, which has some fun Valentine’s Day gift suggestions, by visiting the NBC New York website.

Thank you Etsy! And thanks to LX.TV, too!

Introducing Herban Lifestyle™ Man

Since I introduced the Herban Lifestyle™ line of products in August 2008, my customers have primarily been women. Even though the products can be used by anyone, I have been told that my packaging is “girly,” so it doesn’t always appeal to men. They don’t see it as something that is made for them. Over the past year, I have had numerous requests from customers, both men and women, for the addition of men’s products to my offerings.

So, in response to customer demand, I am happy to announce the launch of my new line of products made just for men. Just like all of my products, they are truly natural — made only from natural and organic ingredients, with no artificial fragrances, synthetic preservatives or petroleum-based ingredients. However, the Herban Lifestyle Man products come in distinctly manly packaging!

The line, which is currently available in my online store, on Etsy and at World of Good, includes shaving oil, facial soap, after shave and facial lotion.