As we near the end of November, many men are sporting some facial hair. They are growing their facial hair this month for a bigger cause. Are you one among them? Then do you know the actual reason behind “No Shave November”?

The rules for No-Shave November are simple. People can abstain from shaving for the month, or simply donate money if they choose not to “get hairy.”

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Why Movember?

“No Shave November” is more popularly called “Movember” derived from (Moustache + November). It is actually followed to raise awareness of men’s health issues.

Reason Behind No Shave November:

No-Shave November is a month-long journey during which participants forgo shaving and grooming in order to evoke conversation and raise cancer awareness. It all started with a group of Australians who came together to grow the mustache in the month of November (in 1999) to raise awareness for a charity.

The idea of not shaving in November is to stimulate conversation and raise cancer awareness. Participants are asked to donate the money they’d otherwise spend on grooming to the cause. It is, however, not a ‘male-only’ movement, but instead, encourages all genders to participate.

Movember Foundation:

This slowly became a phenomenon, and finally, an official charity foundation was formed called “Movember Foundation” that worked towards this awareness and raises money. The money is then donated to the partner foundations (like Prostate Cancer Foundation) that are actually working towards helping patients.

A few young men in Melbourne, Australia, coined the term in 1999. Then, in 2004, the Movember Foundation was founded; it’s a way for men to grow out their mustache throughout November — and raise money for men’s health awareness at the same time.

That first year, the fundraiser raised $40,000. Since then, the movement has grown exponentially and internationally. The growth the foundation has experienced was evident last year when 854,288 men in more than 15 countries registered to grow the mustache in honor of Movember. Last year, those men and their mustache were able to raise $126.3 million, which was distributed to varying organizations who support men’s health, like the LIVESTRONG Foundation.

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