Having had two younger sisters, I understand how much young girls love the idea of being a real-life Rapunzel. Personally, I don't get the appeal of having insanely long locks of hair as not only would it be annoying to manage - but also imagine the state of Rapunzel's plug hole in her shower. Just imagine it. All that hair. Sitting there, clogging up your pipes, causing problems.
But, for some people, they are all about the Rapunzel look. One such woman is Daria Gubanoca, who has spent the past 13 years growing her hair down to her shins.
The long-haired Russian has now amassed over 200,000 Instagram followers due to her lengthy locks, but she claims that there is no secret to her success.
"I always say, that there is no secret [in my long hair].
"I have good genes – my Mom and Granny have long hair as well,” she said.
While you may believe that taking care of such an astonishing amount of hair would require a lot of products, Gubanova claims that she simply uses old, natural recipes and, um... sour cream?
"The most important thing is not to use dyes, chemicals, take care of my hair, and make treatments.
"You should groom your hair, use masks.
“For example, I often use my Granny’s remedies – oils, sour cream. Sour cream is the most nourishing mask, to my mind.”
Despite the fact she hasn't had a 'proper haircut' in 13 years, Daria does claim to get her tips trimmed twice a year.
"I have not cut my hair for 13 years. Many people say that I have not trimmed hair tips. I trim the tips twice a year, cutting off from 10 to 15 centimetres."
She also claims that she wants to continue growing her hair, with the aim being for it to get down to her feet, something which "will take about three or four years because now it’s not growing as fast as it was before.”
Daria has achieved a certain level of fame on Instagram, but she has remained fairly level-headed about the attention.
"I do not consider myself an Instagram star. I have a positive attitude from the fact that a lot of people follow me. I think it is nice. Many people ask me for advice. I communicate with everyone," she said.
The 28-year-old also says that while the majority of the attention is positive, there are certain things that do annoy her; mainly the preconception that she likes Rapunzel.
“They didn’t even conduct an interview with me,” Gubanova explains. “Lots of people say that I’m a fan of the famous cartoon character ‘Rapunzel,’ but I’m not.”
No doubt that Daria's hair is impressive, but she still has a long way to go till she reaches the current Guinness World Record holder.
The current record is held by a Chinese woman called Xie Qiuping whose hair measured a staggering 5.63 meters in 2004. Quiping claims to have not cut her hair since 1973, so Daria is lagging far behind.
Daria's hair might not be to everyone's taste, but it is impressive. No doubt those sponsorship deals will be paying her a decent amount of cash, so good luck to her!
