Meet the Real-Life Rapunzel

photo: Inside Edition

As many women age, they often chop their long locks and opt for a more sensible bob. But Illinois-based mom Terelynn Russel, 43, is bucking that trend by growing her hair to over six feet long—that's longer than the length of her entire body: "My earliest memory of the shortest hair would be when I was four years old starting kindergarten and it was down to my waist," she said. "To me, short hair would be just above my waist."

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Her daughters are following suit and growing their own strands to epic proportions.

photo: Inside Edition

Calls to Russel weren't returned for comment but she told Inside Edition: "You have to have patience to be in this house with all of this hair." Russel taught her daughters to style each other's manes. And locks this long comes with responsibility. Russel says she once stepped on her own hair so she set some house hair rules which she calls "a big event."

photo: Inside Edition

All women in the family must tie their hair back while in the kitchen, especially around the stove. Hair must be kept immaculate by using lots of shampoo and conditioner. It takes an hour for Terelynn's hair to dry. “I burn up a lot of blow dryers," she says.

photo: Inside Edition

But all is not for vanity.  Russel and her daughters have donated some of their hair (20 inches, tops) to Locks of Love, an organization that donates hair to children suffering from medical hair loss. 

photo: Inside Edition

And how do the men in the Russel family cope? As for her son, Russel says, "He is going to be a great husband. He's going to know how to deal with drama, and how to deal with hair.” And Russel's husband says: “I love all my girls’ long hair.” 

photo: Inside Edition