We would like to inform all of our readers that November is now going to be referred to as NoSHAVEmber. This is a holiday for everyone to put down their razors all across the U.S. and avoid cutting any body or facial hair. The purpose of going shave-free for an entire month is to raise awareness about the various types of cancer that affect both men and women.

This month is very similar to Movember — a month that’s focused on fighting men’s cancer, particularly testicular cancer. However, the difference with this month is that NoSHAVEmber focuses on all cancers that affect both men and women.

The History of NoSHAVEmber

We can’t help but think that the creation of this month was inspired by Movember, a month that was created in 2003 to raise awareness for prostate and testicular cancers. NoSHAVEmber was created by a Facebook group in 2009 and was celebrated for a few years before it partnered with the American Cancer Society in 2013.

Important Facts About Cancer

Since NoSHAVEmber is a month that’s designed to raise awareness about all cancers and not a particular one, we thought that we’d give some information about cancer for everyone to consider. Below are some facts about cancer that we feel everyone can appreciate, so let’s take a quick look at them before we continue on with our discussion of No-Shave November.

• In 2022, there were an estimated 1.9 million new cancer cases diagnosed and over 609,000 cancer deaths in the U.S.
• There are over 100 different types of cancer, and any part of the human body can be affected by it.
• The most common cancers for men are lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers.
• The most common cancers for women are breast, lung, and colorectal.
• Approximately 67% of people in the U.S. diagnosed with cancer will live an additional 5 years or more.
• Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world.
• Cancer accounts for approximately 16% of the world’s deaths every year.
• The largest preventable cause of cancer in the world is tobacco use.
• Tobacco use accounts for 30% of all cancer deaths and 80% of all lung cancer deaths.

Observing NoSHAVEmber

Aside from avoiding razors, trimmers, and other means of cutting body or facial hair, people can also observe this month by using the hashtag #NoSHAVEmber on social media sites. Another way to observe this month is by donating money to cancer research, raising funds for cancer research, or by learning more about cancer. People can also participate by signing up to officially participate in No-Shave November. All that’s required is to stop shaving and set up a personal fundraising page.