Have you seen the real life Rapunzels of China? Meet the Yao Women of The Huanglou Village in China. This ancient village in China is known for it’s long haired women. It has also been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest Hair village. So, it’s not any surprise that a woman of the village holds the record for having the longest hair in the world.
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The Yao Women grow their hair very long and cut it only once in a lifetime. Their hair is considered a secret and is cut only when they are 18 and are ready for marriage. The hair that is cut is not thrown away, but is preserved. Once the girl is married the cut hair is woven into a hair pin. After the marriage the woman wears the hairpin which also signifies that they are married. The hair pin might just be the original hair extension.
Maintaining good hair is tough, so you must be thinking that these women definitely have a long hair care regimen. Well, they do have a secret ingredient which is not a branded shampoo. The Yao women use fermented rice water for hair washing, which makes their hair shiny and long. They boil the rice and then extract the water and leave it to ferment and then use it as a shampoo.
The different ways in which they style their hair also depicts their different stages of life. A married woman wears her hair in a different way, while a pregnant woman will wear it differently. These Chinese women are also known as the Red Yao women as they usually wear red dresses to complement their long hair.
In ancient times these women were not allowed to show their hair in public. They had to keep them tied up all the time. But, that law was scrapped in the 1980s. Now, these women are regarded as the pride of their village and earn a lot of money through their songs and performances in groups, and they proudly display their long locks for tourists on a daily basis.
