Harsh Goenka in awe of India's Rapunzel Renu Dhariyal, who credits Indian natural hair care for nearly 9-foot-long hair

Industrialist Harsh Goenka has drawn attention to Uttarakhand's Renu Dhariyal, whose 271.5-cm (8 feet 10 inches) hair has earned her a Guinness World Records title. Dhariyal, who has not cut her hair since 2015, credits traditional Indian hair-care practices and homemade products for helping her maintain her remarkable length.

The record was verified in Haldwani in April 2026, making Dhariyal the new record holder for the longest hair on a living woman. Her hair is now longer than many people's height and comes close to the height of a typical room.

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Goenka's post brought fresh attention to Dhariyal's achievement, with images and video showing her thick black hair stretching across floors indoors and hanging down from an outdoor balcony.

India's own Rapunzel

Dhariyal's hair has earned her comparisons with Rapunzel, the fictional character known for her extremely long hair. But unlike the fairy-tale character, Dhariyal's extraordinary hair length is the result of years of patience and a decision she made in 2015.


She stopped cutting her hair and continued growing it over the years. What began as a personal choice eventually turned into a Guinness World Records achievement. Dhariyal has linked her approach to Indian cultural traditions, where long hair has traditionally been associated with beauty and identity.

She credits traditional Indian hair care

Dhariyal's approach to hair care is not based on expensive salon treatments or a long list of commercial products. She said she relies on homemade hair oils and shampoos and tries to avoid chemical-based products. She also shares hair-care recipes and tips with her followers through her YouTube channel.

Keeping hair this long, however, takes more than a traditional routine. Washing, drying and detangling it can take a considerable amount of time. Dhariyal's experience shows that growing the hair is only one challenge; managing it every day is another. For her, patience and consistency have been central to maintaining the length.

Nearly nine feet of hair comes with its own challenges

At 271.5 cm, Dhariyal's hair is difficult to ignore wherever she goes. People often stop her to ask questions or compliment her hair. Her social media posts have also attracted attention from people curious about how she manages such extraordinary length in everyday life.

Goenka's post about Dhariyal's record brought her story to a wider audience, with social media users reacting to the unusual sight of her nearly nine-foot-long hair.

The reactions ranged from genuine amazement to jokes about hair loss and the amount of work required to maintain such long locks.

"Indian villages probably have many more hidden world-record holders," one user wrote.

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Another, clearly thinking about their own hair struggles, joked in Hindi, "Here I am dealing with hair loss, and she's sitting on a whole hair store."

Others wondered about the daily routine needed to wash, dry and manage the hair, while another user simply wrote, "Wow... impressive."

For Dhariyal, the achievement also carries a wider message. She hopes her experience encourages people to remain consistent with their goals, showing how small efforts repeated over many years can eventually lead to an extraordinary result.