A woman dubbed the real life Rapunzel has thanked peanut butter for helping her to grow her ankle length mane.

Andrea Stano, 34, who has 5ft 6in long hair, claims the key to keeping her beautiful long tresses in pristine condition is eating peanut butter daily.

And despite the fact that her luscious locks taking up to 45 minutes per day to preserve, Andrea, who is from Micronesia but now lives in the US with her husband, claims she has never had a proper haircut - and doesn't want to any time soon.

Nutty! 'Real-life Rapunzel' Andrea Stano has 5ft 6in-long hair, and claims that the secret to keeping it so lengthy and healthy is eating peanut butter every day

Let down your hair! The 34-year-old's tresses hang all the way down to her ankles

Care routine: She has to spend 45 minutes a day styling her hair, and also does a 15-minute daily hair mask to keep it looking and feeling healthy

Having fun: Andrea loves to style her hair in different ways, from copying the lengthy floral braid seen in Tangled (left) to working on her own unique creations

She washes her hair twice a week and spends an additional 15 minutes most days applying a hair mask.

Despite all the care she provides for her hair, Andrea claims the secret to keeping her hair healthy and growing is only a spoonful of peanut butter daily.

Andrea said: 'I eat peanut butter every day.

'I truly believe this step keeps my hair healthy, and helps it to grow faster and thicker.

'If I am travelling or forget to eat peanut butter for a week or two, I can always tell a difference.

'When I eat peanut butter every day, my hair is easier to comb out and does not fall out as easily when I am brushing it.'

Andrea said she had always longed for long locks.

Her strawberry blonde hair color makes her standout in the crowd and she is often stopped by people who gape in disbelief when they learn the length of her mane.

She said: 'I have always had long hair since I was a little girl.

'I grew up in Hawaii and in Micronesia where most women and girls have long hair but I have always loved keeping my hair long and healthy.

'My hair is strawberry blonde and I have never dyed or colored it.

Elegant: 'I grew up in Hawaii and in Micronesia where most women and girls have long hair but I have always loved keeping my hair long and healthy,' Andrea said

Natural: She also insists that she has never dyed her hair, and loves its natural strawberry blonde coloring

Healthy: As well as eating peanut butter daily, Andrea also takes hair vitamins, fish oil, and collagen every day, while also putting coconut oil on the ends to keep them healthy

Silky smooth: 'My hair is soft but strong, and does not tangle too easily,' Andrea said

'People are very kind and complimentary about my hair.

'They admire how I have it braided and when they ask how long it is they are always shocked to hear it is ankle length.

'Sometimes I am compared to a real-life Rapunzel.

'I love the story of Rapunzel, especially the Disney Tangled version. Her hair is definitely an inspiration.'

Despite the length of her hair, Andrea says her hair is extremely smooth and barely gets tangled, making it easy for her to make different hairstyles.

She added: 'The possibilities are endless with long hair and each day I think of how I will fix my hair today.

'I love to try out new braids and hairstyles and have posted pictures of hundreds of hairstyles on my blog.

'It is naturally straight but can hold braid waves. My hair is soft but strong, and does not tangle too easily.

'I use a wide tooth comb on my hair that I bought in Micronesia years ago.

'I have a bamboo brush that I use sometimes. I start at the bottom and work my way up to the top of my head.

'This helps remove tangles easily and keeps me from losing too many hairs when I'm combing.

Up she goes: Andrea doesn't just wear her hair long, she will also twist it up into impressive top knots and chignons

Special bond: Andrea says her husband Justin loves her long hair, and 'thinks it is beautiful'

Family ties: She has never had a professional haircut, and says that any time she needs a trim, her mother or her husband will do it for her

Opening doors: Andrea has bonded with other long hair fans, and says that her lengthy tresses have helped her to 'meet new friends around the world'

'I also take daily hair vitamins, fish oil, and collagen.

'I put coconut oil on the ends of my hair, also monoi oil from Tahiti.'

Andrea has never been to a hairdressers for a haircut but believes in trimming the ends of the hair to keep them growing healthy and strong.

And she believes her long tresses have given her the opportunity to be known in the world thanks to her online blog.

Andrea said: 'I would be very sad to cut my hair.

'I like having ankle length hair, although healthy hair is also important to me.

'I like for the ends of my hair to be thick.

'I have never been to a hair stylist so it is either my mom or my husband who trim my hair.

'My husband loves my hair and thinks it is beautiful. Sometimes he suggests hairstyles for me to try.

'Long hair has given me opportunities to meet new friends around the world.

'I have many good friends now who I first met through our mutual interest in long hair, and soon we became friends for other reasons.

'Some of my hair friends follow my missionary work in the islands, and sometimes they even send gifts for the children I work with.

'Long hair can bring us together even though we are far apart.'