Indian ‘Rapunzel’ remains a cut above with world’s longest teen hair

Nilanshi Patel, 17, who has been awarded the 2019 Guinness World Record for the longest hair in the teenager category. Image: AFP/Sam Panthaky

A 17-year-old Indian girl has retained her crown as the teen with the world’s longest hair more than a decade after she stopping getting her tresses cut following a bad experience at a salon.

Nilanshi Patel, from the small town of Modasa in Gujarat state, remains a cut above the rest according to the Guinness World Records having bettered her record of 170.5 centimeters (5.59 feet) set in December 2018 with a new length of 190 centimeters.

Her proud father said his only child’s locks had turned her from a local celebrity into an international one.

Nicknamed “Rapunzel” by her friends and schoolmates after the long, flowing hair of the princess in the Brothers Grimm fairytale, Patel said she has not visited a hairdresser for 11 years after a hair-raising ordeal.

“At six, I had a very bad experience at a local salon,” she told Agence France-Presse. “Since then I have been apprehensive about cutting my hair. My parents accepted my wishes and now my locks have become my lucky charm.”

Patel has to wear high-heeled shoes if she does not want her hair to touch the ground.

Apart from that, Patel said she cares for her hair like every other teenager — but with help from her mother.

“I do what every teenager does. Wash the hair every week and oil it once or twice a week,” the aspiring engineer said, adding that she dries it by sitting in the sun or with a hairdryer. “Mostly I keep a braid, but while playing or for some occasions, I tie the hair into a bun. The only time I have trouble is while swimming.” CL/NVG

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