For the longest time, African American hair appearance and beauty practices have been linked to the use of cosmetic hair items, with numerous women leaning toward using wigs and related products as a way to achieve and enhance their natural hair beauty. In fact, according to a research done by Mintel, in 2014, up to 44% of black women have reported recent use of wigs in their daily hair wear, and among which, 38% is planning to continue this routine into the next few years. Indeed, even ten years from that research, in our present day in 2025, we can still notice the continuum of this popularity, with wigs taking up the most revenue of the global cosmetic hair market, generating 75% of the $6.46 billion dollars in sales, based on statistics provided by Grand View Research.
What might be the reasons for such a prolonged hair consumption trend, you may ask? For black women, using wigs is rarely considered as a passing phase, as the motives tend to delve deeper than just for beauty purposes. In this article, we will go over the profound reasons for why do black people wear wigs, as well as dig into the products’ history of development and current consumption trends in the market.
1. Why do black people wear wig?
Before diving into individual reasons, it’s worth understanding that why do black people wear wigs is a question rooted in cultural heritage, practicality, and identity. Unlike most people might assume, the key reasons behind black women’s love for wigs and their frequent use of them is much more than simply just for beauty purposes. Indeed, for most Black women, wearing wigs is not a temporary, passing fashion trend, like hair color trends that change every year. More than just for cosmetic reasons, wigs and the use of wigs in daily hair routine can have its reasons traced back to this particular demographic’s cultural heritage, natural hair features, and identity.
1.1. The signature natural hair textures of African women
Originally come from a harsh natural environment of the African continent, being subjected to the high heat and low humidity, the typical African women’s hair cannot help but become brittle, thin, weak, with naturally coily, curly strands. These traits are a natural, genetic way to adapt to the extreme heat and constant exposure to the Sun, providing better ventilation for the women residing here. However, such hair strands are extremely hard to control, styled or maintained, hence, to alter their natural hair look, black women often have to resort to wigs to entirely conceal their original hair and transform their look.
1.2. Hair protection
Not only is it brittle, but the typical African women’s hair can also be extremely fragile and breakable. Indeed, the extremely coarse, brittle strands are often being subjected to high heat or high humidity, making them more prone to dehydration, frizziness and dryness. In order to avoid such hair issues, wigs are the perfect candidate, as they provide a reliable shelter for the natural hair from the extreme heat and humidity of the surrounding environment, as well as trapping moisture and scalp oil inside the strands, rather than exposing them and ultimately leading to evaporation of these valuable hair nutrients. This need for protection is one of the main answers to why do black people wear wigs, as it provides a reliable way to preserve fragile natural hair while experimenting with different looks.
1.3. Self-expressions
According to a research done by the University of Michigan Library, in 15th-century Africa, hairstyles and wigs are often considered as a sign signifying a person’s marital status, age, belief, wealth, social rank – or in other words, a reflection of their identity. However, during the ages of sorrow and loss, this custom has soon been assimilated with the Caucasian’s beauty standards and culture, and disappeared with a part of their African root. Nevertheless, as progress is made, black women can now gain back their agency and be able to embrace their identity and heritage through traditional, culturally-significant hair use. As a result, the long-standing use of wigs has re-emerged in the African American hair community, widely used as a way for black women to keep in touch with their roots and culture. In this sense, why do black people wear wigs can also be explained through a desire for self-expression and cultural reconnection.
1.4. Professional reasons
As progress has been made in many multi-racial communities, for many workplaces, the natural afro-texture hair seen in black women is still considered as unprofessional, unkempt. Hence, many African American women still have to straighten or curl their hair, or resort to daily wig use to seem more professional in the eyes of their employers.
1.5. Health condition
Another reason for the use of wigs among black people can be traced back to their individual health conditions. Indeed, people with health issues such as alopecia, sensitive scalp, or patients of chemotherapy often have to suffer from excessive hair shedding, which ultimately leads to the lack of confidence and unwanted hair look. In such cases, wigs can be used as an alternative, providing both protection for their original scalp and thinning hair, while allowing for hair transformation that helps users to gain back their confidence and desired hair look.
2. Wigs in the Past
To truly understand why do black people wear wigs, it helps to look back at how wig use has evolved through ancient civilizations and how it became part of modern Black identity. Wigs are rarely a new cosmetic hair product just making their debut. In fact, wigs are among the most long-standing, timeless hair pieces that have been widely-used among different civilizations and different historical eras throughout the flow of time.
