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Mother-of-four breaks world record with charity hair donation

Daily Mail Online 1 day ago

A mother has broken a world record for the biggest ever donation of hair to a charity - after chopping off a whopping 67 inches. 

Ruth Tripp, 38, from South Molton, Devon, donated her tumbling locks to The Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides free wigs - made of real hair - to children and young people. 

The epic donation has now landed the mother-of-four the title of Guinness World Record holder for the largest single donation of hair by a woman.

Ruth, an accountant, described how her long brown tresses had grown 'to the floor,' before coming to the decision to chop off the entire 67 inches (172cm). 

The mother, who had boasted back-length tresses throughout her adult life, had been growing her hair for around six years before ultimately reaching for the pair of scissors.   

She said: 'I knew it would be harder to look after so I thought it would be better to give it away now, so somebody could actually use it and make the most of it.

'I didn't think it was that much hair because I'm so used to having long day, I didn't think it could be a record. I had no idea.'

Instead of settling on a short, bob hairstyle - like many donors - Ruth decided to go the extra mile and shave her head entirely.

Ruth Tripp, 38, from South Molton, Devon, donated her tumbling locks to The Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides free wigs - made of real hair - to children who have lost their own.
Ruth Tripp, 38, from South Molton, Devon, donated her tumbling locks to The Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides free wigs - made of real hair - to children who have lost their own.

Ruth's first wave of inspiration came shortly after giving birth to her son and described how she was approached by the charity while in the neonatal unit. 

She continued: 'I thought I could cut it off to raise some money. But rather than just cutting my hair off, I thought it would be best to donate my hair as well and I found The Little Princess Trust.

'I then thought about how much I would eventually have cut off and just thought I should go for it, so had it all cut off.'

Another driving factor that led Ruth to part ways with her Rapunzel-style mane was her intensive hair wash routine.

The mother described how her hair would take 'a few hours' to air dry after using normal shampoo and condition. 

Ruth explained that she'd often have young children in awe over her 'princess hair' - which made her even more determine to donate it to a worthy cause. 

She explained: 'If I took my hair down while I was out, then children would say "mummy look at that princess hair" and they would ask to have hair like that.

'That's what children want, they want hair like that - so I knew I should give it to someone else.'

Instead of settling on a short, bob hairstyle - like many donors - Ruth decided to go the extra mile and shave her head entirely
Instead of settling on a short, bob hairstyle - like many donors - Ruth decided to go the extra mile and shave her head entirely
Ruth, pictured with her four children and long tresses, before undergoing the big chop
Ruth, pictured with her four children and long tresses, before undergoing the big chop
Ruth chopped off a whopping 67 inches (172cm) of hair, setting a new Guinness World Record
Ruth chopped off a whopping 67 inches (172cm) of hair, setting a new Guinness World Record

Ruth finally had her cut during a family fun day, where she raised money for both The Little Princess Trust and Supporting Neonatal Users and Graduates (SNUG). 

She travelled to The Little Princess Trust's headquarters in Hereford, where she delivered her tresses and observed first-hand how the charity make their incredible wigs.  

Wendy Tarplee-Morris, founder of The Little Princess Trust, described her shock at the sheer amount of hair received following Ruth's big chop.

She said: 'We always encourage our supporters to grow their hair as long as possible to help us make wigs for children with hair loss.

'But I never thought I'd see the day when someone would donate ponytails measuring 67 inches.

'We are so grateful to for her extraordinary efforts for The Little Princess Trust and the young people who receive our wigs.'

Before: Ruth with her long brown tresses
Ruth finally had her cut during a family fun day, where she raised money for both The Little Princess Trust and Supporting Neonatal Users and Graduates (SNUG)
After: Ruth's new look after donating over 60 inches of hair

The previous Little Princess record was set in 2023, when an anonymous donor sent in 52 inches of hair. 

Before Ruth's sizeable donation, the official world record for the longest hair ever donated had been set at 61 inches (155cm). 

It comes after a 'British Rapunzel' with 5ft long locks says she's won over 500 hearts this year but is still yet to find Mr Right.

Jasmine Larsen - known as 'Britain's real-life Rapunzel' - from Bristol, became an online sensation after growing her natural red hair to an impressive 4ft 7ins, however her remarkable tresses have attracted the wrong eyes.

The influencer is regularly swarmed with attention from her 130,000 Instagram followers - whom she claims make odd requests for items like her personal hairbrush and strands of hair. She also claims to have declined a fetish-style offer to chop her hair for £250,000.

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