They measure 19 feet, 6 inches long. When dry, they weigh four pounds. When wet, at least ten pounds. Asha Mandela has the longest dreadlocks in the world – making her an official Guinness World Record holder.

For Asha, it’s more than just a hairstyle. It is a way of life, and an expression of self.

“When I started growing my locks, I suddenly became very over protective of them as I felt they beheld all my energy, widom, knowledge and understanding and my over all strength. So i twisted, groomed and mantained them for myself…to the present,” she explained in a recent e mail interview.

Caring for hair of that length requires a lot of time, and a LOT of products. Check out how many bottles of shampoo she uses to wash her hair!

Asha swears by Allways Natural Isogro Conditioning Hairdress, and good old fashioned olive oil to massage and treat her scalp.

Look out for more YouTube videos from Asha – she promises a video detailing her hair dying process next.

I think Asha’s locks are beautiful and inspiring, and represent what the true meaning of locks are to those who grow them for spiritual reasons. It’s so more than a hairstyle, for many who grow them.

Longtime Afrobella readers might remember my original 2008 post about Asha, and the follow up Comment of the Week post from Asha herself. Click here to visit her website, and click here to follow her on Twitter. And please feel free to leave Asha your questions or friendly comments below, she’ll definitely be reading!

Now THAT is commitment.

I immediately identified with Asha’s hair journey, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel :

“Originally from Trinidad, Mandela started growing her dreads when she decided to stop using chemicals on her hair while she was living in Brooklyn, N.Y. She cut it all off and, as it grew back, began corkscrewing it into curls that in turn were twisted together into dreadlocks. Before her dreads were long enough to hang down, they stuck out from her head like long black fingers.

“She said, ‘I took such good care of your nice curly hair, and this is what you are doing with it?’ ” Mandela recalled. “She called it a mop for five years.”

I wonder if Asha’s mom has come to terms with her daughter’s hair, now that she’s grown her locs to such an impressive length?

Reportedly Asha washes her hair once a week at the most :

“Mandela said says she “used to wash it three times a week. Now I do it once a week. It’s very tiring. Sometimes I don’t have the energy.”

It takes one bottle of shampoo and one bottle of conditioner every time she washes her hair and can sometimes take days to fully dry after she washes it.”

And being the product junkie that I am, I’m wondering — what kind of shampoo and conditioner does Asha use?

I thought it was really interesting that her hair growth wasn’t motivated by religious reasons. It was a desire to celebrate her natural beauty.

Asha broke away from the hairstyling methods she was taught to find her own expression of beauty. I applaud that and wish her all the best!

Your hair’s taken you far, Asha – here’s hoping you get the world record you’re looking for!