Published 14th Nov, 2023

Helen Williams, a Nigerian wigmaker, has set a new Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest handmade wig.

Announcing the record on Tuesday, GWR stated that Williams had set a new record for the longest handmade wig which measures 351.28 metres (1,152 ft 5 in).

The platform stated that it took the wigmaker about 11 days, 1,000 bundles of hair, 12 cans of hair spray, 35 tubes of hair glue and 6,250 hair clips to achieve her goal of setting the new world record.

Williams, who has been a wigmaker for nearly eight years, said her experience as a wigmaker came in handy as she would usually produce between 50 and 300 wigs per week.

Helen Williams from Lagos, Nigeria has achieved a new record for the longest handmade wig which stretches an incredible 351.28 metres (1,152 ft 5 in) 👏 pic.twitter.com/gwGdqjF8Wp
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) November 14, 2023

“Finding the materials to make the longest wig was not an easy task. My experience as a wigmaker helped a lot,” she said.

“I have trained hundreds of students and have made thousands of wigs.”

The Nigerian stated that while the task was exhausting, the desire to set a new record and the encouragement from her friends and family kept her going.

She said that while she now kept the wig in her office for visitors who might like to see it, one challenge she had in fulfilling her dream was finding a space to have the wig laid out in a straight line and accurately measured, as none of the venues she visited, including several running tracks, were long enough to accommodate it.

She finally settled for an area around the Lagos–Abeokuta Expressway, a long road connecting the cities of Lagos and Abeokuta.

Williams said she spent over N2 million achieving her quest.

Share on Social Media