Can you imagine having hair over TWO METRES long?
How often do you get your hair cut? 💇🏻
Whatever your answer may be, you will definitely get it cut more often than 46-year-old Smita Srivastava.
Smita holds the world record for the longest hair on a living person.
Her flowing dark hair measures 236.22 cm (7 ft 9 in) and it has only been cut once since she was 14 years old.
If you took inspiration from Smita and grew your hair for 32 years, how old would you be then?
The length of Smita’s hair is only 14.78 cm shorter than the tallest man living, Sultan Kösen, who is 251 cm (8 ft 2.8 in) tall. 🧍🏽♂️
For reference, 14.78 cm is about the size of a biro pen. 🖊️
Smita, who lives in Uttar Pradesh, India, usually washes her hair twice a week. 🚿
It can take up to 3 hours each time for her hair to be washed, dried, detangled and styled.
Smita told us: “I lay a sheet down on which I detangle my hair while standing on my bed.”
That would be a long time to stand still! 😮
Once her hair is dried and combed, Smita either braids it or ties it into a bun.
So, what inspired Smita to grow her hair? 🤔
She was inspired by her mother, but also Hindi actresses from the 1980s, who had “long and beautiful hair”.
🔎Hindi films represent Indian culture. They are set in India, filmed in the Hindi language, and are commonly known as Bollywood movies.
Smita added: “In Indian culture, goddesses traditionally had very long hair.”
Whenever she meets people, they are always “amazed” and want to take a photo with her. 🤩
“They are unable to believe how one can have such long hair,” she said.
The only time Smita has cut her hair in the last 32 years is while she was pregnant with her second child. 🤰🏽
About 1 foot of hair was trimmed off to make it more manageable.
Since then, Smita has said she will never cut her hair again.
“I want my hair to grow more and see how long I can manage it.”
From an early age, Smita dreamed about holding this Guinness World Records title and was so happy when she finally received her certificate. 😊
As you might know, some hair usually falls out when it’s brushed or washed. 🪮
Most people get rid of their fallen hair, but Smita collects all of hers in a plastic bag.
“I have never thrown away my hair from the past 20 years,” she revealed.
So how long is your hair? 📏
If you’ve got long locks, then you could have your very own Guinness World Records title.
Just like Nilanshi Patel, a girl from Gujarat, India, who broke the record for longest hair on a teenager (female) when she was 16 years old.
She was known as the real-life Rapunzel. 👸🏼
Just before her 18th birthday, when her hair had reached a whopping length of 200 cm (6 ft 6.7 in), she decided to cut it all off. 💇
But why did she do that when it made her feel like a princess?
Nilanshi explained: “All these years, my hair has been my lucky charm. It gave me a lot... now it’s time to give it something back.”
She kindly donated her hair to museums in Hollywood, where people would see it and feel inspired to break a record of their own.
What a superstar! 🌟
If you’re feeling like a hair-expert now, have a go at the World's Hairiest Quiz. 👩🦳
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