Meet Smita Srivastava, a 46-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh who holds the Guinness World Record for the longest hair on a living person. Smita, who calls herself the "real Rapunzel," has not cut her hair since she was 14 years old. Her hair was officially measured last year at an impressive length of 7 feet and 9 inches. She proudly says, "I love my hair so much," and it takes her about 45 minutes to wash it.
Smita always dreamed of holding a world record title, and she believes her prayers were answered. "I want my hair to gain more recognition so I can gain more records," she said, according to Mirror.
According to Guinness World Records (GWR), Smita usually washes her hair twice a week. The entire process, including washing, drying, detangling, and styling, takes up to three hours each time. She spends 45 minutes washing her hair, uses three hair dryers to dry it, and then takes about two hours to detangle it by hand.
Smita's passion for her long hair was inspired by her mother and sisters, who also have beautiful hair, and by '80s Hindi cinema actresses known for their long tresses. "In our society, long hair announces the beauty of women. I hope to continue growing my hair as long as I can manage it. I will never cut my hair and I will keep growing it," she said. Her family has always been supportive of her unique journey.
Interestingly, Smita never throws away any hair that she loses through brushing or washing. "I have not thrown out any hair in the past 20 years. I have a huge collection. One day, I had major hair loss, but the idea of throwing my hair away saddened me. I started crying because I had lost so much hair," she shared.
Smita also follows a natural hair care routine, avoiding artificial shampoos and conditioners. Instead, she uses natural herbs and ingredients like egg, onion juice, and Aloe Vera.
Whenever Smita goes out with her hair flowing freely, onlookers are often amazed and find it hard to believe the extraordinary length of her hair. Her remarkable dedication to growing and maintaining her hair has truly made her a living Rapunzel.
