The woman with the longest dreadlocks in the world has found love in the form of a stylist whose dreadlocks compete with hers. The dreadlocks of Asha Mandela, or Rasta Rapunzel, as she’s been dubbed, measure longer than 52 feet. She’s 50 years old, is from Florida, and her husband is Emmanuel Chege, a professional stylist from Kenya. The couple love their dreadlocks and assure that they are the source of their glory.
Asha and Emmanuel met online three years ago, after the man was impressed with images of Asha’s dreadlocks on hair websites. He decided to contact her, and when she visited Kenya on business, eight months later, the chemistry between them was undeniable. Ever since the first time he saw her hair, he was completely in love. A whirlwind romance ensued, and eight months later they married in the United States.
Now, almost two years later, Asha only trusts Emmanuel to take care of her precious dreadlocks. Her husband has more than 15 years of experience as a hairdresser and loves styling his wife’s hair. Emmanuel, on the other hand, wants to achieve the world record for the longest dreadlocks for a man. They both dedicate a lot of time to their hair, since they need two days to wash and dry it. They also invest countless hours into their hair maintenance.
They both assure that they don’t keep their dreadlocks for vanity, but because they consider them a symbol of their spirit, personality and positive energy. Asha often carries her hair in a bag to stop it from dragging along the ground, but when she carries it loose she gets a lot of attention. People almost always want to take photos with her and reactions are mostly positive.
Asha is the owner of her own hair product business, and was told by doctors that the weight of her dreadlocks would affect her back. If she let them grow for much longer, she would end up paralyzed. Emmanuel is now training her in the gym to strengthen her back muscles. She’s also lost 64 pounds!
Although she admits that her hair can be an obstacle in the long term, the couple says that the positives outweigh the negatives, especially in the bedroom. The happy couple has talked about having children in the future, and they hope they will continue their legacy. They say they’ll begin growing their children’s dreadlocks from the moment they’re born.
