She has accomplished a hair-raising feat – quite literally – and secured a place in the prestigious Guinness Book of World Records for it.
Smita Srivastava, 46, a resident of Allahpur locality in Prayagraj, has been recognised for having the longest hair on a living person.
Her lengthy and smooth locks measure 236.22 cm (7 feet 9 inches).
Though she was awarded the certificate in October, it was kept confidential, both by Guinness authorities as well as by Smita.
It was on November 29 that the Guinness mentioned her achievement on their website.
Smita, 46, has been growing her hair since the age of 14, drawing inspiration from her mother, whose genes she credits for the “healthy growth” of her hair.
“I sought to emulate Hindi actresses from the 1980s who had long and beautiful hair,” said Smita, who holds a master’s degree in Ancient History.
She is married to trader Sudesh Srivastava and has two sons.
Smita revealed that she maintains her long tresses without the assistance of a beauty parlour. “I care for my hair with two washes a week and a fresh homemade paste made with Aloe vera, two eggs, amla (Indian gooseberry), and other natural ingredients. I leave the paste on my hair for half an hour before washing it off. The entire process of washing, drying, detangling, and styling takes over two hours,” said Smita. She mentioned that around 30-45 minutes are spent rinsing off the paste properly.
Smita said that she collects broken strands of her hair in a plastic bag, a practice she has maintained for the past 20 years. She disclosed that she has only had her hair trimmed once in her life, after the birth of her second child when she was unwell.
“Since childhood, I was inspired by the long tresses of my mother Sushila Srivastava. Till today, my 75-year-old mother has 3 feet long hair,” she said.
She had her last haircut when she was 14 and had to lose another foot-long hair in 2012 when she delivered her second child, because of medical reasons.
Smita has never used any shampoo all her life.
20231203171045
