No Shave November in Birmingham is all about men’s health. Enter our sweeps now.

No Shave November in Birmingham means a lot of guys are putting down the razors to get people talking about some major challenges to men’s health. Enter our sweeps today by posting a picture of your beard or ‘stache on Instagram and tag @bhamnow between now and end of November. Use #BhamNowBeards. You could win a grooming kit from Freedom Soap Co.

While prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health aren’t the easiest topics to talk about, No Shave November makes raising awareness—and money—fun.

1—Enter during No Shave November in Birmingham for a chance to win a shave kit from Freedom Soap Co.

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A post shared by Freedom Soap Company (@freedomsoaps)

Maybe you’ve seen dudes sporting beards and wanted to get in on the action. Perhaps a ‘stache is more your style. Either way, it’s easy to enter Bham Now’s awareness-raising sweeps, for a chance to win your very own personal grooming kit from the good people Freedom Soap Co.

1. Hop over to Instagram from now to November 30 and post a picture of yourself sporting a beard or ‘stache.
2. Tag us @bhamnow and use the hashtag #BhamNowBeards.
3. We’ll pick our winner in early December and let you know.

2—Mayor Woodfin’s doing No Shave November in Birmingham. What are you waiting for?

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A post shared by Mayor Randall Woodfin (@woodfinforbham)

It’s good for guys to open up about things nobody wants to talk about, like cancer and suicide. Talking about them takes away the stigma and makes it easier for everyone to know warning signs and take good care of themselves by getting screened.

When it comes to cancer, early detection is the name of the game. When it comes to suicide, let’s take away the shame and make it where nobody’s embarrased to ask for help. Because sometimes life gets hard, and there’s almost always help available.

3—Several organizations are in the action Here’s why.

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A post shared by The Mike Slive Foundation (@mikeslivefdn)

• The Mike Slive Foundation, ‘Staches for Slive. This Saturday, November 16, there’s a Staches for Slive event at Cahaba Brewing. 1-5% of beer sales will go to the Mike Slive Foundation to help in the fight against prostate cancer.
• The Prevent Cancer Foundation encourages people to put down their razors and spend what they would have spent on grooming to help stop cancer.
• The Deep South Cancer Foundation has some of the funniest No Shave related writing I’ve ever seen. Worth checking out their website for that alone, even though their donate and leader board buttons seem to be inactive this year.

4—How No Shave November works

The basic idea is you quit shaving for the month of November and donate whatever you would’ve spent on shaving to an organization of your choice. Ideally, you also talk about why you’re doing it with the people in your world. Or at least tag us on Instagram @bhamnow, #BhamNow Beards.

5—A fun little quiz to get you talking

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A post shared by Birmingham Legion FC (@bhmlegion)

So I’m no quiz-writing pro, but I’ve certainly taken plenty of them in my life. This one’s a mixture of multiple choice and Q + A. Have fun:

Who’s your favorite hairy movie character?
a. Dumbledore in Harry Potter
b. Aragorn in Lord of the Rings
c. Animal in the Muppet Movie
d. Hagrid from Harry Potter

• Q. How many men out of 100 will get prostate cancer in their lifetime?
• A. 13 and 2-3 will die from it. Age, being African American, and having a family member with the disease increase your risk.
• Check out the Centers for Disease Control to learn more.

Who has the best ‘stache?
a. Jonathan van Ness from Queer Eye
b. Freddie Mercury from Queen
c. Groucho Marx

• Q. What’s the most commonly diagnosed cancer among guys 15-34?
• A. Testicular cancer
• Find out more about testicular cancer with The American Cancer Society.

• Q. Where can you find out more about mental health and suicide prevention in Birmingham?
• A. Bham Now, of course.
• 9 ways we can all support veterans in Birmingham
• Here’s to taking care of yourself from the inside out
• Need mental health help in Birmingham?
• Holiday depression in Birmingham is a real danger. Here’s what you can do.

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There’s still time to get in on the #BhamNowBeards action.

Take a picture of you sporting your beard or ‘stache and tag us @bhamnow on Instagram. Use hashtag #BhamNowBeards, and enter for a chance to win a grooming kit from Freedom Soap Co. See you on Instagram!