**A thread for the Girls**

Could anyone tell me if it'd be a good idea to bring our own midol as well?
 
How does showering work during BCT? My dad is a grad and he said they were only allowed 2 min. to shower...guys don't have to wash their hair though because they barely have any at that point in time, but what about the girls who keep their hair long?
 
How does showering work during BCT? My dad is a grad and he said they were only allowed 2 min. to shower...guys don't have to wash their hair though because they barely have any at that point in time, but what about the girls who keep their hair long?

I'm a guy, so sorry to post in this, but don't forget that guys have to shave their faces too
 
How does showering work during BCT? My dad is a grad and he said they were only allowed 2 min. to shower...guys don't have to wash their hair though because they barely have any at that point in time, but what about the girls who keep their hair long?

During my basic the female cadre gave the girls a tad longer to wash hair. If you don't get time, you have a sink in your room. During my basic, we rarely had longer than 1 min as guys. Our average was between 30 and 60 seconds....

I'm a guy, so sorry to post in this, but don't forget that guys have to shave their faces too

Don't need to be in the shower to do that....again, sink in the room (if using manual)
 
The short answer is not really. It depends on your cadre, but I would estimate the longest shower I ever had in basic was about 3 minutes, typically they were 1-2 minutes and that is how long we gave our basics when I was cadre last summer. You learn to be very very fast.
 
Half the time, I would still have shampoo in my hair when they yelled for us to get out. My room mate had to help me rinse my hair in the sink.

Hint- if you have long hair, learn to french braid! I french braided my hair at night, sprayed it with hairspray, and I was good to go for the morning.
 
Half the time, I would still have shampoo in my hair when they yelled for us to get out. My room mate had to help me rinse my hair in the sink.

Hint- if you have long hair, learn to french braid! I french braided my hair at night, sprayed it with hairspray, and I was good to go for the morning.


This is a very effective way to keep hair in place. It works best if you braid it while it is still damp. I use very very small sections when braiding since you get a tighter braid this way. Since my hair is still fairly long, I secure the end with a thin hair elastic, then fold my hair under twice and secure that with another thin hair elastic. You may end up needing one or two bobbypins, but thats much better than the 6 or 7 bobbypins and and 4 hair ties that I end up using when I make a regular ballet bun bun.

Also much neater, easier, and efficient than a "regular" ballet bun is a "sock bun." For this you need an improvised sock scrunchie made by cutting the top 2 to 3 inches of a sock that is similar in color to your hair color and rolling it up on itself. Secure a low ponytail with a hair elastic, then slip the sock scrunchie over the ponytail. Wrap your hair around the scrunchie and secure it with a hair tie. (I do this by turning my head so that my bun is parallel with the floor and letting my hair fall evenly in all directions). Last, wrap whatever hair still sticks out around the entire bun and secure with a final hair tie. If you have bangs, you still need to secure them like you normally would.
 
this definitely helps, thank you so much for the information. i am still a bit confused is there a hair length limit for girls when you show up or is it if you have longer hair and can put it up correctly you are ok?
 
I do not believe there is a hair length limit, but there are restrictions on the size of the bun you make out of your. I think it is 3 inches. Unless you have really thick hair you should be fine. I have heard that you need to be able to put it up in two minutes, which you should be able to do anyways, unless you are braiding. So have a back-up fast way to put your hair up that's within regs, and then the way you want to put it up every day so that it stays within regs! I am no expert, though.
 
Hair

My daughter is a 4 dig. During her inprocessing they made the girls demonstrate that they could put thier hair up in regulation in under 30 seconds. if they counldnt do it they had to get it cut short by the AF barbers.
They did an ok job but it is a utilitarian cut... So if you have long hair parctice. My daughters hair is just now long enough again to put up in a bun without a lot of pins and gel.

As for the underware, she went with 20 pair, all marked with the required ID. She lost some in the laundry over BCT 1 and several during BCT 2.

Blisters were another issue my daughter had to deal with, dont let them get bad before seeking attention. she was medical obseravations for most of BCT 2 because of them.

Last thing, before you go up to inprocess make a quick run to Walgreens and get 2 in 1 shampoo and condition, it was a god send for my daughter. Also get enough other personal hygine items to get through at least 2 weeks. You dont know when they will get to the cadet store.
 
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Alright, figured I had this chance so I might as well.

What does the Academy say about bc pills? Are we allowed to keep them with us during Basic? Do we have to document them?
 
you don't need them. the goggles work well enough :p

but on a serious note, (at least when I worked basic two years ago) you're supposed to let your cadre know about medication you have, but there is nothing against it. just make sure you have your reasons right for why you want them there
 
This is slightly off-topic, but did you do pull-ups or chin-ups for the CFA? I know it says "pull-ups" but I have seen a few posts on here about chin-ups and just wanted to make sure I was understanding the rules correctly because I can definately do more chin ups than pull ups.

Thanks!:thumb:
 
Haha yeah unfortunately I won't have to undergo BCGs... But thanks for the insight, I take them for med reasons so it shouldn't (hopefully) be a problem.

and AFA, pull-ups. With the back of your hands facing you and chin over the bar. Seriously start practicing now, esp if you're a girl, because it took me a month of (slightly inconsistent) training to get to doing just one comfortably.
 
lol. for prescription medication in general, it does need to be "declared" just so leadership knows what you have and why. Other than the tylonol and other small things given to you in your medical bag when you inprocess, you can't take anything without someone knowing about it. The cadre won't need to know why, just that you have something and that it was prescribed by a doctor.
 
Here's a question for female cadets/alumni: How helpful are compression shorts during BCT?
 
What about make-up? I know we can't use it during training but is it uncommon to wear it during the academic year?
 
Many cadets wear make-up (I personally don't, and DO NOT show up on Inprocessing day with make-up). I didn't have any compression shorts and didn't miss them...but then again I never wore them in the first place
 
Usually make-up is one of the first things to fall by the wayside due to time constraints. You will figure out what the norm is for your academy. At USNA, I mostly see women with some mascara (nothing for plebe summer, no time, can't maintain), maybe some lip balm with a bit of natural color. No blush needed due to the amount of exertion going on. In uniform, the desired look is professional, not babealicious. You will see more variation among upper class women, who have more time and more inclination to wear a bit more.

Two-in-one shampoo and conditioner is a good way to go, and a lot of the women put in Biosilk while their hair is still damp for good control and defrizz.

Another fun topic for the women...leg-shaving. No extended bathroom time. Try out the depilatory cream/gel designed to be put on for 3 minutes that goes into the shower with you, sponge off during speed showering. Good enough for government work during summer training. Brush teeth in shower while you're at it.
 
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