What's behind #NoShaveNovember?

Many of you have probably heard of #noshavenovember or seen the hashtag under a post on popular social media platforms. But do you know what it's all about and where the hashtag originated?

For several years now, countless bearded men have let their mustaches grow throughout November without shaving or trimming the contours. Following the motto of No-Shave November, facial hair is only trimmed again on December 1st. While for most, it's simply a personal aesthetic challenge, the idea originally stems from a much broader charitable thought.

Hair Growth Against Cancer

The annual No-Shave November event, originally called Movember (a combination of the English words for mustache and November), encourages young men and women not to shave throughout the penultimate month of the year.

Instead, the money that would have been spent on shaving during this time is encouraged to be donated to charitable causes. Founded in 2003 in Adelaide, Australia, this fundraising initiative is a web-based nonprofit organization dedicated to raising cancer awareness and funding cancer prevention, research, and education.

One downside of this fundamentally very positive action is that it can potentially cause work-related issues in some industries. Therefore, the organization explicitly mentions that it's up to each individual to decide how or to what extent they participate in the campaign. There are no set rules, ensuring that personal care and hygiene do not have to suffer under the umbrella of the good cause.

NoShaveNovember in Germany

In Germany, the campaign has been officially conducted since 2012 in cooperation with the foundation based in Australia. In the same year, for example, the partner was the Federal Association of Prostate Cancer Self-Help, which issued donation receipts and, in collaboration with Movember, directed the use of incoming funds.

Various athletes from ice hockey leagues, the Bundesliga (German soccer league), the Handball-Bundesliga, and rugby have contributed to the movement's popularity in recent years, suggesting further growth in the coming years!

Have you ever participated in #NoShaveNovember? Let us know!