GUJARAT – Nilanshi Patel, 16 years old girl who lives in Gujarat, India, started growing her hair uninterruptedly after an unfortunate haircut at age six.
While having a talk with Guinness World Records officials she shared that “I got a bad haircut, and it was really bad for me,”. She recalls crying about it and deciding right then and there that she wouldn’t cut her hair again. Today, her dark, thick, wavy hair reaches her ankles, measuring 67 inches long when pulled straight.
Patel also told about her hair washing routine that she washes her hair once a week and amazingly, it takes only a half-hour to dry. However, it takes an hour just to comb it — something her mother happily assists with.
She shared that “My mother helps me to braid and to comb my hair,” She has always been supportive of her decision to keep growing it. I style it as a long braid and also as a bun” — the latter is her go-to style for special occasions and table tennis.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BurnSmsnasl/
Amazingly, Patel’s hair isn’t even a third of the length of that of the adult woman with the longest hair. That Guinness World Record has been held since 2004 by China’s Xie Qiuping, whose hair measures more than 18 feet long. She started growing her hair at age 13 — seven years older than Patel when Patel started — so the 16-year-old could conceivably surpass hers one day.
Although she says her friends call her a “real-life Rapunzel,” Patel also gets questions from people who assume her hair gets in the way of everyday activities. “I don’t face any problems with my hair. I do all the sports and all the things with my hair,” she says. “It’s a lucky charm for me, clearly.”
Here is the full video from GWR featuring ‘Real life Rapunzel’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJzKDH5IBmQ