India: Meet the girl with the world's longest hair

She's been dubbed 'Rapunzel' for her long locks

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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 centimetres (5.59 feet) set in December 2018 with a new length of 190 centimetres.
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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 a 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 AFP.
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"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.
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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.
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"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," she adds.
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Nilanshi Patel's hair length is at 190cm.
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Nilanshi Patel poses for a picture with her mother Kaminibenat.
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Nilanshi Patel poses for picture with the 2018 (L) and 2019 Guinness World Record certificates for the longest hair in the teenager category, at Modasa town.
AFP

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