10 Essentials For No-Shave November
Its the first week of November, which means that No-Shave November has officially begun. For those who don’t know, Movember, or No-Shave November as some would prefer to call it, officially began (according to some sources, not all) in 2004 when 30 Australian men grew fantastic mustaches for 30 days to inspire awareness for men’s prostate cancer and depression.
Today, the Movember Foundation continues this tradition by asking every man to “Change the Face of Men’s Health” by ditching the razor for the entire month of November. On your journey to facial hair stardom, here are 10 No-Shave November essentials for yourself and others looking to support the cause this year.
Duke Cannon Big Bourbon Beard Balm
Maintaining your new beard is a cinch thanks to Duke Cannon’s Big Bourbon Beard Balm. Its made with superior ingredients such as lanolin and cocoa butter (and a bit of actual Buffalo Trace bourbon) to moisturize your coarse face rug and tame those pesky flyaways, while a masculine woodsy, oak barrel scent will be sure to keep your budding beard from looking and smelling like an unruly mountain man.
Whisker Dam
If you’re doing your part to raise awareness for cancer by participating in No-Shave November, then your mustache will soon be well on it’s way to becoming a respectable crumb duster. The only drawback to a great set of lip hair is navigating a glass of beer without wearing it. A noble solution to the beer-soaked mustache problem is the Whisker Dam, a 100% copper mustache guard dressed with a classic patina that sits securely on your beer glass and protects your hard-earned mustache from drowning in beer. It also works well with a coffee mug.
Peckerhead Mustache Wax
A firm-hold mustache wax is harder to find than a gas station on a midwest road trip. Most mustache wax brands promise an all day stiff hold, but fail to deliver. Rest assured that your November-grown handlebar mustache will keep it’s shape well after quitting time thanks to Peckerhead’s stiff-hold concoction.
Kent Beard & Mustache Comb
Growing a beard is half the battle. The other half is maintaining it, and a great tool for the job is a pocket beard and mustache comb like this one from Kent. Finely-polished teeth ensure that brushing snags and knots out of your beard and lip rug is as painless as it possibly can be.
Honest Amish Beard Wax
A true beard wax has but one purpose: hold. Unlike beard balm, beard wax is not meant for softening or conditioning the beard hairs but instead to control and style longer, unruly beards. And the natural, sustainable ingredients found in Honest Amish Beard Wax will almost deliver the same hold as using a strong hold mustache wax in your beard, minus the ripping-your-hairs-out part of the process. Honest Amish Original Beard Wax is made by hand and from scratch, from local beeswax and organic oils and butters.
Of Beards And Men: The Revealing History of Facial Hair
This is a history book, of sorts, on the beard being a sign of masculinity and power. Of Beards and Men makes an argument that today’s bearded resurgence is part of a very long, centuries-old cycle in which beard and mustache styles have varied in response to changing ideals of grooming, identity, culture, and masculinity.
Bannerman Beard & Face Wash
Bannerman believes the journey to a great beard starts with the skin underneath. The products they offer are aimed to improve your skin, putting a stop to ingrown hairs, itchiness, and the dreaded beardruff. This beard and face wash contains chamomile and aloe to soothe your face, plus a white oak bark extract that functions as an effective astringent.
Jack Black Beard Oil
With nourishing ingredients like kalahari melon oil and Vitamin E, Jack Black continues to distinguish itself from other grooming brands on the market — the approach is no-nonsense, the packaging is seriously cool, and the brand’s Auto-Replenishment program makes things easy for you.
Whiskey Peaks Glasses
Trouble growing a beard? Whiskey is regarded by many men to be one of the best beard fertilizers in existence. Even if this is not true, sip some of the finest from one of the Whiskey Peaks Rocks Glasses and contemplate how great your mustache will look after No-Shave November.
Each of the four glasses features a different raised topographical bottom that recreates a famous U.S. mountaintop. The realistic peaks rising up from the bottom of your glass replicate the tops of Yosemite’s Half Dome, Mount Rainier, Denali, and Sequoia National Park’s Mount Whitney. Each lead-free crystal glass is also engraved with the name of the peak it celebrates.
One Thousand Beards: A Cultural History Of Facial Hair
Man’s greatest achievement, the beard, has been making a terrific and long-overdue comeback in our culture. There’s no better way to celebrate its re-emergence than with One Thousand Beards: A Cultural History of Facial Hair. This book features the story of the beard and mustache and its influence on our culture, past and present. It also includes details and illustrations on popular styles of beards and how to grow and maintain them. A must-have read for paying homage to every guy’s favorite pastime.
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