Ladies, forget about your Schicks and Gillettes and Flamingos. Cancel your trims at the salon. Stash away your Tweezermans and wax. It’s time to go au naturel for No-Shave November!
I am totally psyched for No-Shave November for two reasons: 1. I love an excuse to forgo shaving my legs, and 2. I can channel my laziness into supporting a really good cause. It’s a win-win situation for me! I was so excited that I started early with No-Shave October.
No-Shave November is both a non-profit organization and a movement that aims to spread cancer awareness and raise funds for cancer research, prevention, and education. According to their website, No-Shave November encourages participants to “grow awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free”.
The hope is that people will talk about their month-long pause on personal grooming and the reason behind it, therefore shedding more light on the cause. Additionally, participants are encouraged to donate what they would’ve spent on the month’s hair removal to No-Shave November. Participants can set up a personal fundraising page on their website to donate directly or request donations from friends and family.
Active since 2009, No-Shave November has raised over $10 million as a web-based fundraising movement. It was started in honor of Matthew Hill, a father of eight from Chicago who died of colon cancer in 2007. No-Shave November is the main fundraiser for The Matthew Hill Foundation.
It’s Also Movember for the Men!
Movember is a similar non-profit organization and movement that encourages a month of hair growth for men’s health issues. “Mo Bros” grows mustaches in November to help fundraise for men’s mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer. Since 2003, Movember has raised funds for 1,320 men’s health projects around the world.
So, how can you participate in No-Shave November or Movember?
- Set up a personal fundraising page. Donate however much you’d spend on hair removal services and supplies over the course of a month. Think haircuts, bikini waxes, razors, tweezers, shaving cream, sugaring, threading, electrolysis, etc.
- Post on social media about your hair growth and the reason why you’re doing it. Encourage people to visit your fundraising page or join the movement themselves.
- Follow No-Shave November and Movember on Instagram.
- Don’t be afraid to show off those fuzzy pits, unruly eyebrows, and hairy legs. Start the conversation with confidence – you’re doing a great thing to help cancer research and prevention!
