Groomed. Short. Thick. Long. Wispy. When it comes to men and their facial hair, it’s usually a split down the middle on what women prefer. But in the month of November, many men will ditch the razors to grow moustaches. And it’s not for the gaze of women.
In actuality, this month-long facial hair fest’ takes place in solidarity with men across the world to raise awareness for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men’s mental health.
The cause
A combination of the words ‘moustache’ and ‘November’, Movember is an annual event in which the challenge is to grow a moustache and raise money and awareness for men’s health issues in the process.
Launched in 2004 in Australia, the Movember Foundation quickly drew worldwide support, with supporters hailing from South Africa, Europe and the USA by 2006. Since its inception, it has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects, from non-contact boxercise classes to help men develop friends through fitness, to parenting programmes for dads to help build happier home environments.
Not just for men, Movember also calls on women to join the cause – however, there’s no need to forgo your fortnightly top lip waxing! Dubbed ‘Mo Sisters’, female supporters are encouraged to host fundraising events, donate to a Mo Bro’s campaign, create their own challenges, and encourage the men in their lives to be proactive about their health.
Quick ‘tache tips
Whether you’re just growing a moustache, or eschewing the use of your trimmer in favour of the full moustache-beard combo, here are some tips for growing facial hair successfully (and without the itch).
1. Use beard oil from the get-go
You don’t have to wait until your moustache or beard is fuller in order to use beard oil. By adopting the habit of applying oil daily, you’ll find that your facial hair grows softer and feels more comfortable. If you’re prone to acne, find a non-comedogenic oil to discourage break-outs.
2. Comb daily
Accompany your oil application with a thorough comb-through to get rid of tangles and align your hair pattern if you desire a more regimented look. Eventually, the hairs will settle into a pattern that is easy to work with, reducing styling time. This is especially relevant to men with textured hair who are concerned about multi-directional growth.
3. Don’t compare
Every man’s facial hair grows at a different rate. Thickness, texture and even colour (yes, your facial hair can be a different shade to the hair on your head) vary across the board. Therefore, if you want to be content with your moustache, don’t compare it to others!
Whether you think moustaches are outdated and a bit ‘meh’ surely you can overlook it if it’s for a good cause, right? In fact, a man doing a good deed is rather sexy. So, bring on the patchy beards, quirky moustaches and the Santa looks whatever the style, because here at Spell we are in full support of this cause. Many of us women have men in our lives too great not to support. To show our enthusiasm to the cause and to encourage you to get men to join Movember, we have selected eye candy in full beard mode.
Want to help the cause? Visit Movember.com
