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Some women dream of having long flowing hair,
But here in Atlanta, Goergia, things have
got a little out of control.
Meet Asha Mandela who has the world's longest
dreadlocks.
Asha: A lot of people refer to me as a black
Rapunzel, they refer to me as a legend, they
refer to me as the ninth wonder of the world
Asha: People tell me all the time that I inspire
them
50 year old Asha began growing her hair in
her 20's in a spiritual quest to change her
life.
Asha: I started growing my hair 25-years-ago.
I started having some dreams and visions about
changing my lifestyle and everything about
my way of life.
But her controversial decision didn't please
everyone.
Asha: When I told my mum I was gonna grow
locks, she said, "After I groomed your hair
so nice with grease and all those things,
is this what you want to do with the nice
curls?"
Eventually winning her family over, Asha then
shot to fame in 2009 when her dreadlocks -- which
at the time measured 19ft 6inch - won a Guinness
World Record.
Over the years Asha's hair has grown even
longer
Asha: Wow, oh my god we actually ran out of
tape. This is crazy and this measure tape
is 25ft.
Amazingly one strand of hair has exceeded
all expectations
Asha: 55 feet, 7 inches, oh my God, I don't
believe this, this is...I'm sweating. This
is too much.
And its not just the length of Asha's hair
that's extreme. Weighing 39 pounds, her locks
are so heavy she has to carry them in a basket
on her back.
Asha: Oh my God, are you serious?
However, Asha's hair can be causing some serious
side effects
Asha: The doctors seem to think that I have
a curvature of my spine, and it's the length
and the weight of my hair that's making me
curve more than I should.
Asha: I've had doctors say to me that my neck
has collapsed at the back and that I need
to be careful -- I can start having spasms
and stuff in my spine and probably be paralysed.
It may be record breaking, but Asha's hair
presents her with significant challenges,
expecially when it comes to washing it
Asha: I wash my hair once a week, I used to
wash it three times a week but I was told
that it's too much.
Once washed it can take up to two days to
dry, but the demands of her hair havent caused
problems in one area, her love life.
Asha: A lot of men are crazy for women with
long hair. My hair has never caused a problem
with intimacy. I think it adds a little spice
on top.
Despite the warnings Asha is planning to keep
on growing her hair.
Asha: When I first started it was more of
a spiritual journey. It wasn't anything to
do with a fad or a style in fashion and after
twenty five years of growthmy hairs really
become part of me, and i feel like like if
I ever cut my hair I'd be really taking away
my life. And besides that we just, we have
become one, so I couldn't imagine life without
it. I will never cut my hair.