AR 670-1 Update: What the New Uniform Standards Actually Say
If a leader in your formation is still correcting Soldiers off an old screenshot, old shoulder-blade measurements, or the old “no earrings in ACUs” rule — that leader is behind the standard. The written baseline is still AR 670-1 dated 26 January 2021, but the force-wide changes that actually matter came through Army Directive 2025-18 (signed 12 September 2025) and Army Directive 2025-13 (signed 7 July 2025). This is what those directives actually say.
The current governing documents are AR 670-1 (26 Jan 2021) + DA PAM 670-1 (the how-to guide that goes with the reg) + Army Directive 2025-18 (appearance/grooming, 12 Sep 2025) + Army Directive 2025-13 (facial hair, 7 Jul 2025). If your SOPs, counseling slides, or phone screenshots predate September 2025, they are already wrong in at least three areas. Update them before you brief the formation.
What Changed
The gray area got replaced with hard measurements and plain language. Here’s what actually moved:
Hair Standards
Male hair must stay natural in color, max 2 inches in bulk on top, 1 inch on the sides. No locs, braids, or twists. Female Soldiers can shave or trim the whole scalp, wear a single ponytail in ACU or APFU only, keep that ponytail to 6 inches from the top of the collar, and wear up to two braids with set width and length limits. Ponytails and braided ponytails are not authorized in dress-uniform variations — that includes the ASU.
Cosmetics, Nails, and Earrings
- Lipstick is out — only clear or skin-tone tinted lip gloss is authorized
- Eyelash extensions are not authorized unless there is a medical profile for loss of natural lashes
- Female nails: clear polish only, square or rounded shape, max 1/4 inch beyond the fingertip
- Male Soldiers: no nail polish, including clear, unless medically exempt
- Female Soldiers may now wear matched stud earrings in ACU, dress, and service uniforms — but not in APFU, field environments, deployments, or low-hygiene environments
AGSU Wear Rules
Some things that were assumed are now spelled out. The nameplate is required on the AGSU coat, AGSU shirts, Ike jacket, and heritage 564 pullover. Female Soldiers may wear a white crew-neck undershirt with the AGSU. On AGSU Class B, insignia and accoutrements are optional unless the commander directs otherwise — and only one combat or special skill badge or metal tab replica is authorized in the prescribed placement.
Facial Hair — Tightened Again
Male Soldiers must still be clean-shaven in uniform or on duty in civilian attire unless they have an approved exception. What changed: permanent shaving profiles are now prohibited. Medical beard exceptions now require a temporary DA Form 3349-SG plus an O-5-approved ETP, and Soldiers must have the paperwork available when asked. If a Soldier in your formation has a shaving profile, make sure it’s current and they can produce it on demand.
What Stayed the Same
Not everything changed, and this is where some Soldiers get spun up unnecessarily. Headgear and protective equipment still drive the standard — if the hairstyle distorts the fit of the patrol cap, beret, service cap, protective mask, or helmet, it’s still wrong regardless of anything else in 2025-18. Hair still has to look professional and natural. Designs cut into the hair or scalp are still out. Mustaches are still authorized. And the NCO support channel is still expected to enforce the standard with on-the-spot corrections.
The Old Corrections You Need to Kill
Know what right looks like so you can spot what wrong looks like before it becomes a counseling issue.
Under the 2021 AR 670-1 this was correct — earrings were limited to service, dress, mess, and evening mess uniforms. Under 2025-18, matched studs in ACUs are now authorized as long as the Soldier is not in APFU, the field, a deployment, or a low-hygiene environment. If you’re still making this correction in garrison ACUs, you’re wrong.
The 2021 AR 670-1 allowed ponytails in all uniforms and braids or singular ponytails down the center of the back to the bottom of the shoulder blades. That is gone. The current standard: single ponytail in ACU or APFU only, max 6 inches from the top of the collar, no ponytails in dress uniforms. If you’re enforcing the shoulder-blade measurement, you’re using a dead standard.
The old mindset that neutral lipstick and nail colors were acceptable is dead. The current standard is clear polish for female Soldiers, no polish for males, and no lipstick period — only clear or skin-tone tinted lip gloss. The “neutral” gray area no longer exists.
How to Brief This in Five Minutes
Formation Brief — Five Minutes Flat
Min 1: “The current standard is AR 670-1 plus Army Directive 2025-18. If your info is older than September 2025, it may be wrong.”
Min 2: “Females: ponytail only in ACU or APFU, max 6 inches from the collar. No ponytails in dress uniforms.”
Min 3: “Earrings: matched studs are okay in ACUs, dress, and service uniforms. Not in PTs, field, or deployments. Lipstick is not authorized — clear gloss only.”
Min 4: “Males: 2 inches on top, 1 inch on the sides, natural color, clean-shaven. Shaving profile? Carry the DA 3349-SG and your ETP.”
Min 5: “AGSU: nameplate is required on the coat, shirts, Ike, and 564. Stop inventing local rules that aren’t in the directive.”
What Changed vs. What Stayed — Quick Reference
| Topic | Old Standard | Current Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Earrings in ACU | Not authorized | Matched studs authorized (not field/APFU) |
| Ponytail length | To bottom of shoulder blades | Max 6 inches from top of collar |
| Ponytails in dress uniforms | Authorized | Not authorized |
| Lipstick | Neutral colors authorized | Not authorized — clear/skin-tone gloss only |
| Nail polish (female) | Neutral/natural colors | Clear polish only |
| Shaving profiles | Permanent profiles authorized | Permanent profiles prohibited — temp only + O-5 ETP |
| Mustaches | Authorized | Authorized (no change) |
| Headgear fit standard | Must fit properly | Must fit properly (no change) |
Source: Army Directive 2025-18 and Army Publishing Directorate.
Your 3 Action Items
- Audit your unit SOPs, counseling slides, and training slides — anything that references hair or appearance standards and predates September 2025 needs to be updated or pulled. The three biggest errors still circulating: shoulder-blade ponytail, no earrings in ACUs, and neutral nail colors.
- At your next formation or barracks walkthrough, check two things specifically — ACU earrings (are studs being incorrectly corrected?) and ponytail length/uniform combination (is anyone in a dress uniform with a ponytail?). Those are the two places where dead guidance is still costing Soldiers.
- Verify all shaving profiles in your formation — confirm the DA Form 3349-SG is current, the O-5 ETP is in place, and the Soldier can produce both when asked. Permanent profiles are no longer valid.
Questions about 670-1 or a specific correction you’re seeing in the wild? Post it in the Regulations & Policy forum.
