What Really Is "Noshember" A.K.A. "No Shave November"?

Welcome to November ladies and gentlemen, the time of year to dispose of your razors and put away the shaving cream. No-Shave November has arrived!

The only problem is that there are some who are unaware of the background and the awareness project behind the beard. No-Shave November, also known as “Noshember”, is the time of the year where people (both Men and Women) are asked to grow out their facial hair or body hair (depending on your preference) to support Cancer awareness.

The goal is to go the entire month of November without shaving. The more common goal is to not shave your beard (mostly with men). The purpose of this article is to not just focus on growing the beard itself, but to make people aware that there is more to the awareness than just focusing on men’s facial hair.

Anybody who participates is showing the general public that they are embracing their hair in which a majority of cancer patients lose during their Chemotherapy treatment. So how are the proceeds collected? The money that you would normally use to buy shaving products are instead donated to cancer societies for educational research, saving lives, and simply helping those who are are fighting the battle.

The point is this… regardless if you donate $5 (the cost of a pack of disposables) or $15 (the average cost of a haircut), you’re still making a difference!

So if you are looking to participate, but are looking for additional information on how you can help and the rules of the cause (for both Men and Women), here’s the inside scoop and regulations:

First of all, if you’re looking to help out, but are unsure where to donate to, here are a couple of links of cancer fighting organizations:

American Cancer Society

Prevent Cancer Foundation

Fight Colorectal Cancer

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Here's the kicker, according to noshember.com, although this is practice is commonly done during the month of November... did you know that the cause carries on until Christmas on December 25th? Here's the calendar of events:

• November 1: Razors are stowed, indifference ignited. Noshember begins.

• November 1-7: The week of scratching that itch. Push yourself, control the desire to shave and relieve the itchiness.

• First Wednesday: Itch hump day.

• November 7: Day of Gnashing of Teeth.

• November 14: Finally the men don’t look ridiculous (boys may look rediculous).

• November 14: Finally the women do look ridiculous.

• Thanksgiving: Quoth Flan: “Moms and grandmothers just don’t understand.”

• November 27: Finally the boys or follicularly-challenged do look ridiculous.

• November 30: Photograph day. Take your best hair exhibiting celebration photos. You have truly completed something great.

• Dec 1: Great festival of many razors, shaving commences.

• Dec 2-24: Careful planning and shaping of your follicle resources grown and nurtured above your upper lip.

• Dec 25: Mustache Christmas Morning. The subsequent greatest day of the year. Time to creep some people out.

Lastly, if you are concerned about your appearance in a workplace setting or simply just don't care about the length of your grizzly face or body... Here are three different versions that you can abide by to truly become a Noshember candidate:

1.) The Strict Version

Simply shave your face clean at the beginning of the month and let your inner beast grow!
Donate the money you would spend on razor products or haircuts to the suggested list above.

2.) The Easy/Businessman Version

Shave your face at the beginning of the month
You are allowed to shave your neck and your mustache
You may keep your beard trimmed to work guidelines and regulations, but do your best to grow it out!
Donate the money you would spend on razor products or haircuts to the suggested list above.

3.) The Women Version

Shave your Armpits and legs on October 31st
Don't shave anything for the remainder of the month
Embrace your hairy body!
Donate the money you would spend on razor products or haircuts to the suggested list above.

So feel free to grow out your facial and body hair throughout the next month or two, but keep in mind that the main goal to "Noshember" is to donate the extra funds you would have leftover from razors, shaving cream, haircuts, etc.

Now go forth and grow!