World’s Longest Dreadlocks
Asha Mandela has spent the last 20+ years growing her hair into the recently crowned Longest Dreadlocks by The Guinness Book Of Records.
The 46 year old women from Davenport, Florida started growing her current dreadlocked hair in 1988, four years after moving to the United States from Tinidad/Tobago while she was living in Brooklyn, New York.
(Image of Asha Mandela from UTube and Guinness Book of Records Attempt)
At one point while in New York she cut all of her naturally curly hair very short and decided to go “natural” meaning the abstinence from all hair related chemicals.
As her hair grew in she started twisting it and eventually it formed tangles and then dreads. She loved the look as it evolved and allowed it to grow into a full set of dreads which has been growing nonstop for the past 21 years.
There are many methods for creating dreadlocks and one is to let hair become Naturally Tangled although some dread lockers refer to that method as The Neglect Method where the hair is just neglected allowing it to eventually evolve from tangles to dreads.
Asha explains she just decided to let her hair be and no longer comb it although her mother was not pleased when she made the decision. Asha’s mother called her dreadlocks “the mop” and was unhappy because she told Asha she took good care of her naturally curly hair for so many years only to see it evolve into the dreadlocks.
As she pointed out in several interviews, including her tape on UTube, her hair is always shampooed and conditioned like everyone else. The only difference in her hair and the next person is that her hair is never combed.
Of course Asha has to use one entire bottle of shampoo and one entire bottle of conditioner every time she cleanses her hair, which is now once a week. Another challenge to the Guinness Book winner is how long it can take her hair to dry after she washes it.
How Long Do Asha’s Dreadlocks Measure?
Asha’s longest locks measured 8 feet and 9 inches which won her the first Guinness Book node for Longest Dreadlocks. Of course this doens’t win her the longest hair category which has been won previously by others.
The tresses of Xie Qiuping, a Chinese woman set the record in 2004 for the world’s longest hair: 18 feet, 5.54 inches. Asha’s dreadlocks are, however, quite a bit longer than the world-record holder for longest leg hair or nose hair. Eeewwww. Too much information there. Don’t even want to think about the nose hair holders.
How did Asha grow these magnificent dreadlocks she sometimes refers to as “her baby”? She credits her ability to grow her hair so long and relatively fast is due to her hair’s “mixed texture” which is due to her origins in a “mixed family”. Her hair is naturally curly which also helped the dreading or tangling process to progress so nicely.
How Does Asha Wear Her Hair?
Does Asha wear her hair long and flowing up on her head? She has admitted that as much as she loves her hair it can be challenging because of how heavy it is. Although she sometimes wears it coiled up like a hat on her head, she has confessed to getting headaches from the weight of all that hair. She also reports it can be quite hot in the summer months.
Although my own long hair has never been dreadlocked I can relate to the challenges of hot hair in the summer at which point I wear my own super long hair pinned up. And yes, sometimes it does give me a headache. And my hair is not nearly as heavy as Asha’s dreadlocks.
What’s Next For The Woman With The World’s Longest Dreadlocks?
Now that Asha Mandera has been named the World’s Longest Dreadlock holder she will probably do everything in her power to keep her dreads. As she pointed out in her UTube video, even with the various challenges, she hopes to keep her hair at least for the next 20 years.
Although Asha started a blog during her run for the Guinness Book, she has not continued to update it. I wish she would so we can see how she is continuing to work with her hair as time continues.
Of course once records are recorded, new contenders pop up all the time. It will be interesting to see how long it takes before someone challenges Asha Mandera’s record.
If Asha allows her hair to continue growing she may be able to hold onto the record for awhile. I certainly hope so. She certainly deserves the record. Growing and caring for that much hair involves a lot of work, time and committment. Asha mentioned in her UTube video that as dreads grow they get broken and some wear away to nothing. In fact, she accidentally stepped on one of her locks and it broke off, shaving eleven inches off her final length.
What do you think about this topic? I would love to have your feedback.
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January 18th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
[...] Easy AdSenser by UnrealHey, this is really cool. Just found an article on a woman with the World’s longest Dreadlocks. She has the most amazing dreadlocks, but man on man can I not imagine having to wash [...]
January 18th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Wow, I really can’t imagine how long it takes her to maintain her hair. Still, those are unbelievably beautiful dreadlocks.
Well written article as well!
January 26th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
She doesn’t have the longest dreadlocks in the world. Obviously Guiness has not search the entire earth. One doesn’t have to have mixed heritage to grow dreads at great lengths. Her ignorance is astonishing!!!!
July 31st, 2009 at 9:17 pm
That is amazing! I wonder what her hair care regimen is. Is there a link to the source?
August 31st, 2009 at 9:36 am
am go grow my hair like dat
November 25th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I agree that her hair is not as long as I have seen in the past.
November 25th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
I agree that her hair is not as long as I have seen in the past. More research needs to be done. I too have locks in my hair, I am not MIXED instead full African American and my hair is only a few inches shorter. What ignorance……….
January 29th, 2010 at 10:21 am
Wow – why call the young lady ignorant? Maybe the mixed texture of her hair DOES allow for it to grow faster or different than one of either the black or white race alone. Unless you know her and have felt the texture of her hair, who are you to judge? I am full African American as well, but my hair does not have the texture (nor does it grow NEARLY as fast as some) for dreads. Who is to say that if I’d happened to have a mixed lineage the combination of hair types wouldn’t have made for a curlier/faster growing head of hair? I don’t think she said that as a slight to full African Americans. It’s a case by case basis and for HER, her grade of hair just happened to be perfect for those dreads – just like your (Sammie) grade of hair may be ideal.
