Hello, all, newbie here. Brief self-intro: Waist-length, naturally curly hair starting to go grey. Individual strands are very fine, but I have no thinning patches. The curls make my hair appear to be thick, but I my braids are never of very large diameter. I would like to have it just long enough that I don't sit on it, still working on that project, and it is growing out, very, very slowly. And I have my Mom trim about an inch off when I see her every 3 months or so. I do color it every 2-3 months to cover up the grey, but since I use a color very close to my natural one, I don't redo the color until I have a couple of inches of roots.

Civilian job: CNA at a hospital, have to at least pull my hair back, so I whip it up in a quick ponytail or bun with a scrunchi. Off-duty hairstyle: I wear my glorious long curls down and free, my method of curling it is to simply spray it with water and let it air dry.

Here's the big thing, though: I'm in the National Guard, so at least once a month, my hair has to conform to military standards. Briefly, the reg goes something like this: no fad hairstyles (i.e. zigzag parts or zigzag cornrows, no non-natural looking colors, etc.), no ornamentation (visible clips & scrunchies must be either black or of a shade close to the hair color), bangs on the forehead cannot touch the eyebrows and must be pushed up when wearing military hats so as to not show out the front of them. Females with hair too short to pull back may have hair to the bottom of their shirt collar. Females with long hair must put it up so that it doesn't touch the top of the collar. (Males' hair must be short enough that it doesn't touch the top of the collar, and they can't have bangs or sideburns.) All hairstyles must be able to accommodate the appropriate military headgear.

Most females just twist their hair up in a quick bun, which I sometimes do, if I'm in a hurry. But having that big softball at the base of my neck can push my Kevlar helmet forward over my eyes, which, of course, is an issue, because I have to be able to see. I usually French braid my hair at night and tuck under and roll the end of the braid till it doesn't show, then hold it up with a very plain scrunchi. But I really am not very good at it, and my natural curls complicate it, too. I have to braid my hair wet, add lots of gel before I braid it, and lots of hairspray afterwards to try to keep the little fuzzy, flyaway curls from escaping. I've been using an EasyBraider (a green, 5-fingered thing with purple foam) to help me get a tight braid. It's a Godsend in that it will hold my hair and I can use two hands to comb out each section every time I twine it over another one. I can spend anywhere from just 20 minutes to over an hour getting a good, tight braid. But, if it's tight enough, I've had them last up to 4 days, too. I can braid my hair without the EasyBraider, but it's easier with it. Unfortunately, the last time I used it, a chunk of the purple foam came off, and I haven't seen this wonderful tool in the stores for a while now. Does anyone know where I can get another one?

Is there anyone else here in the military? How do you do your hair? Are there any other suggestions for how to put up my long hair so that it will stay up with a minimum of clips in the type of conditions I encounter in the military? I'm constantly taking headgear on and off, sometimes it's as light as a beret, but other times it's my Kevlar helmet. I don't have time to be constantly readjusting my hair. Flat metal clips, bobby pins, and hair pins are allowed, but not necessarily encouraged because if we encounter a chemical environment, they can corrode. Thick plastic barrettes (like lots of kids like), butterfly clips, etc., are not allowed. I try to keep my hair under control simply with lots of gel and hairspray and scrunchies.

Hello and welcome 8-)

I am sorry but I don't have any answers to any of your questions but I am sure some of the ladies here can help you.


But I will mention that I know a lady with long hair who is in the national gurard and served a tour of duty in Iraq.  She has straight waist length dark brown hair.  She works in the same building that I do and if I knew her better I would ask her the questions you asked but I don't think it would be appropriate for me to do so.

I do not know anything about the military and hair regulations.  I always assumed when a guy joined the military they got the famous crew cut.  But after that, how long are they allowed to grow it out.
And if a lady joins is she allowed to keep the length she has no matter how long it is?  Or is there a length limit?

Jerry

Hi!  Your hair sounds gorgeous, I hope you'll post a pic of it.

I'm not sure I have anything helpful for you.  I have thick wavy/curly hair and use amish hairpins to hold my buns in place and a velvet scrunchi for pony tails.

As for hairstyles and helmets, what comes to my mind is two pigtail braids, crossed over in the back, wrapped around the head and pinned.

Good Luck!

Hi and welcome!  I don't have much to offer either.  My only friend in the military kept her hair high and tight like the men. :o  She said it was alot easyer that way.

Well, I can tell you that around here, the female Marines do a sock bun.  There is a video on how to do that on the net.  You may be able to find it by googling "Female Marine sock bun for hair."

Is there a way to put a sock bun higher up so it's inside your helmet instead of at the base of your neck?

I am a former Marine (well not former, just not active; once a Marine always a marine  ;) ), but I alway kept my hair short.  Female Marines must keep long hair up without showing any pins, etc.  That internet tutorial is a great source and will show you how.

Good luck!

Thanks for that info, SilverFit.  Good to know!!

Sorry, but I to have no suggestions for you. I hope you can figure something out though.  
Oh, and thanks for serving in the National Gaurd. You have a bravery that I admire. :)

I'm Navy, so I don't have to worry about wearing a helmet much.  On the rare occassions I get a ride in a helo and have to wear a cranial, or I have to wear my Dress Uniform cover, I split my hair into two french braids, then sort of wind them around each other to form a flattish braided bun at the nape of my neck.  If I'm begging for time, I just pull half of my hair back into a ponytail, then tail it and the loose hair together at the nape, then twist it into a bun.  I only do the braid job if I have plenty of time and warning.

It would be wonderful to see pics of how you wear your hair to meet the necessary military standards.  I know I've received the question several times and have tried to describe styles, but having pics would be great.

I can't do the braids anymore; *I* didn't actually braid my hair, my friend in berthing did it for me!  ;D  I can't braid worth a clipped nickel unless my hair's already in a pony tail.  I can do a photo sequence  so you can see that YES, I can in fact cram all of this mane of mine into a within-standards bun.  :D

Having a friend to braid your hair is wonderful. - I wish I had someone to do mine.  I can braid my own hair, but sometimes it is nice to have someone else do it for you.

I'd love to see your military standards bun!