Halloween is over, but that doesn't mean all the fun has to stop. While you're recovering from your hangover and sugar rush, there's another item you can hang up with your costume, your razor. That's right, November is here, which means it's time for our favorite annual celebration: No Shave November.
Forget about trimming your beard to get those crisp lines this month and unleash you inner mountain man for the world to see.
To get you even more hyped about this month, we here at Zeus Beard detailed the history and benefits of participating in No Shave November. Make sure to read until the end to find out how you can grow the best beard out of all your friends.
No Shave November brings funds and awareness to men's health.
No Shave November marks the 30 days out of the year that men put their razors down and let their facial fuzz fly free. However, the annual celebration isn't just to see how epic you can build your beard in comparison to your beta best friend. Although we must admit, that is one of our favorite parts.
Moreover, No Shave November is used to specifically promote men's health. However, both men and women can participate. They are encouraged to donate the money they would normally spend on razors and shaving cream to cancer research.
For 2017, the official online event by the Matthew Hill Foundation raises funds for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, Fight Colorectal Cancer and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
We can thank Plato, Aristotle and Marx for No Shave November.
While the Matthew Hill Foundation was created in 2009 by eight siblings to honor the loss of their father to colon cancer in 2007, the idea of No Shave November is actually much older.
The month of November didn't exist in Ancient Greece. However, the idea for it's future holiday definitely did. Plato believed one of the best ways for men to embrace the acquisition of knowledge was to mimic the gods in appearance. This meant donning full god-like beards for 30 days.
Plato's prize student Aristotle carried out his teacher's legacy. In "Nichomachean Ethics" he wrote, "No man can be trusted if he is without a beard."
If we look to more recent history, Karl Marx adopted the ideas of his ancient Greek predecessors and thus No Shave November was born as a stand against capitalism.
Marx believed growing out your beard for a month would be a cheeky stand against the bourgeoisie. He knew factory owners would be displeased with their employees growing out facial hair that could cause potential safety concerns and overall a loss of money. However, his communist stand failed pretty miserably.
However, the idea found new life when 30 men in Australia officially coined the term "No Shave November" in 2004. Their successful event raised awareness for men's physical and mental health and led to other organizations adopting the holiday.
No Shave November treats all men's faces equal.
That means if you want to participate, you'll have to start with a clean shaven face. However, this isn't the only rule. For all the participation rules keep reading below.
No Shave November Rules
- Shave your face on Halloween. So yes, you'll be going back to the middle school version of yourself to welcome in November 1. Don't worry if you missed the deadline, you can still participate even if you're a few days late. Just remember to shave before you do.
- Let your beard grow for the entire month of November. That means no shaving until Dec. 1.
- If you're looking to run with the manliest men, no shaving also includes no trimming or grooming and allowing your beard to grow wild and free. However, even manly men understandably still want to keep their jobs, so if your employer isn't a huge fan of the mountain man look, some clean-up is allowed.
- Take a picture on Nov.1 to mark the beginning of your journey and on Nov. 30 to track how much you progressed.
- Show off your awe-inspiring beard on social media and grow with us! (Make sure to tag #GrowWithZeus and #NoShaveNovember!)
Growing a badass beard will also help you with the ladies.
A 2013 study by Dixson and Brooks in the Evolution and Human Behavior Journal found that women perceived men with full beards to be better parents, more masculine and more healthy.
Interestingly, this female intuition wasn't wrong.
In fact, beards can improve your health. Like Huffington Post pointed out, they protect you from damaging sun rays which reduces skin cancer and keep bacteria away which reduces throat disease and acne.
And it pretty much goes without saying that men with bushy beards are more masculine and trustworthy, right Aristotle?
These products will help you achieve the most epic beard around town.
Growing a new beard can be both itchy and irritating. Since No Shave November requires you to start with a clean shave, finding a product to combat this feeling is necessary.
Try beard oil. You can use it up to three times a day to relieve that discomfort and prevent irritation that clogs pores and stunts hair growth.
If you're looking for a more workplace appropriate look, click here to learn more about combining beard oil with beard balm for easier grooming.
Try applying products with a boar bristle brush. Boar bristles imitate natural hair. They are sturdy enough to encourage blood flow and distribute nutrients throughout your strands and gentle enough to reduce irritation. Coupled, these factors are vital to hair growth.
To learn more about boar bristle brush benefits, click here.
Lastly, avoid blow drying your hair with hot air, which causes damage, breakage and stunts hair growth. Instead, trying combining air drying with the cool setting on your blow dryer for better results and healthier locks.
To learn more about blow drying your beard the correct way, click here.
You're officially ready to begin No Shave November. May the bushiest beard win.
