Purposes. The induction haircut has both practical and psychological purposes. Originally, one of the reasons for the induction haircut was to reduce the chances of disease among closely quartered recruits from different geographical areas (with varying immunities), such as head lice.
Though technically your head is not shaved in the military, males are given very close haircuts during basic training. Such induction or buzz cuts have become a rite of passage in joining the U.S. military, dating back to George Washington's leadership of the Continental Army.
In basic training, you take group showers. There's no way out of communal showers. They're required. Everyone in your barracks will enter the shower room assigned to your barracks when commanded.
Hair should be no longer than 4.0 inches. Hair may not touch the ears or collar. It also cannot extend below the eyebrows. Hair bulk cannot be more than 2.0 inches.
MALE HAIRSTYLES
There are some basic rules you must follow (no longer than 3 inches, bulk of hair cannot exceed 2 inches…), you can use hair products and can grow your hair out to the maximum length (as long as it is graduated from zero) or shave it clean, your choice.
Are you allowed to have a beard or mustache in the Marine Corps? Beards are not authorized. Mustaches, on the other hand, are. You need to meet certain criteria, and they are not allowed while you're in recruit training.
USMC Haircut Regulations
Hair will not be over 3 inches in length fully extended(an extended hair, not the style, determines proper length) on the upper portion of the head. The bulk of the hair shall not exceed approximately 2inches.
In terms of size of placement Marines are only prohibited from tattoos on their face, head, neck and hands, with the exception of one ring-like tattoo. Removing the ban on knee or elbow tattoos heralds the return of sleeves for Marines.
You are not required to get a haircut every week.
The order states that “men will be well groomed at all times,” and then goes into excruciating detail on style of fades, hair length — no more than three inches fully extended on the top of your head — and all the finer points about sideburns and tapering.
The “mohawk,” which is a shaved head, except for a strip of hair down the center of the head, is also prohibited. To better define the regulations of the male haircut, the hair must conform to the natural shape of the head without eccentric directional flow, twists or spiking.
The high and tight is a military variant of the crew cut. It is a very short hairstyle, characterized by the back and sides of the head being shaved to the skin and the option for the top to be blended or faded into slightly longer hair. It is most commonly worn by men in the U.S. armed forces.
AR 670-1 was revised to say you're a Soldier 24/7-365. Apparently this means that you must be cleanly shaven even off duty days and while on leave.
Military history buffs know that our military has had an on-again, off-again love affair with facial hair. The invention of chemical weapons ended the affair for good. Beards were prohibited across all branches for two reasons: Hygiene and the need for a good seal while wearing a gas mask.
As of 2020, the basic Marine active-duty pay for Private (E-1) Marines is: First four months of service: $1,602.30 per month or $19,227.60 per year. Over four months of service: $1,733.10 per month or $20,797.20 per year.
Color changes that detract from a professional image are prohibited. Facial/Chest Hair. The face will be clean-shaven, except that a mustache may be worn.
USMC Combat Engineer (MOS 1371)
Army Green Berets — "Special Forces"
Notably, Green Berets have some of the toughest initial training in the entire military (at the risk of drawing the ire of SEALs and Marine Recon). Their initial test lasts an incredible 24 days, and that's just to see if you can attend the Green Beret qualification course.
Although the Marines are highly respected and considered one of the most elite fighting forces, the Navy SEALs training is far more rigorous and demanding than that of the Marines.
The Marine Corps is the top-rated military service branch, according to reviews on the career website Glassdoor. The Corps, a small maritime component of the US Navy with just under 180,000 Marines on active-duty, holds a 4.2 star rating on the site, just edging out the Air Force with a rating of 4.1.
If their hair does not part naturally, they can cut parts into it if they follow these criteria: Parts can't exceed three millimeters in width (about 1/10 of an inch). Parts must be straight lines, not zigzag or other shapes. Hard parts must be cut into a natural part of the scalp (where a part would naturally occur).
Marines flock to their favorite to their favorite barber to keep up with their weekly medium fade, maintaining the status quo for the general population of Marines. Marines learn to fade in the field for upcoming deployments; the easiest to execute is the low fade.
Prior to the policy revision, the Army enacted rules that explicitly prohibited dreadlocks, twists, braids and other hairstyles common in the African-American community. Now, the Army and Navy joins the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard as military branches that have approved of the hairstyle.
Marines are prohibited from: Wearing earrings (applicable to male Marines)