Alabama man with the longest natural beard locks describes his style as his strength
Over 10 years ago, Rudolf Martino (USA) started growing out his beard locks.
The hair on his head was already locked, and with complementing facial hair, he believed he’d rock a new culturally inspired style that could show off his authentic self to the world.
Little did he know that nearly a decade later, he would be claiming the Guinness World Records title for the longest natural beard locks on a living person (male) – with his beautiful, healthy, and powerful 3 ft 6 in (1.06 m) long bearded look.
Rudolf’s beard is over a foot taller than the shortest woman living, Jyoti Amge, who measures 24.7 in (62.8 cm)!
“My goal was to create a modern look with locked hair and beard which could be on the world stage clean and presentable, which I have now achieved,” said Rudolf. “My hair was locked at first, but through the years, I have researched thoroughly into different cultures like Egypt, India, and various religions, to create a look that has been around for thousands of years [and] adding my own flavour.”
“The beard locks [were] inspired by the holy men of India, plus Jamaican Rastafarians who adopted their look from India,” he explained, and he described his look as 'natural', 'cultured', and 'authentic to one’s self.'
Rudolf lives in Birmingham, Alabama, after moving from California in 2015, where he was a singer, dancer, and a weightlifter. Now, he’s passionate about playing competitive billiards, and has a goal to change the reputation of pool shooters to a more wholesome image.
Because of the length of his hair, Rudolf says that he has to keep his locks tucked away when exercising or playing billiards. But whenever he can, he loves to show off his style, and takes good care of his hair to maintain its strength, integrity, and look.
He washes his hair thoroughly every two weeks (even though it can take two or three days to fully dry!) and visits a hair specialist monthly for maintenance. He also puts in a special moisturizer once a day, to keep it looking its best.
When his Guinness World Records title was officially confirmed, he joined his hair specialist for a small celebration, saying that they shared “a very special moment” together when accepting the accomplishment.
“The looks I get are mixed, some in disbelief, and some in relief,” Rudolf said. “There’s much bias and prejudice in the world, and recently in California they passed a bill The Crown Act 2019 [which combats race-based hair discrimination] but it hasn’t passed federally.
“There shouldn’t be discrimination against anyone’s natural hair, [and] myself being an African American, has pushed the envelope with a hair turban and robe – so the reaction sometimes is disarming, and residing in Birmingham, Alabama, this borders on heresy.
“But over all my hair and beard draws different reactions, but it’s all good, I love my style!”
And no matter what reaction others may have to his hair, Rudolf says he has no current plans to cut it – explaining that his style gives him strength.
“Just as a tree has roots, branches, leaves, and some fruit, I have as a symbol my hair, its roots, length, and strength,” he said. “My fruits that I contribute to the world [are] my creativity, sharing, [and] caring to make the world a better, sweeter, and [more] tolerable place to live in.”
Congratulations on your incredible record, Rudolf – you are Officially Amazing!