Everyone calls Pelin Özdemir "Rapunzel," and she likes the nickname. The 12-year-old girl who lives in the western city of İzmir made it into the Children’s Guinness Book of World Records with her 1.52-meter-long hair earlier this month.

The sixth-grader enjoys the attention she receives wherever she goes, and people flock to take photos with the young girl. "My parents did not want me to get my hair cut when I was a toddler and then, I decided not to myself when I grew up," she said. She insists she did not use any substance for extra growth. The only problem with long hair is "having to wait." Özdemir’s mother cares for her hair after every bath. "It takes about two hours to dry and comb. My mother does it while I watch a film. It gets boring at times but not a big deal," she told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Another obstacle with long hair is "tripping on it." Özdemir says she only wears it down on special occasions like parties and always wears it up on normal days. She was rejected by Guinness World Records as she lacked other attributes like age, but she managed to secure a certificate for the kids’ record. "I broke the previous record that was 84 centimeters," she pointed out. Currently, Nilanshi Patel, a 16-year-old Indian girl, holds the record for the longest hair on a teenager with her brown locks that measure 170 centimeters.

Her mother Selma, who has training in hairdressing, says it is not easy to care for Pelin’s hair. "Washing it is especially difficult. I comb her hair before her bath, and after she washes it, I comb it again. Drying it is more difficult, and I comb it once again after drying it," she says.