Movember (3 Top Tips)
Movember is an international movement of moustache and beard growing to raise awareness for men’s health issues. These include prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. Movember is a fantastic way to raise money for charity, increase awareness and try out growing a moustache! The English Shaving Company has some top tips to help you this Movember.
What is Movember?
Movember happens in the month of November. From the 1st to the 30th, men throughout the world will be growing their facial hair to raise awareness of men’s health conditions including prostate cancer and mental health. Men are sponsored to grow ‘mo’s’ to raise money for the cause. Some people grow full beards while others opt for the charming moustache. Whatever your style, get involved this November. Check out the Movember website for more information on the charity and the work they do to increase awareness and tackle men’s health problems.
Movember Rules
The basic Movember principle is simple: for the whole month of November, commit to growing your facial hair. Every individual can assign their own set of rules. You might allow yourself to shave your face, as long as you keep that moustache going. The rules below outline the ‘official’ way to do Movember:
Clean Shave
On 31 October, you should completely shave your face for a fresh canvas come 1 November! Growing a moustache or beard from scratch can be a daunting prospect, but that’s half the fun and just gives people more incentive to donate money to this worthy cause. There’s no reward without a challenge!
The ‘Moust’ Have
Everyone participating in Movember must have a moustache. Officially, there are no beards allowed, moustaches only! The style of moustache, however, is down to you.
Raise Awareness
Moustaches are a great conversation starter. Talk to people about what you’re doing and why. Use your moustache to raise awareness of the issues men are facing today and collect donations to go towards tackling these problems. Whether you shave your 'tache on 1 December or keep it over the Christmas season and beyond is up to you! Once your moustache gets going, it’s also within the rules to trim and maintain it.
Movember Tips
1. Prepare Right
The official rules mean you should shave any existing facial hair before November 1st. We know you want to get that moustache growing as quickly as possible, but it’s important not to skimp on the shave. Do this right and you’ll be much more comfortable in those first couple of weeks as you’ll avoid bumps, irritation and ingrown hairs. Use a quality razor with a sharp blade, as well as a shaving soap that can be worked into a rich lather. This will help to minimise shaving rash. It’s also important to finish the shave with an aftershave. Aftershaves help to disinfect your skin and therefore reduce the chance of getting infected hair follicles during the first week of Movember. It’s a good plan to invest in some beard oil before you start so you can keep your skin moisturised and your facial hair healthy as it grows. 
2. Decide on your Style
Before your start, it’s important to check the rules and work out whether you’re following the official guidelines or doing your own take on Movember. Make sure those you’re asking for donations from know what you’re doing. If you’ve never grown a moustache before, you might not know how your facial hair is going to turn out. It can make it hard to plan a particular style, so often the best thing to do is to let it do its thing and see what happens! Keep an eye on your tash as it develops and get ready to trim and shape into a more obvious style when the time comes.
3. Own It
Our final Movember tip is to own it! Whether you are expecting a fantastic, thick moustache by the end of November, or think it’s more likely to be a bit patchy and thin, take pride in your efforts and tell people what you’re doing. Are you participating in Movember? We would love to hear from you in the comments.