April 20th, 2010 at 11:24 pm
I met this woman a couple days ago.
Hung out at Old Town, and she bought me Cici’s
July 11th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Greetings my friends,
Thanks for all the wonderful comments. Karen, thanks for a well written article, i really do appreciate it very much.
my comment on mixed race and hair texture was taken way of of context and since i have only just found your site while doing a search on myself, i will like to address the confusion on my comment.
I am from a very mixed race family..yet in the bunch there are ones whos 100% black. I am actualy dark brown and don’t really even look mixed…but its in the genes….with that said…. i have been among lots of natrual hair styles and also lots of rastafarian/s/dreadlocks and from my experience and what i have seen and felt (touched) in hair textures….not all of us afrikans have the same texture of kinky hair and thats a fact. Kinky is kinky but not all kinky is nappy and grainy. Before i started growing my glory 21yrs ago…i had a full thick soft head of hair. and i do think that part of it has to do with being of mixed race. however this does not apply to all mixed races so it should not be taken personally…….
PRIME EXAMPLE…my son ZION…he is bi racial…his dad is white and i am of other mixed races…ha you think he has long soft curly hair ??? think again…the kid is very light skined but his hair is so nappy…i mean real nappy that i have only 2 options to cope with it…i either let him grow locks or do like i do EVERY 5 DYAYS give him a hair cut since its hard to comb. So when i comment on mixed race and it probably helping with my growth…it has noting to do with putting down my people….for then am putting down my own child….yet in my opinion i believe it does contribute to another different texture and there is no getting away from it.
Why do my beautiful afrikan brothers and sisters still walk around with this chip on there shoulders and continueusly feel the need to get crazy and defend a our ROYAL RACE risen from creation ???
I don’t mean to be long..but here is another thing…when i migrated to the US over 25yrs ago i used to have perm or braids in my hair…a lot of time people used to come up to me and say ” girl u got some of that good curly stuff…r u mixed ” i used to laugh it off and take the comment/compliment for what its worth…my point ? its ok for for my people to make such comments and even extend the compliment..but as soon as someone mentions that maybe being mixed race may play a role in whatever the issue or topic may be…they go crazy and begin a fight thats unbelieveable. Its a double standard and a contradiction …and it wrong. I took a lot of heat for this when i first recieved my award back in 2008 and i was very disapointed how ignorant a lot of negative coments were from people that are actually ignorant themselves….
” A CHAIN IS AS STRONG AS ITS WEAKEST LINK ”
One Luv,
Asha Mandela
July 11th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Thank you D Williams (posted january 29th 2010 ) For defending me. Your response to Sammie, was brilliant. you were brief but precise and to the point…my exact point that is. You understood exactly what i meant and i appreciate that.
I love, worship and adore my people and our culture….I also love and respect other races and cultures… for it takes all kinds of people to make this world…but it breaks my heart when my brothers and sisters get over anxious and over sensitive with coments made by own own people thats taken out of context even though they know it was not meant maliciously or in disrespect.
Again, thanks so much for your positive comprehension.
Blessings,
Asha Mandela
July 11th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Delleaux (posted january 26th 2009 ) Your are right, i may not have the longest dreadlocks in the world…but according to Guinness World Records, i do…an untill someones else breaks my record it belongs to me. When someone else comes along and break my record…all fingers still point to the FIRST EVER DREADLOCKS/REASTFARIAN to make its way into GWR “me” .
Now for the record, my locks is actually 19ft plus. I did not let it all loose for the first measuring for health reasons explained in my bio on my web site…. it was verified and re-measured on November 11th 2009 on the CBS Early show.
Also for the record…GWR don’t go looking for people to break records, one has to submit an application and have it reviewed before they are allowed to stage a record attempt. Each category is different and is verified as per the attempted record (mines was verified by 2 hairdressers, the assistant to the mayor of Longwood Fl and also a notary public, as per the hair catagory guidelines) GWR is very strict with there policies and guidelines.
As for my mixed heritage comment, it was based on myself as an individual and from my experience…it was not an attack on my afrikan brothers and sisters… and rest assured i am not ignorant !!!
One Luv,
Asha Mandela
August 17th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
This woman is a fraud people. She used my image on Afrobella.com saying it was her!
I demanded that it be removed today!
What’s more, it is humanly impossible hair to grow an addition 11 feet in just in year…IMPOSSIBLE.
I too have locs just as long as the Asha and I know people who have locs longer than her very skeptical latest claim. Meanwhile she is clueless of how to care for what she does have because she has gone bald on top! No one but a complete idiot would take hair care advice from this woman.
Her lame excuse as to why her hair dramatically jumped in feet is preposterous! Those supposed knotts would have been apparent in the first GBWR video recording, but it is not…what is clearly visible especially if you enlarge the vid is all the extension braids she has!
This woman has a serious identity crisis and is desperate for attention no matter how she finds it.
Shameful!
August 28th, 2010 at 1:29 am
I am a little scared by such long hair!
March 23rd, 2011 at 8:19 am
We all have our individual strengths we can show the world why use the energy judging others when we are not their maker? We don’t have a heaven or hell to put anyone in, we only have our hearts.
April 15th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
Asha Mandela’s title and category were rested on December 10, 2010 after the GWR reviewed their rules on hair extensions. An Official statement is on their website.
April 19th, 2011 at 12:23 am
I think it is very good to know that someone from my homeland is in the book of records congrats to you girl and all the best to you. I have dredlocks and I think they are beautiful and it is a way to come out of the worldliness of vanity, ungodliness and not to mention chemicals that only destroy our natural hair.