What is No-Shave November?
No-Shave November seeks to grow awareness — not to mention hair-ness — about cancer. The organizers want people to embrace their hair, which many cancer patients lose, and to let it grow — as the holiday’s originators say — “wild and free.” No-Shave November is a fun and creative way to remind folks that many of our friends and neighbors struggle every day with the disease and with efforts to fight it. Moreover, organizers also encourage participants to donate the money they’d normally spend on hair care to cancer support and educational organizations.
History of No-Shave November
No-Shave November was created in 2009, two years after the passing of Matthew Hill who struggled with colorectal cancer during the month of November in 2007. He and his family had already adopted the practice of not shaving during the month of November and donating the expenses typically used on razors and shaving cream to charities that support research into illnesses such as prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer among others.
The idea of using facial hair to create awareness during November started in 2003 in Australia with a group of friends who coined the term, “Movember,” in reference to how they will be growing out their mustaches and collecting money for mens’ health charities during that month. The Movember Foundation and No-Shave November are two separate entities, but they are both supporting and call for the same thing – stop shaving (or grow a mustache) during the month of November to spread awareness and donate to these types of charities.
In the past decade and a half that the two charities have been around they’ve been able to raise millions of dollars in support of charities that research prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer prevention.
