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A Louisiana woman has set a Guinness world record for having the largest afro on a living person, and it’s not her first time doing it.
Aevin Dugas, 47, has an afro measuring 9.84 inches tall, 10.24 inches wide and 5.41 feet in circumference, setting a record in the company’s category for women.
Her most recent record was set in September but she previously set the record in 2010 and 2021, Guinness World Records wrote on its website. In 2010, her afro measured in at 4 feet-4 inches.
She told Guinness she has spent a whopping 24 years growing her hair this length. It started because she wanted to go natural, or stop straightening her hair with chemicals.
“That was because I was tired of using dangerous chemicals to permanently straighten my hair,” she told the company. “I’m glad I left them alone years ago.”
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What’s her hair regimen?
Dugas previously told the Houma Courier, part of the Gannett network, that she loves vintage clothing and jewelry, so she wanted to grow her hair out. She was inspired by her mother’s hair in the 1970s.
She’s a native of Napoleonville, about 50 miles south of Baton Rouge. When she first went natural, people in the area made fun of her for it, she told the Courier. That subsided as the natural hair movement began to take off again.
Today, Dugas gets her ends trimmed regularly and uses hot oil treatments, as well as butters she makes herself, she told Guinness.
“I’m careful when handling the ends of my hair because those are the most delicate and oldest parts,” she told Guinness.
And while her afro has set three records, she doesn’t wear it out often. She said it can “be a bit much” so she wears different styles.
Her Instagram is full of different styles she tries, including top buns, braids, and half up, half down ponies.
Some people ‘take a little tug’ when she wears her hair out
Reactions to her hair range from folks yelling because they like her afro to staring to walking up to “take a little tug,” a big no no.
“I’ve learned to just give them a little pop on the hand with a few words of choice,” she told Guinness. “I won’t repeat them here.”
There are a few other downsides to having such a large afro, she said: the heat and being able to see. Her peripheral vision is pretty much nonexistent when she wears her hair out.
But Dugas said being recognized for her hair is nice and her family and friends like it, too.
How did she gain recognition for her hair?
She previously told the Houma Courier that her sister randomly posted her photos on Facebook. Eventually record-keepers contacted her and she submitted photos. In order to win, she couldn’t use any hairspray, mousse, gel or other products.
Back then, in 2010, the largest afro title was brand new, the Houma Courier reported.
“We looked long and hard around the world for suitable potential candidates with help from various hair consultants and specialists,” Michael Whitty, a Guinness photo editor, told the outlet. “Aevin’s photos leapt out at us and she made the short list. Once we had everyone’s measurement evidence she was clearly our standout winner.”
Setting this record has been like a dream
Setting a record with Guinness has been a dream come true for her, Dugas said.
Ever since she was a little girl attending book fairs, she’d head straight to the Guinness Book of World Records and look for the longest hair title-holder.
Back then, Dugas thought her hair wasn’t beautiful. She thought hair needed to be long and straight to be considered pretty.
Today, she knows that isn’t true and views her record as a celebration of textured hair and self-love.
“The natural hair movement was already well on its way but the afro title really did help bring it to another level,” Dugas told Guinness. “Inclusion and representation of everyone is everything.”
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Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757 – and loves all things horror, witches, Christmas, and food. Follow her on Twitter at @Saleen_Martin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
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