Although the origins of No Shave November are unclear, its impact in the realm of cancer donations is distinct.

The fundraiser hit American soil in November of 2009 and was started by the Chicagoland Hill family after their father, Matthew Hill, lost his battle to cancer in November of 2007.

In recent years, the fundraiser has swept across the nation and taken storm with athletes, celebrities and actors. Even with all these famous people partaking in the fundraiser, do people really know what No Shave November is?

The true meaning of No Shave November is to donate the money you would have spent on shaving products to cancer research. People have participated in No Shave November before, but not everyone donates the money to cancer research. In my opinion, it is a little weird because that means you grow all of your body hair out for a month like a caveman just to shave it in December.

I feel that if you do not shave for the month of November, you should donate money to cancer research instead of spending it somewhere else. Some may ask, “What if I cannot grow out facial hair because of my job?” The fundraiser does not have any limitations on the type of body hair. One can grow out facial hair, leg hair or your head hair. If you do not want to grow out any hair, that is perfectly fine as long as you can donate money. As of Nov. 1, 2018, the total amount of all donations is $369,065. The top donor is the Denver Sheriff Department as they have donated $4,730.

I think that the fundraiser is a great thing that needs to be talked about and advertised more. It donates to programs such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Fight Colorectal Cancer foundation and the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Some may think that No Shave November has no rules, but there are two rules: put the razor down for 30 days and donate what one would spend monthly on hair maintenance to the fundraiser. The misunderstood fundraiser benefits the public because you donate the money to cancer research, which helps those who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy. In addition, it is healthy for your skin if you give the razor a rest for a little while. With the fundraiser having zero negative effects or outcomes, there is no reason not to do it.

The people who participate in the fundraiser but do not donate the money should not consider themselves participants. Participating and not donating the money is simply teasing cancer patients and those affected by the disease. Put yourself in a cancer patient’s shoes. A lot of people are walking around the whole month of November with huge beards and locks of hair just to throw away the hair at the end of the month.

Overall, it is a great cause, but people need to be more informed about the cause. You should know about any fundraiser or cause before partaking in it. With good research and a lot of people talking about the fundraiser, I feel that No Shave November could gain a lot of traction and a lot of support. With the right support and celebrities behind the cause, No Shave November can be participated by men and women across the globe.

Visit no-shave.org to learn about the history of No Shave November, families affected by the cause or to make a donation.