It takes a brave bloody person to shave off their luscious locks in the name of blood cancer.
As someone who’s accidentally shaved their head in the past with a beard trimmer, I can completely relate to the hesitation people experience when they’re asked to remove their head-warmers for the World’s Greatest Shave. The only difference is that I shaved my head out of drunken spontaneity, while these World’s Greatest Shave volunteers are doing it for a damn good cause and they must be celebrated.
So, without further ado, here are a few 11/10 humans who decided that the fight against blood cancer was worth rocking a bold-as-hell buzz cut.
If you’re unfamiliar with the whole sitch, World’s Greatest Shave run an annual event where good souls sign up to shave their head, all the while raising a bunch of cash to defeat blood cancer.
As WGS volunteer Mel put it:
“I decided to do World’s Greatest Shave because I have never really done anything BIG for a charity before, it was definitely my time! To me shaving off all your hair is a pretty BIG thing and it forces you to do something selfless outside of donating money. It also makes you think about the side effects people go through when getting treatment which is important for all people to understand regardless of whether they know someone who has had leukemia or not. Friends and family really get behind what you are doing too – I was able to raise over $5,000”.
The event’s running 13-17 March 2019, so if you or a buddy are interested, you can still get involved here. If you’re hesitant, remember that hair grows back. Or alternatively, you’ll bloody froth the look and keep rocking the buzz for the foreseeable future.
We spoke to Sarah, a veteran hairdresser, to get the low-down on maintaining your fresh new buzz to give hesitant people a little reassurance.
What should you do after you get the trim? The beauty about a buzz cut is that if you’re willing to keep it short, you don’t really have to worry too much day-to-day. You might get the occasional bed head, but a quick shower should sort everything out.
How do you care for short hair? It’s all in the products you use. I’d recommend a good shampoo that’s designed specifically for the scalp. Now that you have very little hair to worry about, your scalp should be priority number one. A moisturiser with SPF in it should be applied much more often, as your head will be seeing a lot more sun than it’s used to.
What if you want to grow it out? Get a jump on your future hairstyle by seeing your go-to hairdresser to work out a plan. Hair doesn’t always grow the way we want it to, but your hairdresser will be able to work their magic to style it however you want (unless what you want doesn’t suit your face, then we’ll try to work together to figure out the best approach).
What else should you consider if you want to get a buzz? You should have a really good skincare regime. All eyes will be on your face seeing as your hair is no longer covering anything up or distracting anyone, so get a good cleanser, toner and moisturiser. Like your scalp, make sure you’re using a moisturiser with SPF because the sun is not forgiving.
Need even more of a reason to get involved? Margot, another World’s Greatest Shave volunteer, has some comforting words for anyone who might want to take the big ol’ leap:
“…[It] was something I had been planning on doing for nine years, and for me it was about finding the right time.
More broadly, I wanted to support cancer research through fundraising. Even if my fundraising was a drop in the ocean, I believe everything helps. It’s also had a snowball effect – four of my work colleagues are getting involved this year! The feeling of putting energy into a good cause helps to refresh your perspective on life, and is a good reminder that you are part of something bigger.
Don’t be scared to shave your head either. Hair will grow back. Watching my hair grow has been a lot of fun. It’s currently a pixie cut filled with curls. I used to have shoulder-length hair and I will never go back. Short hair rules.”
Let’s shave the world from blood cancer, team.
