The U.S. military eased restrictions on hairstyles after their policy of banning twists, dreadlocks, and Afros and regulating the size of cornrows and braids, was criticized as being racially biased against women of color, the New York Times reported

In April, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered all military services to review their hairstyle policies in response to a complaint lodged by the Congressional Black Caucus.

In an Aug. 11 letter to the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Hagel wrote that after reviewing their grooming regulations, all military services — except the Marine Corps, who are still reviewing the policies — will now include cornrows, braids, and twists as "authorized hairstyles."

The Army and Air Force will also eliminate offensive language such as "matted" and "unkempt" from their grooming policy, Hagel said.

He wrote that these changes were in keeping with the military's efforts to "ensure fair and respectful policies for our diverse force."