'The black Rapunzel' refuses to trim her 52ft long hair, even though it could paralyse her

ASHA Mandela's hair is more than 16 metres long. It's longer than a bus, and it has eaed her the Guinness World Record for the globe's longest dreadlocks.

It also weighs 41lbs. Doctors say the weight of Asha's hair has caused a curvature in her spine, and the back of her neck has begun to collapse. If Asha doesn't trim those dreadlocks soon, she could be paralysed.

But the 50-year-old mother refuses to end her 25 year exile from the hairdresser.

It must be a pain to carry that around all day.

"A lot of people refer to me as the black Rapunzel," Asha told Barcroft TV.

"They refer to me as a legend. They refer to me as the ninth wonder of the world. People tell me all the time that I inspire them."

That's great and everything, but is such adulation really worth the risk of paralysis? These dreadlocks are pretty high maintenance, after all. They take two days to dry after being washed. Two whole days!

"I wash my hair once a week," Asha said. "I used to wash it like three times a week and I was told that it's too much."

Not quite Rapunzel’s tower, but you get the idea. Pic: Barcroft TV

Asha insists her hairstyle comes with certain advantages. "Hair with benefits", you could say.

"A lot of men out there are crazy for women with long hair," she said.

"My hair has never posed a problem with intimacy, I think it adds a little spice onto it."

Still, we can't quite get past the whole paralysis issue. Maybe Asha doesn't realise how hairy her situation really is.