Gentlemen around the globe are abandoning their razors this month for Movember, a now-international men's health awareness movement that began in Melbourne, Australia, in 2003.

The idea is simple: Throughout the month of November, men are encouraged to grow and groom their mustaches to bring attention to health issues affecting men like prostate and testicular cancer. Some add fundraising elements to their hairy commitments, and the Movember Foundation reports more than $559 million U.S. dollars have been raised for such causes since the organization and movement's inception 11 years ago.

Participants are a week into their monthlong vows at this point, though, and facial hair can often get out of hand (why should your neck look like Chewbacca's until December?). With that, we decided to chat up Henry Harvey, a shaving consultant at the Art of Shaving's Fashion Show Mall location, for some pro grooming tips:

When to shave: "It's better to shave either in the shower or right after the shower, because the hair is wet so it'll be easier to cut. Also, the skin is going to be nice and warm, and the pores are open so the skin will be nice and flexible."

How to prep: "We start with our ... pre-shave oil. The pre-shave oil provides a barrier on the skin, so the blade glides across the skin causing less irritation, as well as protection against nicks and cuts."

How to achieve the right lather: "We use a great shave cream, which is a glycerin- and coconut oil-based. It doesn’t lather up on its own, we use a badger hair brush to achieve a rich lather. We use the badger hair brushes because it's a hollow follicle, which retains moisture and heat to generate warmer shave cream, as well as [to] lift the hair away from the face and exfoliate skin cells to achieve a closer shave with less passes of the razor ... Use warm water [with the shave cream], because warm water with the brush is going to generate that nice warm lather."

Which way to shave: "During the shave, it is really important to shave on the first pass with the grain. And then it's important to re-lather to protect the skin, and then shave against the grain."

What to do after: "Rinse off with cold water to tone up the skin. Then you would pat dry the face and apply the aftershave balm."

What to use if you're just trimming: "If you're trimming, you would use a mustache or goatee trimmer."

On beard and mustache maintenance: "Moisturizing is really important. We also carry mustache and beard wax as well as mustache and beard oil. Those [products] help keep the hair and skin moisturized so the hair grows out without irritating the skin ... [and also helps] the hair lay straight."

The Art of Shaving Locations at Fashion Show Mall, Mandalay Place, Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood, the Forum Shops at Caesars, the Venetian's Canal Shoppes and the Shops at Summerlin. theartofshaving.com