No Shave November: What's the deal?

It's that time of year again. No, not Halloween. I mean No Shave November, of course, AKA Movember. The one glorious month once a year when men all over the world go cold turkey on their razors for a good cause.

What good cause, I hear you say?

Well, while people use the terms No Shave November and Movember interchangeably, there's actually a difference. Here's a little background to them both.

No Shave November

Back in 2009, members of the Chicagoland Hill charity decided to take the common tradition of not shaving in November and use it to raise money for charity. Why? A few years prior, the Hill family had suffered the loss of Matthew Hill due to colon cancer. He passed away in November.

To commemorate his loss, Matthew's eight children started a fund to raise money for cancer. It was a wild success. Since then, the No Shave November charity has grown exponentially, generating millions in the fight against cancer.

That's an incredible tribute to a much-loved father.

Movember

Travis Garone and Luke Slattery were sitting in a bar in Melbourne, Australia. The year was 2003. Recently, a mutual friend's mother was battling breast cancer. Discussing the sheer number of admirable charities and causes available for breast cancer, they noticed significantly less attention was paid to men.

Not content to leave it there, the two set to work setting up a new charity: the Movember Foundation.

Movember is more than just a silly name. Inspired by the heroic work of other charities, the Movember Foundation focuses on testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention. All massive problems facing men.

As the charity themselves say: we've never needed you more.

Should you do it?

Why not? Whether you go shaving cold turkey or decide just to grow out your mustache, it's a hell of a lot of fun. You don't even have to do it for charity. But it's always nice to give to either of these fantastic causes.

Sure, there are the stares and sniggers. But who cares? If anyone asks, use it as an opportunity to raise some more money.

Plus, if fighting cancer isn't a good enough excuse to start growing a beard, I don't know what is? Hell, if you already have a beard, shave it off and start again. It's all for a good cause.

So, should you do No Shave November?

Yes! Join in the fun, community, goodness and action!