According to research done by historians and anthropologists, the earliest existence of wigs can be traced back to as early as 3400 BCE-Egypt, as can be proven by the appearances of these artifacts in ancient Egyptian tombs and architectures. Mentioning Ancient Egypt and its wig uses, we cannot ignore the region’s harsh climate – one key reason leading to the early appearance of wig in this particular civilization. Being subjected to constant heat waves, harsh weather and desert-influenced climate, many Ancient Egyptians have resorted to shaving their heads bald and using wigs as a protective method from the external environment. Among Ancient Egyptian nobilities, wigs often had completely different purposes. Adorned with gold and jewelry, wigs were considered the symbol of high social rankings and wealth, worn by the elite members of Ancient Egypt society.
Such a purpose is also common in ancient civilizations of Rome, where wigs were also worn as a representation of the wearer’s social status and affluence. However, these wigs were more often used by Roman women rather than men, also serving the purpose of cosmetic hair items to improve the ladies’ appearance and aesthetic beauty.
For Ancient China, the earliest use of wigs have another completely different drive compared to Ancient Egypt and Rome, besides from the common use to symbolize wealth and influence. In fact, these hair items were often to be used as a theatrical hair piece, worn by actors to mimic the looks and aesthetic appeal of their characters.
In the past, wigs have already been offered with wide diversity for their consumers. However, due to the lack of technological advancements and material availability, besides the high-quality human hair – exclusively used by nobles and people of high status and wealth, most other wigs items are made with plant fibers, sheep wool, animal hair or from other types of available material in the market. The wigs used in this period are often seen in different styles, often adorned with jewels, feathers, animal horns,… based on the purposes of the users. The earliest categories of wigs used in this period are still somewhat limited in range, with mostly mesh cap wigs and faux beards available in the market.
3. Wigs in the Present
Today’s hair market gives even more context to why do black people wear wigs, showing how modern beauty ideals and social empowerment have redefined their purpose. In today’s world, with the evolutionary development made in technology, culture, wigs revived its former popularity in the past, slowly but steadily securing its place in the global hair market. Indeed, with more than 75% contribution made in the global hair market, wigs are undoubtedly the most lucrative and in-demand hair product out there.
Given the progress made in social equality and democracy, wigs are no longer the symbol of social status and class, rather, it has become a more universal, accessible, cosmetic hair item that can be available for use for all hair buyers in the market. Indeed, nowadays, wigs are often used as a protection shielding the natural coarse, brittle hair strands of African American women’s hair from dryness or breakage. Beside the typical use for beauty enhancement and aesthetic purposes, wigs also provide a gateway for African women to connect to their initial roots, as well as embracing the deep-seated traditions and customs that have somewhat been replaced during the age of sorrow.
Not only is it a cultural statement and a method of self-expression, hair wig is also a highly lucrative hair product, with high demands from hair buyers across the globe. Noticing such a tendency, many hair manufacturers in the market have managed to diversify their offerings, as a way to adapt and catch up to the ever-changing, rising hair demands in the market. As a result, nowadays, in the global hair market, there exists many wig options, each with their own unique construction, features, and hence, is best suited for a specific customer base:
- Lace front wigs: the most popular type of wig, featuring a lace piece attached at the frontal hair line of the wig, as the rest of the wig made with hair wefts sewn into a wig cap as base. Lace front wigs are also the most affordable and user-friendly, widely used by most hair buyers in the market.
- Full lace wigs: unlike the traditional lace front wigs, full lace wigs are entirely made upon a sheer lace base. Due to its unique construction, to create full lace wigs, each and every hair strands would be required to be crocheted by hand, making this option the most expensive and high-maintenance wig type in the market. However, by being made with a sheer, thin lace base, full lace wigs are also more versatile, lightweight and breathable, perfect for buyers looking for the ultimate effortless look.
- 360 lace wigs: this particular wig option features a surrounding lace part, covering the entire perimeter of the wig, embracing the center thicker wig cap area. Balancing both the versatility of full lace wig, and the durability of lace front wig, 360 lace wig is able to provide both flexible styling options while still providing a protective cap for the user’s natural hair.
- Full cap wig: the most long-standing, old-fashioned wig option in the market, full cap wigs are made entirely upon a wig cap as base, without any lace attached. Hence, this type of wigs is much heavier, less ventilating and natural looking than other wig options in the market.
Nowadays, as the average living standards have been improved for many parts of the world, women of color worldwide are provided with more financial stability and spending power to spend on their appearance and cosmetic hair use. Hence, their standards for wigs and other related products are also raised to a higher level, demanding more long-standing values and better performance for their products. Hence, wigs factories, in an attempt to adapt to such new and improved standards, have made efforts to improve the material used for wigs. As a result, the existing wigs in the market are much more wearable and user-friendly, being made of safe, skin-friendly materials such as human hair, or advanced synthetic fibers, a huge innovation compared to wigs in the past. These innovations also reshape public perception of why do black people wear wigs, showing how modern wig use combines aesthetics, self-care, and identity expression.
