Nigerian lady sets new Guinness World Record for longest handmade wig

A wigmaker from Lagos, Helen Williams, entered the Guinness World Records by creating the world’s longest handmade wig, measuring 351.28 metres (1,152 ft 5 in).

Helen spent 11 days and over N2 million (£2,031; $2,493) to make the wig.

The GWR disclosed this in a statement shared on its website on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.

It states that Helen, after constructing the underlay with wig-cap netting and black fabric attached to a bicycle helmet, completed the hairpiece using 1,000 bundles of hair, 12 cans of hair spray, 35 tubes of hair glue, and 6,250 hair clips.

The Guinness World Records further quoted the wigmaker as saying: “Finding the materials to make the longest wig was not an easy task.

“My experience as a wigmaker helped a lot.”

According to GWR, Helen has been working as a professional wigmaker for eight years, producing anywhere from 50 to 300 wigs per week.

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

The wigmaker noted that despite having such extensive experience, creating the record-breaking wig was not a simple feat for her.

Helen said: “At some point, I felt exhausted.

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“However, friends and family encouraged me. I did not want to let them down, so I maintained my focus. The outcome is the longest handmade wig in the world.”

The biggest challenge Helen faced 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 eventually decided to do it beside the Lagos–Abeokuta Expressway, a long road connecting the cities of Lagos and Abeokuta.

Helen now keeps the wig in her office, where she invites anyone to come and look at it “whenever they want to”.

Having grown up reading the annual Guinness World Records book, Helen expressed joy at now being a record holder herself.

She said: “It will take a while for me to digest.

“This achievement is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I still cannot believe it.”

The Star