C'mon, admit it: You already miss No-Shave November.
Ever thought of growing a vaudeville-style villainous mustache? How about those days you wish you could give your razor a long vacation--like a trip around the world? Or perhaps an embossed, tattoo-like clipper-carve-out on one side of your head? Well, if ever the time was right, it's now. What I love about No-Shave November is how it keeps gaining in popularity every year and has increasingly become a fun sport of one-upmanship. Social media is overflowing with cheeky images and selfies of foot-long beards and circus-worthy 'staches, while our favorite athletes, sports teams and TV media hosts keep us abreast on their weekly hair growth status.
Many cancer awareness supporters are crafting more clever ways to customize the #LETITGROW movement, finding promotional angles that tie in with their products' brand or offered service. Corporate giants such as Dairy Queen and Dr. Pepper have "#ChickenStache" while Newton Running Company uses "#5MileShadow" as their cancer awareness tagline. For fun, I suggest typing in any of this stories hyperlinks into a YouTube search engine.
Founded in 2009, No-Shave.org is a Web-based non-profit organization that has since aligned with the American Cancer Society utilizing the month of November to grow its cancer awareness movement. By embracing our un-manicured hair and letting it grow wild and free, we can show solidarity for the many cancer patients who lose their hair entirely. The suggested donation is the money you might usually spend on shaving and grooming for a month--whether it be haircuts, color, shaving accessories or waxing and shaving services. If starting the conversation of cancer awareness feels awkward, let your unruly self or your week-old five-o'clock shadow start the cancer prevention conversation for you. Funds raised help educate towards testing and early detection and aid those fighting the cancer battle for both men and women alike.
Knowing that I didn't just want to report on the origins of No-Shave November, I contacted the long-running experts of men's grooming tools and clipper cuts, Andis Company. Knowing I might have to produce a no-shave look model on the fly or possibly mobile, Andis suggested on-the-go professional tools that were heavy duty and cordless. So, I hit the streets of New York City to ask a few passersby about their knowledge of No-Shave November. Almost each person was fully aware of the movement, but less about the cancer awareness cause behind the men physically showing the world their woolier side. Comments like "I can go seven to ten days without shaving before my face breaks out" to other comments such as "I let my beard go for a month and my girlfriend gets to skip a month of shaving her legs (making a funny face)...well, maybe not a whole month."
Armed with Andis super tools, we ended our trek at the hipster epicenter otherwise known as Rudy's Barbershop at The Ace Hotel, in Manhattan. Low and behold, we didn't even have to grab a contender off the street. What at first appeared as a businessman-meets-gnarly-Hell's-Angel, turned out to be a sophisticated gentleman (with a very long beard and very expensive spectacles) who boldly requested "I need a good, clean haircut. Shape my beard, but leave its length alone."
So out came the Ferrari of cordless grooming and manscaping, my rechargeable Andis Supra 120 Ion Clipper and GTX T-Outliner. The clipper providing speed and creative freedom without cords while the latter performed a nearly perfect dry shave around the edges, giving us a tidy haircut while still allowing the model's long beard to provide support to the No-Shave.org cause. So if you're just a little bit jealous that your bros are having more fun at skipping shaves, remember: With a little planning you, too, can be the one getting miles of second looks or perhaps starting you own No-Shave group.
I can't wait for No-Shave November 2015 to hurry up and get here.
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