4. Different parts of the world and their Favourite Wigs
As it is expanding, the global hair demands for wigs among black women also show signs of diversifying, with different hair preferences, spending range for different regions worldwide. Based on statistics gathered from Grand View Research, the three most prominent importing markets of this particular hair item are North American, European and Latin American, and African hair market, each with their own characteristics and preferences.
4.1. North American market
In the market, North American hair buyers tend to have certain patterns and favouritism when sourcing their wigs, especially Canadian and US hair buyers – heavily influenced by the region’s focus on individualism and freedom of expression.
Belonging to one of the most rapidly growing economies in the world, North American hair buyers tend to have bigger budgets and hence, most likely to be more demanding and strict with the products, with high standards of the hair’s quality, durability and performance. Residing in the land of freedom itself, most North American hair buyers tend to lean toward high-quality, human hair wigs that allow more styling options, from straightening and bleaching for their users, so that they can style or alter the hair’s look to go according to their liking and personality.
In recent years, with the prominence of hair bleaching and dyeing trends, a vast majority of North American customers have shown great interest toward high-quality #613 bright blonde hair, purchasing and dyeing the hair afterward, as a way to achieve their own desired unique, exotic hair look.
4.2. European and Latin American
For people of color residing in Europe and Latin America, this particular market sector tends to be heavily influenced by the Western beauty standard, focusing on elegance, natural beauty, rather than striking, bold hair look.
Indeed, as a way to comply with the European hair beauty standards that are currently prominent in these areas, hair buyers from European and Latin American countries tend to lean toward natural-looking, elegant wig textures and colors. Hence, textures that best resemble the classic Slavic beauty look such as straight, bodywave, natural wavy or curly are extremely popular, alongside with colors like black, light brown, or blonde,… These in particular are currently the hottest hair items in many wig stores in this market, with stable demands from hair lovers within the community.
Much like the North American hair market, buyers from this market sector also possess more disposable income to spend on their personal aesthetic, beauty needs. As a result, European and Latin American hair buyers are more likely to also have higher standards for their wigs, and hence, more prone to purchase premium quality items to maximize their use and satisfaction.
4.3. African hair market
For many hair manufacturers in the global market, Africa is home to one of the biggest hair importing markets, with the most demands for wigs across the globe. Indeed, given the massive number of women of color residing in this particular region, it is no doubt that the African hair market would also be the biggest consumer.
African women are lively, dynamic, outgoing, and always full of energy, hence, they tend to be prone to purchase wigs that best resemble their inner personality and qualities. As a result, in this market, the best selling wig items would be ones with the most striking, bold and fashion-forward colors, with color options like blonde, burgundy, green, or silver,… and color schemes such as piano, gradient, ombre,… On top of that, the sleek, lustrous appeal of bone straight, short bob wigs is also the newest trend for African hair buyers, gaining huge traction within the local hair communities. Indeed, by offering these specific hair textures and colors, hair business owners are sure to satisfy most of the rising hair demands seen in African countries.
However, despite recent economic breakthroughs, many women of color residing in African countries still belong to the middle-lower income class, with a much more limited spending range than the North America and European hair market. Hence, African hair buyers tend to be more money-conscious when purchasing wigs, prioritizing the longevity and affordability of the hair to maximize hair use out of their limited budget.
These cultural preferences and economic factors also reveal deeper insights into why do black people wear wigs, combining beauty, practicality, and personal empowerment.
5. Wigs, Hair Loss, Beauty and Cultural Ideals
For many, why do black people wear wigs is not just about beauty, it’s about confidence, healing, and cultural pride.
Wigs have always been highly recommended by medical practitioners for their patients, as a way to conceal unwanted hair flaws. Having lustrous, healthy hair has always been the ideal beauty standards that all women strive to achieve. Unfortunately, for patients suffering from chemotherapy, alopecia, or other special health conditions, hair loss poses a huge problem, not only affecting their physical appearance, but also their confidence and self-esteem. Indeed, with ubiquitous advertisements, social media contents praising and marketizing glamorous hair looks from celebrities, these patients cannot help but feel unwanted, insecure. However, in such cases, the use of wigs can provide a quick transformation for those in need, concealing the hair flaws causing insecurity, and provide protection while they receive the hair care and treatment they need.
A part of black women’s identity, wigs has become. Indeed, the global sensation of wigs and other related products has been linked to have originated from the ancient civilizations in Africa. Hence, it is only accurate to say that wigs have played a crucial part of the culture and civilization shaping the identity of black women, becoming a huge part of who they were, and who they are. Hence, the use of wigs hold much deeper meaning than just a method to elevate appearance and complying to beauty standards, rather, it is a bridge connecting women of color with their ancestors and culture, embracing heritage and tradition.
