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Breaking a Guinness World Record is no mean feat and Simone Williams bears witness to this. The 32-year-old New York-based fashion designer just broke the record for largest afro (female).
Williams, who began her natural hair journey nine years ago, admits that at first caring for her natural hair was difficult.
"The process was very difficult at first since I was accustomed to wearing my hair straight and I didn’t know how to manage my natural hair texture."
She had been perming and straightening her hair for years before deciding to embrace her natural locs at the age of 23.
The new record holder takes over from Aevin Dugas, also from the US, who had held the record for eight years.
"She inspired me to make the attempt. At the time, I didn’t think my hair was anywhere close to hers, she was goals!”
Williams’ hair regimen is pretty simple. She washes her hair weekly making sure to use very little shampoo. She then applies plenty of conditioner to help detangle her hair followed by moisturizer and olive oil gel after which she sections her hair into eight twists and lets it dry.
When she got her afro measured, it came to 20.5 cm in height, 22.5 cm wide and 1.48 m in circumference.
"When my hair is fully styled and big and voluminous I get a lot of stares, a lot of comments, lots of compliments – I want to think that everything is positive, but there are some people who stare like they have no idea what’s going on or what they’re looking at."
"Styling my hair like this is a silent reflection of who I am as a Black woman, it’s dynamic, it’s larger than life, and it’s fun! I most definitely see it as my statement piece."
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