4.5c Personal Grooming Standards for Females

Males, you will need to know this as well.

Hair

Will Be / Will Have

  • clean, well groomed and neat
  • natural looking color for human beings (e.g., blonde, brunette, natural red, black or grey)
  • styled to present a professional appearance
  • hair accessories if worn, fabric scrunchies, hairpins, combs, clips, headbands, elastic bands and barrettes will match the hair color (except for black accessories which are authorized regardless of hair color)
  • Pinned up hair will be styled in a manner that prevents loose ends from extending upward on the head (e.g., when using a clip or hairpins, hair will not present the appearance of a rooster tail)
  • when worn in a bun, all loose ends will be tucked in and secured, and bun will not be wider than the width of the head
  • when worn in a ponytail, it must be a single ponytail; that does not exceed bulk and length standards
  • locs, braids, twists, micro-braids, French braids, Dutch braids and cornrows are authorized (if adding additional hair, it must be a solid color similar to individual’s hair color, conservative and not present a faddish appearance)
  • locs, braids/twists will be uniform in width and not wider than 1 inch with natural spacing, and tightly interwoven
  • Multiple locs and braids will be uniform in width and no larger than ¼ inch in diameter showing no more than ¼ scalp, conservative and not present a faddish appearance
  • no minimum length requirement cut only by a professional during BMT

Will Not

  • contain excessive amounts of grooming aids
  • touch the eyebrows or be visible in the front of properly worn headgear (exception is the women’s flight cap)
  • color, highlights or frosting must not be faddish
  • be worn in an extreme or faddish style
  • violate safety requirements
  • extend below any side of an invisible line drawn parallel to the ground at the bottom edge of the shirt collar, regardless of length
  • be of excessive length
  • include hair ornaments (e.g., ribbons, beads, or jeweled pins)
  • prevent proper wear of headgear, including helmet or chemical mask
  • synthetic hair is not authorized if it interferes with safety or mission requirements
  • mohawks, mullets or etched designs are not authorized
  • exceed 3 ½ inches in bulk
  • contain or have any visible foreign items attached to it
  • have headbands or fabric scunchies that exceed 1 inch in width

Cosmetics

Will Be / Will Have

  • conservative and in good taste

Will Not

  • be worn in field conditions

Nail Polish and Lipstick

Will Be / Will Have

  • single color (compliment skin tone)
  • French manicure allowed

Will Not

  • nails will not exceed ¼ inch past tip of finger
  • be of shades that distinctly contrast with complexion, detract from uniform or that are extreme (extreme colors include but are not limited to: purple, gold, blue, black, bright “fire-engine” red and florescent colors)
  • apply designs/decorations, two-tone or multi-tone colors (excluding French manicure)