Rapunzel is one of the most beloved fairytales due to several popular Disney movies, and we imagine it’s because of Rapunzel’s long, magical hair.
One question that many Rapunzel-lovers have about the iconic story is, “how long is Rapunzel’s hair?”
If that’s you, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll tell you how long Rapunzel’s hair is and give you tips on how you can get long "magic hair" of your own.
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How Long Is Rapunzel’s Hair?
According to the Brothers Grimm, Rapunzel’s lengthy locks are an incredible 75 feet long! They describe the tower Rapunzel was held in as being 20 ells tall, with each ell measuring 3.75 feet. For Rapunzel’s hair to reach the bottom of the tower, they’d have to be well over 70 feet long.
How Rapunzel’s Hair Got So Long
In the fairytale, Rapunzel’s long locks result from a magical encounter with a witch. While Rapunzel’s mother was pregnant, she lived next to a beautiful garden owned by a powerful sorceress.
One day, while staring out of the window, she noticed a delicious-looking patch of salad greens called rapunzel. She longed for the greens and refused to eat anything else.
Desperate to feed his increasingly ill wife, Rapunzel's father snuck into the garden and stole some of the rapunzel salad greens. This continued daily until, eventually, the man was caught by the sorceress.
She demanded the man's firstborn child, and, in desperation, he agreed. When Rapunzel was born, the sorceress took the babe to raise as her own.
While the exact cause for her long locks isn’t expressly stated in the fairy tale, magic is thought to be involved.
If you haven't seen Disney's Tangled, check out the video above to see just how long Rapunzel's hair is in the movie. You can also enjoy Mandy Moore singing a song titled "When Will My Life Begin?", which is a very popular song from the movie.
In addition to Mandy Moore, Disney's Tangled featured a star-studded cast featuring Zachary Levi, Ron Perlman, Jeffery Tambor, Nathan Greno, Paul Tompkins, Byron Howard, and Donna Murphy.
We love Rapunzel and her long hair, but is it possible to grow your human hair as long as Rapunzel's hair? We'll discuss this and more in the next section.
Can Human Hair Grow to Rapunzel Lengths?
On average, human hair grows around half an inch per month. At this rate, it would take at least 150 years to get hair as long as Rapunzel’s.
Unfortunately, this is much longer than the average human lifespan of 73 years. In short, it’s impossible to grow Rapunzel-length hair.
Furthermore, human hair is limited to a maximum length of about 5 feet, although it can grow longer in rare cases. Each hair follicle has a predetermined growing, resting, and shedding period that determines how long that strand will grow.
Scientists think the length of time your hair spends in the growing phase is set by your genetics. Although genes play a significant role in the length of a person’s hair, they aren’t the only determining factor.
There are steps you can take to increase and retain your hair growth. We’ll get into those in the section below focused on maximizing your hair growth.
How To Maximize Hair Growth
While Rapunzel-like hair might not be possible, growing your hair longer definitely is! Here are some ways to maximize your hair growth and get the long locks you’ve been dreaming of.
Eat Healthier
Long, healthy hair starts from the inside out. By getting the proper nutrition, you can drastically improve your rate of hair growth.
In addition, being deficient in crucial vitamins can slow or even halt your hair growth completely. In these cases, addressing the deficiency can dramatically improve the condition of your hair.
Here are some nutritional deficiencies that stunt hair growth.
- Zinc
- Iron
- Vitamin A
- Protein
- Selenium
- Vitamin D
Avoid Heat and Chemical Damage
Chemical processing and heat damage can weaken your strands beyond repair. They cause your hair to dry out and become brittle.
As a result, your hair may start breaking off nearly as fast as it grows, making it look like it has stopped growing. Use heat and chemical treatments as infrequently as possible to avoid damage.
If you do use heat on your hair, use the lowest effective temperature and protect your strands with a heat protectant. Always follow product directions closely and go to a salon for harsh chemical treatments like relaxers and bleaching.
Get Regular Trims
While it may seem counterintuitive, getting trims every few months can help keep your hair long and strong. Trims remove split ends and damage that can travel upwards and cause severe breakage at your roots.
You can tell your stylist you want a dusting or health-focused trim, so they’ll just remove the damaged ends. Although getting trims doesn’t make your hair grow longer, it will help ensure you’re retaining as much of your growth as possible.
Massage Your Scalp
Massaging your scalp helps increase the blood and oxygen circulation that keeps your follicles healthy. Improving your circulation might just give you the boost in hair growth you’ve been looking for. It’s also therapeutic and easy to do!
Here’s how to massage your scalp for increased hair growth.
- Start with loose, detangled hair. Your hair can be either wet or dry. Remove rings and hair accessories so you’ll be able to massage your entire scalp without damaging your hair.
- Add a few drops of your favorite oil or oil blend onto your fingers.
- Beginning with your temples, press your fingers into your scalp and move them in small circular motions. Apply light pressure and focus on massaging your scalp: not your hair.
- Continue massaging until you’ve covered your entire scalp. It should take at least five minutes.
- Repeat the massage up to two times a day for maximum growth. If you’re massaging your hair multiple times a day, skip the oil on the second massage.
Protect Your Hair Against Physical Damage
Physical damage, like friction or tension, can cause significant breakage. As your hair breaks off, it’ll continue getting shorter, making long hair impossible. If you want long hair, you should avoid wearing tight hairstyles and accessories.
Sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase, or cover your strands with a silk or satin scarf before bed. Cotton pillowcases can cause friction that chips away at the integrity of your hair.
You might also want to try protective styles, like crochet braids, to give your hair regular breaks from the wear and tear of daily styling.
Take Hair-Boosting Supplements
Adding supplements to your routine can give you the nutritional boost you need to take your hair to new lengths. Some nutrients found in food are destroyed by processing or cooking, so taking them in their supplement form may be most beneficial.
Some supplements that support healthy hair growth are:
Use Protein Treatments
If you’re trying to grow your hair long, keeping it strong is one of the most important things you can do. The protein-based ingredients in protein treatments adhere directly to your strands and form a protective layer.
They repair broken bonds and leave your hair stronger, less prone to breakage, and more elastic. This means your strands will be able to bend and stretch without breaking off, and you’ll retain more of your length.
Although you may be tempted to use them more often, only use protein treatments once every six to eight weeks. Using them more often can have the opposite effect and increase breakage.
Deep Condition Your Hair
Every time you shampoo, you should follow up with a conditioner. However, there are times when your hair might need a little more care than a regular conditioner can provide.
Deep conditioning treatments help restore moisture to thirsty locks and increase your hair’s elasticity. They both undo the effects of preexisting damage and prevent future damage.
For an extra boost, pop on a shower cap and sit under a hooded dryer after applying your conditioning treatment. The heat helps it better penetrate your strands.
- How To Grow Natural Hair in a Month
- Does Curly Hair Grow Slower Than Straight Hair?
- How Many Hairs Are on a Human Head
- How to Measure Hair Length in Inches
While Rapunzel’s 75-foot mane might be out of reach, getting longer hair requires just a few simple adjustments to your routine.
We hope this article has answered your questions on how long Rapunzel’s hair is and given you the tools to reach your hair length goals!
