U.S Air Force Staff Sgt. Lance Perkey, 325th Security Forces Squadron response force leader, poses for a photo in honor of “No-Shave November” at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Nov. 25, 2024. A new Air Force guideline says mustaches must be neatly trimmed, and handlebar styles, twists, curls, and goatees are prohibited. (Asha Wiltshire/U.S. Air Force)
WASHINGTON — The Air Force has new regulations on how long mustaches and sideburns can be, a spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.
“The new guidance mandates that sideburns must be above the ear opening and mustaches are prohibited from going beyond the corners of the mouth or into a respirator seal zone,” an Air Force spokesperson said on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
The grooming standards were outlined in an Oct. 29 memo, with graphics provided as examples. Mustaches must be neatly trimmed, and handlebar styles, twists, curls, and goatees are prohibited, according to the 10-page memo.
Beards are not authorized unless for “medical reasons, recommended by a medical official, and approved by applicable unit commander or as authorized pursuant to a request for a religious accommodation,” the memo states.
“When authorized for medical reasons, members will keep all facial hair trimmed to the same length and it may not exceed 1/4-inch in length,” the memo reads.
The policy allows male soldiers to wear sideburns “above ear openings” and “neatly trimmed” mustaches which cannot “extend past the mouth corners or into a respirator seal zone.” (U.S. Air Force)
The policy comes following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s speech to top military officers in Quantico, Va.
“No more beardos,” Hegseth said during a 45-minute presentation Sept. 30. “The era of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done. Simply put, if you do not meet the male-level physical standards for combat positions, cannot pass a [physical training] test or don’t want to shave and look professional, it’s time for a new position or a new profession.”
Hegseth has railed against bearded troops for months and ordered a military-wide review of grooming standards in March. The Army and Marine Corps tightened rules on medical shaving waivers shortly after that order.
The Pentagon published a memo following the secretary’s speech that it would cease granting permanent medical shaving exemptions and end most religious exemptions that have allowed some U.S. military troops to wear beards in uniform in recent years. The department gave military branches 60 days to construct plans for implementing the new grooming policies and about 90 days to enforce them.
Hegseth’s policy allows male service members to wear sideburns “above ear openings,” and “neatly trimmed” mustaches which cannot “extend past the mouth corners or into a respirator seal zone.”
The policy also ends permanent shaving profiles for those who suffer from pseudofolliculitis barbae, or razor bumps. Current troops with razor-bump profiles can be granted shaving exemptions for up to 12 months, but they must also have a treatment plan. Those with permanent conditions will be considered for administrative separation, Hegseth wrote.
Pseudofolliculitis barbae, caused by curly hairs growing back into the skin, disproportionately affects Black men and is associated with frequent shaving, according to a study by the Society of Federal Health Professionals.
