Can you shave your head at OCS?

[AT3Macklin]

I do now and have been for many years shaving my head with a razor. In boot camp I was not allowed to shave my head and a high and tight looks ridiculous. Is OCS different in that regard? Will I be able to shave my head everyday or every other day?

 

[Tomodachi]

I haven't been to OCS obviously but I dont think its a good idea to shave your head every day if they let you: because now they got something else they can hit you up about if you miss a spot or something. Not to mention it will be more work to keep it clean shaved as stubble will grow throughout the day and you might not have time to shave it again.

 

[BackOrdered]

I do now and have been for many years shaving my head with a razor. In boot camp I was not allowed to shave my head and a high and tight looks ridiculous. Is OCS different in that regard? Will I be able to shave my head everyday or every other day?

Shaving your head bald is a no no. All the DIs had shaved bald heads and they enjoyed flocking to guys with bald heads. Things such as, "Oh so you think you are some kind of ****ing DI too!!! Come sit in the shark tank with us!!!" comes to mind.

If you just HAD to cut your hair and couldn't, H-Class was the underground barbershop during my time at OCS unless things changed.

 

[SynixMan]

We had a prior in my class who shaved his head bald before, during, and after OCS, but in his defense I think some of the bald was natural. I never heard him ever getting flak for it.

My advice? Go with the flow.

 

[AT3Macklin]

Some of mine in natural too so it is within regs. As far as stubble on my head goes I can see how they might give me a hard time but there is nothing that says my head must be clean shaved all the time so that is not a big deal. The big thing I have been told in the past is that they don't allow haircuts in the living spaces and that is how they banned me from doing it. I think going with the flow is the best idea given the varied responses.

 

[yakboyslim]

The OCR (the regs for OCS) said you can't cut your own hair. So some could call that technicality. I was told once (forget if directly from DI, or through the grape vine) that if you shaved it you needed to keep shaving it, everyday.

My advice, don't. There are going to be days early on when you barely have time to shave your face, and you are going to want to shower as much as possible with the extra time. After the first 8 weeks or so you can start getting your hair cut how ever you want, and will probably have the time to shave your head. Wait until then.

That's 8 weeks of having the same hair cut as everyone else (which btw is not a high and tight, it's basically just shaved with clippers.)

 

[OUSOONER]

If you show up with a bald head how the heck would they know? I had a couple bald guys in my class..you all are nuking it.

They just bic'd it every morning in the head...NBD. Just get up an extra 5 min early.

 

[BackOrdered]

The common notion is to avoid doing anything that makes you a special snowflake.

Do whatever you want man. It's your ride.

 

[beaverslayer]

Try shaving it, and if your class team doesn't like it you'll find out very quickly. What's the worst they can do? (climb up your a**hole and steal the soul right out of your body is about the worst I can think of.) If they don't care, you're good to go.

 

[AT3Macklin]

All very good points. I am in excellent shape so they could beat me for it all day and in the end I would say "Thank you". I'll give it a whirl and hopefully in the end it will all work out.

 

[OUSOONER]

Invariably..no matter what, you're wrong. Just do what works for you, if someone has a problem, you'll find out. If it's a classmate all up in your shit..he is probably a dbag and will get his eventually.

That has been my attitude throughout my 3 years as an officer and Naval Aviator. Sometimes it works sometimes not, make adjustments and move on. Easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission. This isn't the Air Force where it is the inverse.

 

[BUDU]

If you show up with a bald head how the heck would they know? I had a couple bald guys in my class..you all are nuking it.

They just bic'd it every morning in the head...NBD. Just get up an extra 5 min early.

When I got to candio some of the DIs were starting to nix being in the p-ways between 0430 and reveille. Not sure if anything ever came of it after I left, but they didn't like candidates getting extra time in the head.

 

[yakboyslim]

When I got to candio some of the DIs were starting to nix being in the p-ways between 0430 and reveille. Not sure if anything ever came of it after I left, but they didn't like candidates getting extra time in the head.

I was in a class that had that rule, but that was a special case. We were not allowed to make your rack or shave before reveille. Had to have a messed up rack and stubble at reveille and both fixed at reveille + 10 mins. That was a pain. Most classes can just get up early though.

Do what you need. Everything there is class dependent. If you can wake up early and no one cares - go for it, if you randomly have a DI that cares or won't let you up early - then you might need to weigh your options. Either way, like OUSOONER said, forgiveness over permission. If you ask the answer will be NO, so don't ask when you're there.

 

[bubblehead]

The common notion is to avoid doing anything that makes you a special snowflake.

I like that... Special Snowflake...

 

[Angry]

All very good points. I am in excellent shape so they could beat me for it all day and in the end I would say "Thank you". I'll give it a whirl and hopefully in the end it will all work out.

Be careful with this. You could be in the best shape of any candidate that has ever gone through OCS - class team will still have a way to make you regret the day you were born. Just because you can max out a PFA doesn't mean that your GYSGT can't choose to make an example of you...