Can You Have Dreads in the Military?

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One of the most disappointing things about life in the 21st century is the negative perception that people with dreadlocks receive from others.

From walking on the streets to the workplace, as a dread head you’re bound to face some form of stigmatization because of the style in which you choose to wear your hair.

Personally speaking, I’ve been in quite a few situations where an acquaintance or even a relative scolded me for having dreadlocks and suggested that I cut them all off for a clean-shaven look!

It’s honestly bizarre.

Because this style of hair is often viewed as unprofessional, with some employers even going so far as to terminate workers who adopt dreadlocks, one can start to wonder whether such discrimination exists when it comes to the military.

A lot of people aspire to represent their nation through military service, and as a dread head or aspiring dread head someone would want to know what restrictions the military has in place when it comes to how hair should be kept and maintained.

This article will reveal all the necessary details by looking through the specific rules on hair grooming for each military branch in the United States of America.

So, let’s start with a quick summary…

Male soldiers in all military branches are prohibited from having dreadlocks in any capacity, instead being restricted to close-shaven hair styles that are short in length. Conversely, female soldiers in the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Air and Space Force branches are permitted to wear dreadlocks provided they are kept neat.

Read on to get the full picture.

Table Of Contents
  1. Rules for having dreadlocks by military branch
  2. Will male military members be permitted to have dreadlocks in the future?

Rules for having dreadlocks by military branch

You’d think the United States military would be all about uniformity regardless of gender, right?

Well, this actually couldn’t be further from the truth.

The male and female soldiers who commit to serve their country do usually wear the same attire, but when it comes to hair styles, the rules are drastically different.

Let’s take a look at what regulations are in place for each military branch, starting with the…

1. Army

The United States Army has had an outright ban on dreadlocks for several years.

Back in the day, if you were a man or a woman who wanted to enroll in the Army and you had dreadlocks, you had to come to the gut-wrenching decision of cutting them in order to pursue your career.

Fortunately, in the present day, things are a little different.

This is because the army recently announced a partial lift of the ban on dreadlocks, allowing female soldiers to wear the style provided they are well kept and adhere to the Army’s specific standards on personal grooming.

can you have dreads in the military - yes for women in the armed forces

Sgt. Maj. Anthony J. Moore, the uniform policy branch sergeant major inside the Army’s G-1 sector, stated that the policy change was made to increase diversity in the service and to provide more opportunities for members of the population to enlist to serve their country.

Here’s a quote on this from the man himself:

“It’s one more option for female hairstyles. Females have been asking for a while, especially females of African-American decent, to be able to wear dreadlocks, and locks, because it’s easier to maintain that hairstyle.”

Source – U.S. Army

This doesn’t mean that the military has gone soft on the rules by any means, as the Army directive still requires dreadlocks to be of:

  • Uniform dimension
  • A diameter no greater than half an inch

So, as a woman you certainly have to maintain a professional and well-groomed appearance if you opt for this hair style.

2. Navy

Just like the army, the Navy doesn’t allow men to wear dreadlocks in any shape or form.

That in itself certainly isn’t surprising.

On the other hand, the rules are more accommodating for women, who have permission to wear dreadlocks, provided the following set of criteria are met:

  • Locks must continue from the root to the end of the hair in one direction and encompass the whole head (i.e. no zig zagging, curving, kinks or other imperfections)
  • Square or rectangular lock partings that look neat and professional with minimal frizz;
  • New hair growth must not exceed one-half inch at any time; and
  • Dreadlocks can not be worn in combination with any other hair styles

Refer to the official US Navy regulations on uniform and personal appearance for an exhaustive list of all the dreadlock requirements.

3. Coast Guard

The story is the same for members of the U.S.A Coast Guard.

Men are prohibited from rocking dreadlocks, whilst there are allowances in place for the female gender.

Males must have closely-shaved hair that doesn’t touch their collar or extend more than two inches past the scalp.

For women, dreadlocks can be worn provided that they don’t have a lot of hangtime, particularly if they’re widely spaced (i.e. more than a quarter of an inch of space between rows).

Additionally, females who have dreadlocks that are less widely spaced and shorter in length can be worn down, which is really good.

One last thing to note here is that the dreadlocks don’t interfere with a woman soldier’s ability to put on their head gear in a timely and proper manner.

You can have a read of the Coast Guard grooming standards document for more information.

4. Marine Corps

When it comes to Marine Corps, dreadlock regulations are relatively straightforward.

Your marine commander will have the final say on how appropriate your locks are, regardless of what the official marine corps uniform regulations state.

As expected, there is no place for men with dreadlocks within this branch of the military, although women are allowed to wear this style provided that the locks appear sleek and neat.

More so, the rules here stipulate that dreadlocks should be small (i.e. no more than 3/8 of an inch in diameter or thinner) as well as not being too heavy as to place a significant weight on your head.

The latter could prevent you from effectively carrying out your marine duties.

5. Air and Space Forces

You guessed it!

For the Air and Space Forces, men aren’t permitted to have dreadlocks in any way whatsoever.

However, women get a pass here provided that the dreadlocks don’t create more than four inches of hair bulk from the scalp.

This particular regulation ensures that women can wear their headgear properly.

One other point to note is that a female air force member in uniform must put their locks into a low ponytail, or alternatively wear them in a bun.

After all, it’s all about that neat and tidy appearance as you’ve come to know about the military.

Have a read of the rules for the Air Force via official PDF here, along with the Space Force guidelines here.

Will male military members be permitted to have dreadlocks in the future?

Obviously, the future is unknown.

Perhaps the rules will be kinder to the future generations of male military soldiers.

It’s very disheartening to have to give up a dreadlock journey or cut one short for the chance to serve one of the world’s strongest nations, but that’s just how things are at the moment.

The good news is that the world is slowly changing.

Very few people would have thought that the legalization of gay marriage would be an actual thing, but here we are today!

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