At present, there are still no known cures for male hair loss, so hair replacement is considered an effective management option. Other than the modern hair replacement systems, weaves and extensions, wigs are also used to disguise and/or conceal hair loss.Wigs existed since the time of ancient Egyptians. Nobles and the wealthy wore exceptionally artificial but formal looking wigs as a form of caps to protect their heads.
In Rome, almost all the women wanted to be blonds so they would wear wigs made from the hairs of the captured “barbarian” slaves. Women wore their wigs unwashed for weeks on end. It is also known that bugs and sometimes small rodents made their home in women’s warm headpiece.
Up until the Victorian era, England was known worldwide as the center for excellent wig making. Male wigs of long curls that replicated real hair were famous during the reign of Charles II.
After 1800, long hair for men lost its appeal so wigs became a part of the women’s fashion. Victorian women supplemented their hair piled high with fake hair hidden underneath the bun and sometimes as a false fringe used to extend and sometimes disguise sparse hair.
Hand making of real hair wigs is not only very expensive but also a time consuming process so only a few people continue making them. It took massive efforts to create.
The market for wigs in modern times is not considered worthwhile anymore. In London today, women’s wigs may cost thousands of pounds.