With the development of social media, e-commerce platforms, nowadays, wigs have become universal, widely accessible for hair buyers across the globe, creating a free available marketplace for sellers to promote their products, and for hair buyers to connect with the most suitable wig items that best match with their individual preferences and spending range.
6. Benefits of buying wigs
Now that we’ve explored why do black people wear wigs, let’s look at the practical benefits for both everyday users and hair business owners. Hair buyers, either business owners purchasing to resell, or end-users, purchasing to use the items themselves, sourcing and buying wigs can come with several benefits that all the above types of buyers can enjoy.
6.1. For End-users
As personal user, buying wigs can offer numerous perks, especially for those looking for ways to elevate and transform their hair look:
- Better convenience: unlike the traditional hair styling methods, requiring hours of salon visit while cannot maintain long-lasting hair use, wigs offer a much better alternative in terms of convenience and long-term use. Indeed, for most wig wearers, the complete process of applying and glueing wigs onto their original head would only demand a half-an-hour wait, rather than the lengthy waiting time when choosing professional hair styling services from salons. This fast-installation is especially beneficial, given the bustling lifestyle and busy work flow of many modern women in today’s world.
- Flexibility: wigs are among the most versatile hair products in the market, allowing more flexibility and freedom in styling for its wearers. Undoubtedly, if the user wishes to change or transform their hair look, they would just simply take off the wigs, the current wig, and put on a new one – achieving complete hair transformation without adding extra damage onto their natural hair. For many, the use of wigs can also be deemed as a way of self-expression, allowing wearers to switch between different styles, colors, textures of their liking, with only a few minutes wait between applications.
- Hair protection: for many women of color, wearing wigs can be a highly effective way to provide protection for their already-damaged, fragile hair. Indeed, while the user’s hair would be braided neatly to provide a flat surface for wig installation, the natural hair would be entirely concealed by the wigs – providing the ultimate shield to protect the wearer’s original hair from the external harsh environment, allowing it to rest and grow peacefully underneath.
- Cost-effective: the traditional salon visits, as widely resorted to as they are, are rarely an ideal way to style one’s hair. Indeed, the frequent visits to salons and constant exposure to high heat and chemicals could only add further damage to the hair, rather than protecting it like the wigs. Furthermore, as expensive as they are, salon visits can only provide a temporary desirable look, rather than a long-lasting one. Indeed, as the user’s hair continues to grow, soon enough, clients would have to make repetitive salon visits to retain their hair look, causing a huge financial burden upon the customers. However, a single high-quality wig can last up to years with proper care, saving both time and money for its consumers.
6.2. For Business owners
Given the huge market demands on the market, wigs are considered as a pivotal hair item that all business owners should equip their brand with, in order to better satisfy the current market trends and rising demands.
- High market demands: driven by the influence of celebrity culture, and online shopping, the wig market has witnessed remarkable growth, with increasing preference for protective and transformative hair use that comes with these products. This trend has also been further driven by the modern consumers’ rising demands for time-saving beauty solutions, especially among office workers with busy work schedules and tight timetables. As a result, wigs have become one of the most sought-after products in the hair business, offering consistent profit margins and stable demand throughout the year. For many hair vendors and salon owners, introducing wigs into their catalog equals securing a product that sells fast, appeals to wide audiences, and ensures market competitiveness.
- Wider customer base: unlike other hair products that only cater to a specific group of consumers, wigs have a far broader customer base, attracting wearers of all ages, professions, and lifestyles. Indeed, they are suitable for those who wish to enhance their beauty effortlessly, individuals experiencing hair thinning or hair loss, or simply customers who enjoy experimenting with new looks. Furthermore, given their fast-installation and ability to instantly transform one’s appearance, wigs appeal to both everyday and professional hair users. For hair business owners, this wide market accessibility presents an excellent opportunity to reach a more diverse clientele, ensuring steady revenue and long-term brand recognition.
- High product quality: the popularity of wigs also originates from their quality and performance. A high-quality wig made from 100% human hair, such as Vietnamese hair, not only offers natural appeal and comfort but also ensures durability even after repetitive styling or bleaching. Indeed, many salon professionals and resellers choose to work with reputable factories like K-Hair to guarantee product consistency and authenticity for their customers. Supplying premium wigs not only elevates the business’s reputation but also builds customer loyalty and trust, essential factors for sustainable business growth in such a competitive field.
>>What is the newest wig trend in the market? Let’s find out:
7. Conclusion
With the information provided in this article, we hope that we have managed to assist young women in the hair industry with the overall information, tips, and most importantly, why do black people wear wigs. Navigating through the complex hair industry requires long-term commitment and support from trustworthy partners, we proudly present ourselves not only as a trusted hair expert, but also a supportive friend who will always have your back in this somewhat overwhelming market.
Need to chat with a hair specialist? Contact K-Hair Factory Vietnam through the following link:
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