Women in THIS village grow their hair up to 7 feet long; the village is in…., they use shampoo made up of….

This tradition is believed to bring longevity and prosperity.

New Delhi: For centuries, across the globe, long hair for women are considered to be a vital factor that adds to their feminine beauty and charm. In fact, history tells us how the royal and wealthy people would hire professionals to maintain hair health and prepare potions to promote hair growth.

Now in the modern times, when life has become fast, people hardly get enough time to take care of their hair. They rely on the products available in the market. Some even go to the extent of shaving off their hair or keeping it short so that they don’t have to spend time to groom up.

But here, we tell you about the Red Yao women from Huangluo village of Guangxi Zhuang in China who consider hair deeply connected to womanhood. The Red Yao women are widely known for growing their hair nearly six feet long as a sign of longevity. Maintenance involves washing their scalp and strands with fermented rice water in the Jinsha River.

In this Chinese village, women only cut their hair once in their lives and are casually called “real-life Rapunzels” from a fairy tale due to their tradition of growing their hair up to six or seven feet long.

The Red Yao women, referring to their traditionally red clothing, only cut their hair once, typically on their 18th birthday. Yao women mark their first haircut as a sign they are open for marriage.

The tradition of growing such long hair is believed to bring longevity and prosperity to the community.

The women follow a special cleansing routine to maintain the dark colour and the overall health of their long hair. Their “shampoo,” made from all natural ingredients, has one key ingredient, fermented rice water.

The women boil rice water with herbs, pomelo peels, and tea bran to prepare the cleanser. They then use a traditional wooden comb to spread the mixture from scalp to ends.