What is No-Shave November?

No-Shave November raises money for cancer research.

No-Shave November is a similar but unrelated organization. Like Movember, No-Shave November raises awareness and money for men’s health initiatives. However, while Movember supports a few different causes, No-Shave November focuses solely on cancer awareness and cancer prevention because Matthew Hill, the husband and father of the family that founded No-Shave November, died from colon cancer in 2007.

The Hill family founded the official No-Shave November organization in 2009 and has raised more than $10 million to date, according to the website. The goal of No-Shave November, the website reads, “is to grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free.”

Why do people participate in No-Shave November or Movember?

Some people participate in No-Shave November or Movember just for kicks and giggles, but many people take this monthlong commitment seriously. Both Movember and No-Shave November offer a way to spark conversation about the very dire health issues that affect men.

How to participate in Movember or No-Shave November

Just grow out your facial hair!

Participating in either Movember or No-Shave November is simple and easy.

If you want to fully participate in Movember, register to be counted among the millions that grow out their mustaches for a good cause. Then, you can choose how to participate:

You can simply grow your mustache and use it as a talking point to start important conversations about men’s health.
Participate in “Move for Movember,” during which you’ll commit to walking or running 60 miles over the course of the month. The number 60 represents the 60 men’s lives lost to suicide every hour across the world.
You can host a “Mo-Ment,” or an event to raise awareness about men’s health.

To participate in No-Shave November, make an account and put down your razor. No-Shave November encourages participants to donate the money they’d normally spend on grooming supplies, such as razor blades and shaving cream, to one of the organization’s funded programs.

Remember, people who participate in No-Shave November don’t shave anything, letting any and all facial hair (and sometimes body hair) grow out. However, you’re welcome to trim and groom if you have a strict dress code at work, the rules say. No-Shave November feels more inclusive for females, who may not have facial hair to put on display, but who can certainly grow out their leg and armpit hair.

No-Shave November is a bit more laissez-faire about the rules than Movember, which wants people to start the month completely clean-shaven and grow only a mustache.