10 months have come and gone. Now the month of men has arrived, and there’s only one perfect way to celebrate its reemergence. November is Movember: the time of the year male friends become familiar 80s movie antagonists or hairy beasts that petrify the sasquatch himself.
During “Movember,” manhood has had a long-standing, time-tested tradition to grow out their facial hair for all 30 days of the month. “No-Shave-November,” an alternate name to the yearly tradition, was conceived as a campaign to raise awareness for cancer. That, among other things, — and the reason why it took a life of its own — is the reason for its mainstream prevalence.
In pop culture, Movember has also become a chance for men to showcase their mustaches, goatees, and other varieties of these elegant, and in more dominant cases, rugged hairy face warmers.
For quite a long time, the brotherhood had just let their facial hair grow out copiously. But in recent years, a growing number of gents have been letting their hair down in style, coming into the first day of November with a fresh drip and facial hair to match. Can’t get enough of the No-Shave-November rites in this new decade? Read on!
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Movember and Meaning
In 2003, the Movember Foundation, a nonprofit that raised approximately $21 million in a decade for prostate and testicular cancer awareness and research, started the campaign that enhanced the world’s collective consciousness and perception of these threats.
“We are all about the mustache and only the mustache.”
These were Movember’s U.S. Director Mark Hedstrom’s words as he addressed their most significant weapon in the fight against cancer.
“What we’re asking them to do is participate by changing their appearance. What that fosters is a conversation,” Hedstrom added.
As Movember continues to gain more ground, Hedstrom aims to expand to more areas exclusive of the 21 countries they’ve already covered since 2014. They have also developed their information campaigns and advocacies for men’s fitness and men’s mental health.
What is No-Shave November?
On the other hand, No-Shave November is a separate organization that encourages making donations to the American Cancer Society by emboldening men to pledge their facial hair styling and grooming funds to the ACS instead.
This organization has taken a broader approach to its campaign. They also encourage women to opt out of shaving their legs.
No-Shave November was conceived on Facebook in 2009. As it grew in prevalence, it forged a partnership with the American Cancer Society.
No-Shave November was founded on Facebook in 2009, but last year began a partnership with the American Cancer Society.
Men, of course, will still need to look presentable as they run their advocacies to their hearts’ content. So, here are a few looks the sophisticated gentleman can look into as they partake in this yearly rite of charity.
Stubble
Sometimes, less is more. Simplicity is beauty. So, sometimes, it’s better to just rock the stubble. It’s as simple as it could get. All that’s needed to be done is not shaving a few days before November 1, and you’ve got yourself the stubble as you enter No-shave November territory. Some people need a few days longer if they grow facial hair in patches. Those are some of the unique cases where there’s going to be some shaping involved. It’s best to always aim for the “effortless” stubble look. How do you achieve that? Clip away once or twice every week to maintain the stubble. Otherwise, it wouldn’t look as neat as one might imagine.
The Goatee
The goatee is one of the basic styles of facial hair. It’s usually regarded as the foundation of other styles like the Van Dyke or the circle beard. To grow your goatee, limit the growth of facial hair around the chin. For this particular look, shorter is better. This, and constant maintenance of hair around the cheeks, is why this might take a bit more maintaining than the other looks on this list. Keeping edges clean and shaving every or every two days is the recommended shaving frequency for this style.
The Van Dyke
The Van Dyke is often interchanged with the goatee — which is wrong. The Van Dyke is a full goatee and a full mustache packaged into a suave-looking package. The two should be disconnected, and the cheek should be cleanly kept to highlight its prominence. It’s imperative to keep it short, so you can ensure a cleaner look.
The Van Dyke is made up of a full goatee paired with a full mustache, not to be confused with the goatee. The two are not connected, and the cheeks should be cleanly shaven to keep that distinction. The beard must stay short, so it can give the style a clean look.
Circle Beard
The Circle Beard is very similar to the Van Dyke, connecting to the mustache and the mustache to create a circle. When it comes to thickness, this style gives more liberty to the man as it can change the overall style as it varies in volume. Compared to similar styles, the Circle Beard requires less maintenance. The only things to remember are to keep the cheek clean and maintain the shape. The Circle Beard is best used for redirecting focus to the lower regions of the face to create a stronger jawline.
The Full Beard
This one could be a bit harder to pull off for some people. However, with patience and genetics on your side, achieving a full beard is only a matter of time. In usual standards, a full beard is possible within 4-6 weeks of no shaving. Three inches of volume is the standard for most Full Beards. There’s very little maintenance to be made here, so not much shaving or shaping is needed. The only thing of note is the everyday experience of beard itch — which you can alleviate by keeping your beard clean with shampoos, conditioners, and moisturizers.
This style requires a couple of weeks of patience and the right genetics. After four to six weeks, you’ll have the length needed for a full beard — 3 inches is about standard. While this style doesn’t require much shaving or shaping, you’ll probably experience some beard itch. Make sure to keep your beard clean with shampoo and conditioner and a high-quality moisturizer.
The styles mentioned above may pale in comparison to the more high-class look of the pencil beard or the suave handlebar. But maintaining styles like the chinstrap or the circle beard will surely come at a more affordable cost, leaving more room for donation and goodwill. Who knows, maybe the experiment becomes quite the experience, and you find yourself a new look?
It’s all for a good cause. No-shave November and Movember are upon us, and there is more good to be done. So remember that Movember and No-Shave November is more than just an internet fad — it’s an advocacy and a collective push for a safer and healthier world.
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