Meaning Behind No Shave November – All You Need to Know

For most of the year, shaving and grooming is a daily part of every man’s life. While it may not be particularly thrilling or life changing, it’s omnipresent, whether you shave your face every day or like to maintain a fulsome beard. However, this changes for some during November, when charitable causes encourage men to down their razors and ignore their grooming needs.

Of course, we’re referring to ‘No Shave November’, during which time participants look to raise money for men’s health charities by letting their facial hair grow. It’s now synonymous with the penultimate month of the year, in the same way as NFL matches, Thanksgiving and betting with DFS sites. But what is the no shave November meaning, and how does this initiate compare with ‘Movember’? Let’s get into it!

• What is No Shave November? A Brief Introduction
• Purpose and Meaning – What’s the No Shave November Cause?
• The No Shave November History – Where Did it Originate?
• No Shave November or Movember – What’s the Difference?
• What are the Precise No Shave November Rules?
• The Bottom Line – Making No Shave November Work for You

What is No Shave November? A Brief Introduction

In simple terms, ‘No Shave November’ is a charitable campaign that has been designed to create awareness of various mens’ health issues. These include a number of male-specific illnesses, specifically testicular and prostate cancer, both of which can often go undetected due to a lack of awareness and underserved stigma among males.

In addition to raising awareness about these illnesses (as well as the mental health crisis currently engulfing masculinity across the globe), people engaging in the initiative can raise money through sponsorships. They can also commit their own monthly grooming budget to the cause, raising funds that can be committed for charities and treatment research.

But what are the rules of No Shave November? Well, you simply have to grow out your facial hair, including your beard, moustache and side burns. This must remain largely untouched and uncut for all 30 days of November, although you are free to dye or facial hair and introduce some dashes of color!

Purpose and Meaning – What’s the No Shave November Cause?

As we’ve touched on, men who participate in No Shave November are encouraged to donate the money saved on buying razors, shaving cream and similar accessories during the month. But now that we’ve addressed this and answered the question “what is no shave November?”, the next step is to delve deeper onto the underlying cause.

Primarily, the No Shave November cause is to raise awareness of two often overlooked, male-specific cancers: testicular and prostate cancer. These entities are also among the two most common cancers in men, but males continue to be ignorant of the main symptoms and warning signs. Impressively, the No Shave November campaign (no-shave.org) has raised approximately $650 million for more than 1,000 charitable programs that are focused on men.

If you’re wondering why this campaign is focused on growing facial hair, this is because cancer patients undergoing treatment are often unable to do this. So, it’s a tribute to the suffering of cancer patients and the hardships created by treatment, while No Shave November is considered to be a show of support for everyone who has been affected by the aforementioned diseases.

The No Shave November meaning is underpinned by other mens’ health concerns too. These include poor mental health and depression, with suicide now considered to be the biggest killer of men aged 50 and under across the globe. It also raises awareness of obesity in men and the perils of poor diet or a regular lack of physical exercise. When combined, these factors reveal a compelling reason for No Shave November and letting your facial hair grow.

The No Shave November History – Where Did it Originate?

If you want to chart the full history of No Shave November, it turns out that you have to go all the way back to famous Greek philosopher Plato. He believed that the best way to acquire knowledge was to grow a ‘God-like’ beard for 30 days. Aristotle followed this teaching and opined in ‘Nicomachean Ethics’ that “no man can be trusted without a beard”. This even meant that beard growth training was once a central component to proper ethics training!

It’s upon such profound thinking that the No Shave November meaning was founded. The initiative started for real in 2012, initially for the sole purpose of raising cancer awareness and reducing the stigma around mens’ mental health issues. As we’ve touched on, hair growth was chosen due to the hair loss experienced by cancer patients, which created a meaningful initiative that was informative and capable of raising funds.

In this respect, No Shave November is the male equivalent of wearing pink to raise awareness for breast cancer, while the initiative has proved effective both in terms of educating men and raising money for treatment research. It’s also highly engaging for those involved, and represents an easy way for people to participate in charitable causes.

The No Shave November organization is registered as a charity, while it’s also non-profit and web-based. The money raised through the organization has also been donated to a number of incredibly important institutions, including partners like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Prevent Cancer Foundation and the American Cancer Society.

No Shave November or Movember – What’s the Difference?

The No Shave November cause is noble, but this isn’t the only initiative aimed at raising awareness of mens’ health issues and funds for treatment research. Take ‘Movember’, for example, which is nearly a decade older than No Shave November and was started all the way back in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia.

Movember is widely practiced during November in Europe and the UK, while it started 21 years ago when a group of 30 people stopped shaving completely in the name of prostate cancer and male depression. This movement has grown markedly since, becoming a global phenomenon that has raised well in excess of $911 million in charitable donations.

But what’s the difference between No Shave November and Movember? Well, as the name suggests, the latter requires you to grow a moustache rather than randomly growing out your facial hair. You must start the month completely clean shaven, while all other parts of your face must be kept hairless for 30 days. Oh, and don’t try growing goatees or similar types of beards, as only classic moustaches are allowed!

Ultimately, there’s no doubt that the No Shave November team was at least partially inspired by the success of Movember and their Aussie peers. It was the Chicago-based Hill family that started No Shave November two years after their patriarch Matthew Hill died of colon cancer, and the initiative has enjoyed immense success ever since.

What are the Precise No Shave November Rules?

While we’ve touched on what is No Shave November and its basic rules, it’s important to understand your full duties and requirements before taking part. The good news is that this initiative is a little more relaxed than Movember, so you have a little more flexibility when growing out your facial hair. Here’s a summary of the primary rules!

• Rule #1 – Put Down Your Razor: The main rule of No Shave November is to put down your razor for 30 days. You need to grow out all of your facial hair from the beginning until the end of the month.
• Rule #2 – Donate Your Hair-Maintenace Expenses to the Cause: You’re also encouraged to donate any and all hair maintenance expenses to the cause, including the cost of new razors and shaving cream. Some people choose to grow their scalp hair too, and subsequently donate the cost of a monthly or weekly haircut to the cause!
• Rule #3 – What About Work Dress Codes? If you have to adhere to a strict dress code for work and your employers don’t want you to grow out your beard completely, you can engage in a little trimming and grooming. This is to encourage as much participation as possible, although you should try to grow your beard to be as fulsome as possible.

By following these rules, you can fully participate in the No Shave November initiative and make a difference in the fight against male cancer. Even small donations can go a long way, while raising awareness and striking up a conversation with just a single peer can potentially be life-saving too!

The Bottom Line – Making No Shave November Work for You!

Whether you want to engage in No Shave November or the slightly better-known Movember, there really is nothing to it! However, you’ll need to ensure that this initiative works for you, as it’s important to see it through for the full 30 days if you’re to raise optimal awareness and significant donations.

One tip is to invest in some basic beard grooming products. These can help to keep your skin and facial hair moisturized, minimizing the risk of discomfort and dreaded ‘beard itch”. However, don’t buy products that claim to make your beard grow quicker or fuller, as this is a natural process that’s different for every individual.

When it comes to grooming, No Shave November afford you a little more choice and freedom than Movember. So, you can strike the balance between beard growth and complying with strict dress codes, through simple grooming and minimal trimming techniques. This will help you to hit the ground running and achieve the best No Shave November possible!