A woman from Uttar Pradesh has set a world record for having the longest hair on a living person.
Ms Smita Srivastava, 46, has hair 2.36m long. She has been growing it since she was 14.
Her mother inspired her to grow her hair. Indian actresses in the 1980s, who had long and beautiful hair, also influenced her.
“In Indian culture, goddesses traditionally had very long hair. Also, in our society, it is considered inauspicious to cut it... Long hair enhances the beauty of women,” Ms Smita told the Guinness World Records (GWR).
According to GWR, Ms Smita washes her hair twice a week and then dries it with a towel before untangling and styling it. The entire process of washing, drying, untangling and styling takes up to three hours.
“I put a sheet down on which I detangle my hair while standing on my bed,” she said.
Once her hair is dry and detangled, she braids it or ties it in a bun. She collects the fallen hair on the sheet and keeps it in a plastic bag.
“I have not thrown away my hair from the past 20 years,” she revealed. She began collecting her hair when she experienced a sudden “major” hair loss, according to GWR.
“The idea of throwing it away saddened me. I cried when I realised how much hair I had lost,” she said.
She claimed that whenever she goes outside, people are “amazed”.
“They can’t believe how one can have such long hair. People come to me, touch my hair, take pictures, take selfies with me, and they often enquire about the products I use.”
After entering the record books, Ms Smita said: “God answered my prayers. I will take care of my hair for as long as I can.
“My life is in my hair. I want to grow it out even more to see how long I can manage it.”
Indo-Asian News Service
