Your No-Shave November inspo: American takes title for longest beard with five-foot locks

In honour of the start of No-Shave November, take some inspiration from the new Guinness World Records title holder for the longest natural beard locks on a living person (male), 54-year-old Matthew Hey (USA).

Matthew was recently awarded the title with his 5 ft 3 in (1.603 m) locks, far surpassing the previous record holder Rudolf Martino (USA) and his 3 ft 6 in (1.06 m) beard.

A resident of Baldwin City, Kansas, USA, Matthew has not trimmed his curly brown hair for over two decades, making him the proud owner of a record-breaking beard the size of a giraffe's neck.

Nevertheless, though it is a noticeable feature on his face, the title holder says that his appearance is hardly a defining factor in his life.

"I had a teenage girl ask me if my beard defines me, and I answered not at all," he said to GWR.

"The beard came not because of what I did, but because of what I did not do," he added - referring to cutting his hair!

Though he's always sported a shorter beard, Matthew estimates that he really started growing it out 20 years ago, after some children asked him to braid his beard and he ended up liking the style.

The braid eventually matted into a lock, and began increasing by roughly 3-4 in (7-10 cm) each year - in time growing long enough for him to tie it around his waist in a beard-belt fashion.

"It is difficult to comprehend that I have the longest natural beard lock in the world on a living person, considering there are over eight billion people in the world and how short of time it took me to grow it," he said, humbly. "I would think there would be millions of men that have the genetics to grow a beard like me, most just do not try. Someone else could come forward at any time."

Read more stories about record-breaking hair in our dedicated Human Body section!

That said - if someone comes to take his record, they'll need quite a lot of hair.

When Matthew attempted the record while back home in Independence, Missouri, his lock stretched out across almost the entire length of a giant wooden board, officially surpassing the prior record by nearly 2 ft (0.6 m).

And though he was proud to take the title, he still says that this isn't the end of his record-breaking beard.

"I do not plan on cutting my beard - or dying - but sometimes stuff happens," joked Matthew. "I would cut it if there was a good enough reason to do so. How much is a world record beard worth, though? Would it still be a world record beard if it was cut off? Should I insure it?"

Yet until he makes that giant cut, Matthew says that he'll continue to care for the beard the same way he always has - some simple shampoo and conditioner, and absolutely zero trims.

Since it touches the floor, he says that wearing it down is beginning to become impractical, so he typically folds it over multiple times and ties it up for daily use.

And as an adventurous person, there are many moments in which taking care of his beard is the last thing on his mind.

In fact, he says that the people who are closest to him know that his personality is worth much more than his facial hair.

With a strong passion for cars and computers - mainly Mazda RX-7 sports cars and Amiga computers - as well as weight lifting, video games, and spending time with his loved ones, Matthew has a life full of fun moments that have nothing to do with his appearance.

"Most of my friends would probably associate me more with these hobbies, even more so than anything about my beard," he said.

He also says that even though he sometimes gets some attention for his beard when out in public, most comments are passing compliments like "Nice beard!" or "Is that real?!"

"I will get some close-minded grandmas giving me a dirty look because of my appearance sometimes, but I am blessed to not look too bad for my age," he said.

"Actually, it is not the beard growers who need advice but the people intolerant of beard growers. Be tolerant and kind to people regardless of their appearance."

So for those looking at Matthew for some No-Shave November style inspiration, he has some simple words of advice:

"On your marks, get set, grow... and be blessed!"