For the lengthiest locks, Asha Mandela holds the record (locs).
On November 11, 2009, the locs of the 60-year-old Clermont, Florida, inhabitant measured 5.96 m (19 ft 6.5 in).
Asha’s long, beautiful locs are even longer today, reaching a maximum length of 33.5 meters, according her Instagram bio (110 ft).
After relocating from Trinidad and Tobago to New York, USA, over 40 years ago, Asha started growing out her magnificent locs.
Her crowning achievement is her immaculately cared for locs, which weigh an astounding 19 kg (42 lb).
Because I don’t believe my locks have anything dreadful about them, I dislike the name “dreadlocks.” (Asha Mandela)
She said, “I refer to my own hair as my cobra or my royal crown of locs.
“I would have my cobra baby tied up in a tiny sack and we hug and chat to each other when I’m ready to retire into my sleep chamber.”
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As part of a spiritual journey to transform her life, Asha explained the process of growing out her well-known tresses.
When I was a child, I had no notion what Rastafari or dreadlocks were all about, Asha said.
I began seeing what some people could regard to as visions in my nightmares, in which a massive snake would approach me and begin speaking, informing me that I am the one who has been chosen.
Earlier picture of Asha sporting locs
At initially, though, not everyone agreed with Asha’s decision, especially her two sisters who, in Asha’s words, didn’t appreciate the “Rasta business or the dreadlock thing.”
They needed some convincing, but eventually learned to accept and love Asha’s hair and way of life.
Undoubtedly Asha’s biggest fan is her husband, Emmanuel Chege, a skilled loc stylist from Nairobi, Kenya. He became her “cobra trainer” after they first met and started spending all of his time on her hair.
According to Asha, spectators who are enquiring about her hair’s cleanliness usually approach her.
“Most people would say there’s no way it could be clean or healthy because how can you truly wash locs properly if it’s all knotted hair,” I said. “As much as they appreciate the way I look with my locs.”
However, Asha is certain that caring for her locs’ cleanliness comes first.
She chose finger-sized locs rather than “chunky” locs so she could wash them properly.
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When I wash my hair, I want to be able to get into my roots to make sure it’s clean, she said. “I didn’t want to have to go around with the stigma of other people thinking there’s no way it could be clean.”
Up to six bottles of shampoo must be used to wash her locs once a week, and it takes two full days for them to dry. Emmanuel has spent countless hours perfecting this regimen.
Asha advises keeping your locs clean and loving them as the best ways to maintain healthy locs.
Even though Asha claims she doesn’t care much about fashion, she occasionally wears her locs up in elaborate fashions.
However, after two to three hours, when they start to strain her neck, she lets them back down.
“Girl, you must have a strong neck or strong back,” others tell me.
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To keep her locs from dangling and to reduce the strain on her neck, Asha frequently carries them in a cloth sling.
“Take care of it and nurture it like a plant,” I advise those who have decided to develop locs.
“It’s probably going to perish or not flourish properly if you don’t water it or feed it some fertilizer or whatever,” Asha said.
Asha is pleased that Guinness World Records has certified her locs as the longest in the world.
The honor of being acknowledged by the respected Guinness World Records makes me feel incredibly lucky and blessed.
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Asha has meticulously maintained her locs for four decades and has no plans to do so since she sees them as an essential component of her identity.
“There will never be a day when I see or feel the need to cut my hair. It won’t ever take place.”
Like Nilanshi Patel, who holds the record for the longest hair ever on a teenager, several long-haired record holders have decided to chop off their locks.