Woman achieves Guinness World Record for longest hair

A woman from India's Uttar Pradesh claimed a Guinness World Records title for the longest hair on a living person.

46-year-old Smita Srivastava's hair were officially measured at an impressive lenth of seven feet and nine inches.

The woman said she has been growing her hair since she was 14 and was inspired by her mother, whom she gave the credit for her hair’s “healthy growth”. She also tried to copy the style of 1980s actresses, who had ‘long and beautiful hair’.

“Long hair enhances the beauty of women,” Smita explained.

She further mentioned that, “In Indian culture, goddesses traditionally had very long hair. In our society, it is considered inauspicious to cut hair, so that is why women used to grow hair.”

The long-haired woman usually spends 30-45 minutes washing her hair twice per week. The entire process including washing, drying, detangling, and styling takes up to three hours each time.

Smita revealed that she collects her fallen hair and keeps it in a plastic bag by saying, “I have never thrown away my hair in the past 20 years.”

The only time she had a haircut was when she fell ill while pregnant with her second child as she trimmed them off one foot, reducing it to a length of six feet.

Smita says that whenever she goes outside with her hair down, people are “amazed”.

Smita is delighted to hold this Guinness World Records title, which she says she used to dream about by stating “God answered my prayers.”

“I will take care of my hair as long as I can. I will never cut my hair because my life is in my hair,” she said.