Once a year, people all over the country collectively put down their razors and let their hair follicles run rampant. Both men and women participate in No-Shave November. Whether it is a man letting his beard grow out or a woman wearing pants to cover their hairy legs for a whole month, the main purpose is to raise money and awareness for cancer research.

How is money raised from people just not shaving? Websites like

 www.no-shavenovember.com and www.movember.com explain the purposes of No-Shave November and explain ways to get involved.

The goal of No-Shave November is to grow out your hair since cancer

patients are unable to due to specific treatments. In honor of the patients, donations are made to the American Cancer Society; money they would be spending on shaving supplies, such as razors and shaving creams.

“I’m doing Movember, which is when you only grow out your mustache,” sophomore Dylan Solomon said. “My grandpa has prostate cancer so my family is raising money and my uncle, grandpa and I are all participating in Movember.”

Not all No-Shave November partakers have a purpose for participating, some are just doing it for the fun of it. For example, junior Michael Elmaleh is letting his beard grow just to have something to commit to.

“This is the first time I’m participating in something like this, and it has been pretty great,” Elmaleh said. “It gets pretty itchy when I go to sleep and my beard scratches against the pillow but it’s not a problem.”

If you are interested in No-Shave Novemeber, visit www.no-shavenovember.com or www.movember.comn for information on rules and how you can donate or if you are interested in creating a participating team.