THE whole country has joined in with the “no makeup selfie” craze — and Bolton is no exception.

Women from across the borough have been wiping off the mascara and lippy in favour of a more natural look to help raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Alex Derbyshire, aged 31, posted her selfie and donated £3 to the cause for her mum, Pauline, who had to have a hysterectomy after she developed cervical cancer.

Miss Derbyshire, who owns The Cutting Room hairdressers and tattooists in Chorley Old Road, even shaved her hair off last year to support her mum, who lost her locks after undergoing rounds of chemotherapy.

The mum-of-two now often wears wigs to change her style on a daily basis, and makeup is a regular feature in her look, so the #NoMakeupSelfie was a bit of a challenge for her.

She said: “Everyone knows someone who has had cancer — it is surprising that a cure hasn’t been found yet, so the more people donate the more money goes to research, which can only be a good thing.

“I shaved my hair off in September for my mum who had to have a hysterectomy from cervical cancer. She had six months of chemo and lost all her hair.

“I love doing selfies for Facebook, especially when I experiment with different wigs. It’s just a bit of fun – I don’t take it seriously.

“It’s a big challenge for a girl to go back to basics and bare all. I don’t wear a lot of makeup usually — it all depends on what wig I am wearing that day. But it is totally worth doing for such a good cause and I would urge everyone to join in.”

The #NoMakeupSelfie has already raised a massive £2 million for Cancer Research.

It started trending last Tuesday and cancer awareness became the theme, with selfie posters pledging donations to cancer charities and CRUK set up a text number to make donating even easier.

But the cancer charity did not kick-start the trend — it grew organically, making a huge impact on social media and getting attention in newspapers and on radio and TV news.

To donate £3 to Cancer Research UK, text BEAT to 70099.

TOWER FM’s Simon Morykin has joined in with a number of men from Bolton who are keen to help raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK.

The Morykin in the Morning presenter was dared to don the war paint after a listener rang into his show.

After a number of calls supporting the idea, Simon bravely did the deed before donating money to Cancer Research UK.

Simon said: “I love raising money for charity, but I don’t think I’ll be making a habit of wearing makeup… although I have been told it rather suits me.”