A Louisiana woman holds the world record for the most afros for the third time in 13 years.
Aevin Dugas, 47, started growing her hair out in 1999 and initially did so with the goal of promoting the beauty of natural hair.
Dugas says she aspires to get a Guinness World Record for the longest hair, especially since some cultures have historically associated beauty with straight hair.
‘I didn’t decide to grow African so much as I decided to go natural,’ said Dugas. Guinness World Records. It’s about pride in woven poetry that leads to self-love.
“At one time, I was striving for bony straight hair and now all I want is big and bouncy.”
Aevin Dugas has just broken the Guinness World Record for the longest three African-American hair in the past 13 years with her hair now spanning 5’5″
Dugas, who is from Louisiana, said she aims to enhance the beauty of natural hair by breaking records and grew up coveting the record for the longest hair.
She began cultivating the afro hairstyle, which is now her trademark, in 1999 though it required frequent trims and styling regimens to maintain.
In her twenties, she began to admire the natural hairstyles that many black women wore as a way of expressing identity and pride.
After a failed trip to a hairdresser, she began braiding, curling, and coloring her hair, learning how to cut her hair without much difficulty before growing out her trademark afro.
recently revealed Tik Tok which has nearly 48,000 followers, tells how a hairdresser once braided her hair so tightly that it made even the bottoms of her feet hurt, so she removed the braids in a matter of hours.
“From that day on,” Dugas said, “I knew: ‘You know what? If you want to do your hair, do it yourself – learn it yourself.
In 2010, she broke the Guinness World Record for the largest Afro with a circumference of 4 feet 4 inches (132 cm).
Dugas is an advocate for natural hair and has gained international recognition for her stunning afro — though she often wears it tied back.
“I didn’t decide to grow African so much as I decided to go natural,” says Aevin Dugas.
Dugas says she has embraced her natural hair texture and has broken the Guinness World Record for the Most Afro three times.
Dugas says she aims to promote self-love and pride in woven hair
Eleven years later, in 2021, she broke her own record by nearly 5 ft 2 in (157 cm) before taking the current record of 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) in September 2022.
Her afro also measures over 9” (25cm) long and 10” (26cm) wide.
Although size is everything, a record-setting afro still requires frequent embellishments and a strict styling regimen to maintain.
Her stunning appearance attracts her attention wherever she goes, but she has her drawbacks as she often gets stuck in trees, car doors, and people’s earrings.
It can also take a couple of days to wash and dry and she’s so big she struggles to see clearly from under her – which means she can’t drive with her ‘hair up’.
To prep her hair for a night out, she shampoos and then uses up to five conditioners.
Then she puts her hair into two French braids after which it takes about two days for it to dry.
But the positives far outweigh the negatives and she becomes a hometown hero Reserve, about 35 miles west of New Orleans.
What she’s most excited about is inspiring young girls to stop using chemical straighteners, which can cause long-term damage to hair.
‘I don’t know why but there is something very important to me about little girls appreciating my hair and then wanting to wear their hair the same way,’ she said.
“I tell them there’s nothing I’ve done in particular, there’s no magic formula, we were born with our hair like this.”
Dugas’ bad experience with a professional hairstylist forced her to take matters into her own hands
Dugas confirms that she wears her hair in different styles to adapt to the hot and humid weather in Southeast Louisiana.
She receives mixed reactions from the audience, with some people admiring her hair, while others make inappropriate comments or try to touch her hair without permission.
Dugas said she came to admire the natural hairstyles that many black women wore as a way of expressing identity and pride in their twenties.
Aevin was originally inspired by a photo of her mom Deborah Dugas wearing an afro in the ’60s — and remains one of her biggest fans today.
Ms Dugas, 72, who runs a nursing home, said: ‘I am humbled that she did this because she loved my natural hair, before she was even born.
“It was about half the size of Evin and everyone loved it.”
She added, “Her hair has definitely had an impact on society.
She made her decision when wearing your hair naturally was considered unattractive in the black community.
But, for all that, she started wearing her hair years ago as normal. I’m really proud.
Dugas pointed out that she can’t drive while her hair is in an afro style so she has to wear it tied up
Dugas learned how to cut her hair without much difficulty and began growing her trademark afro in 1999 breaking a world record first in 2010.
A record-setting afro requires frequent styling and styling regimens to maintain
Dugas learned how to style her hair herself, which eventually led to the birth of her famous afro
Sometimes, Dugas simply choose to wear dreadlocks along with beads
Dugas says she receives a wide range of reactions from members of the public when she lets her loose afro out in public with everything from words of admiration to tugging at her hair without asking permission.
“I’ve learned to give them a little pop on hand with a few words of choice that I won’t repeat,” Dugas told Guinness.
Although Dugas says she loves how her highlighted hair helps her become a noticeable figure in the room, she also wears her hair in various other styles. In order to survive the scorching Louisiana temperatures.
‘hot weather. “It’s not something you’d wear in the Louisiana heat just because,” she said.
When my hair is straightened to its full length and pressed, it comes down to my backside. But I don’t wear it like that because it looks weird.
