Welcome to the boards and Iraq as well! I am no longer at VBC, I am in the IZ at the Embassy, BUT I have pointers from my time at VBC.
Going to VBC in 2005 all but stopped my hair growth. It took trial and error (and eventually leaving in 2007) that helped me get my hair back on track. I experienced extreme breakage and major setbacks with dryness and access to products. Back in those days, and still to this day, if you were not in a wet trailer you had to go to the community shower trailer. I cannot tell you how many times I went to wash my hair and there was either no hot water, or no water at all. I cannot tell you how many times the water itself was over-treated with chemicals and my scalp and skin would burn from it. The water was VERY hard, so please, use the bottled water to wash your hair.
Pay attention to the notices of when there will be shutting down generators for maintenance---nothing is worse than no electricity in winter with wet hair! Most importantly, please exercise extreme caution when going to the shower trailer alone. Worrying about my safety stopped me many times from going to the shower trailer on my days off to wash my hair. Go early in morning or around 4-6 pm when there is more foot traffic or get a battle buddy.
Please do not depend on the PX for your hair care products. They are notorious for carrying the worst of the worst, and you won't be able to find too much there that's good for your hair. A lot of companies will ship products to an APO, PM me if you'd like a list of places that have good prices and fast shipping.
I am not in the military, so I didn't wear a uniform, but a few women I knew used a silk insert in their caps to prevent them from constantly rubbing their edges. For natural hair styles, braids, etc, I heard that there was a shop over by Green Beans that does braids now, and that there is now a braider in the Beauty Shop.
You are going to have to really baby your hair for the time that you're there. Iraq is arid with hardly any humidity, you have to find whatever works for you to lock in moisture. The dust is fine, yet gritty, and it will wreak havoc on your hair as well. You may find that you have to wash more often, because hair oils and sand make for a mess on anyone's head.
I can't think of much more right now, but I hope that I was helpful. Please be safe!
You'll be surprised at how much length you retain by just leaving your hair alone and wearing it pinned up or in a bun.
