--- title: "Sailors and Marines to be counseled after 6 months of medical shaving waivers" description: "The Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force have all recently announced updates to their policies on waivers for shaving." date: "2026-08-06" modified: "2026-08-06" authors: - name: "Jeff Schogol" job_title: "Senior Pentagon Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/jeff-schogol/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-marines-shaving-counseled/" categories: - "Marine Corps" - "Military Branches" - "Navy" - "News" --- # Sailors and Marines to be counseled after 6 months of medical shaving waivers ![Navy Shaving]() *A Navy recruit is inspected at boot camp. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Spencer Fling.* Sailors and Marines who have medical waivers for shaving will receive counseling after six months, according to the latest updates to the Navy and Marine Corps’ grooming standards. The latest guidance was announced in recent [Navy]() and [Marine Corps]() administrative messages. The [Air Force]() also recently updated its policy on how long service members can have medical waivers for facial hair before facing administrative separation. Last year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed military commanders to [begin separating troops]() who still require a medical waiver for shaving after one year of treatment. Hegseth also mandated that the Defense Department would [only issue temporary waivers]() for medical conditions such as [pseudofolliculitis barbae]() or PFB, which is a painful skin condition common among Black men that is made worse by shaving. The Navy’s updated policy includes a new requirement for commanders to conduct an initial counseling of sailors with medical waivers for shaving after they’ve undergone six continuous months of treatment that requires “a modification to grooming or uniform standards,” a service official said. ![Marine Shaving]() *A Marine shaves during an exercise in Australia on June 21, 2026. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Kyle Chan.* “The purpose of the counseling is to ensure the sailor understands the status of the medical accommodation process, the expectations associated with continued accommodation, and any potential impacts if the medical condition persists,” the Navy official told Task & Purpose. “The counseling itself is not punitive and is intended to document the discussion and ensure the sailor is informed as the accommodation progresses through the milestones established in the policy.” The Marine Corps is also requiring commanders to formally counsel Marines with medical waivers after six continuous months of treatment, said Yvonne Carlock, a spokeswoman for U.S. Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs. Afterward, the counseled Marine will receive a Page 11 entry in their service record book and an acknowledgement that the counseling occurred, Carlock told Task & Purpose. A Page 11 entry is reserved for administrative remarks. The Navy and Marine Corps also require commanders to track service members with medical waivers for shaving. Under the Navy’s updated policy, commanders must also submit monthly reports on sailors receiving treatment as part of an approved medical waiver. [Stars and Stripes first reported on the move.]() The Marine Corps also requires commanding officers to track and report all approved and pending medical waivers for shaving, according to the recent [Marine Administrative Message, or MARADMIN.]() The reporting process does not affect whether Marines can be approved for a medical waiver for shaving, Carlock, the Marine Corps spokeswoman, said. ![Navy Shaving]() *A sailor inspects a Navy recruit’s shave at boot camp. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Camilo E Fernan.* The reports allow commanders and the Marine Corps’ headquarters to “actively monitor medical grooming compliance, track treatment timelines, and report data to higher authority,” Carlock said. [Marines]() and[ sailors]() who cannot be clean-shaven after one year of medical treatment face being separated. Also recently, a July 28 [Department of the Air Force memo]() that was shared on social media laid out when airmen and Space Force guardians with medical waivers for shaving will be considered for separation. A Department of the Air Force official confirmed the memo is authentic. “Commanders will initiate discharge processing or a retention package for members who accumulate more than 12 months of medical shaving profiles with a 24-month period beginning 1 February 2026,” according to the memo, which was signed by Richard Anderson, assistant Air Force secretary for manpower and reserve affairs. The memo implements [guidance issued in December]() by the Air Force’s surgeon general. *If you are a currently serving member of the military who has been impacted by these policies, we’d like to hear from you. Please fill out the form below and tell us a bit about what your experience has been like, how these new policies are playing out for you and your peers or subordinates in practice, and anything else you think we need to know.* ## Author Jeff Schogol is the senior Pentagon reporter for Task & Purpose. He reports on both the Defense Department as a whole as well as individual services, covering a variety of topics that include personnel, policy, military justice, deployments, and technology. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() [Twitter]()