Why do black Africans like Henan wigs so much?

Do you know Xuchang in Henan Province?



Billed as a "fashion mecca" for Africans, it contracts more than half of the world's wigs. One wig cover for every five black people came from Xuchang, Henan Province.

You think people who buy wigs are balds?


Black people are actually the biggest consumers of wigs. Because black people are born with long hair, long out of the hair soon cut off. And because their hair is naturally curly and difficult to manage, wigs are a necessity.

In some parts of Africa, if a girl owns a wig, she can show it off for quite a while. Even slum girls scrimp and save for wigs.

Baldness, the problem of the world

Don't look at contemporary youth surface live bright and beautiful, actually a lot of people are secretly troubled by eight words: young early fat, not old first bald.



Although alopECia prevention and treatment has evolved quite well, bald young people are still worried. There are no reliable medical solutions on the market, and their consumption has been downgraded, making it harder for them to afford expensive hair transplants.

There was only one cost-effective solution: a wig.



Wigs do less harm to hair and are convenient to use, which is its functional advantage for consumers. Neither a bald Boy nor a pretty Girl can resist the allure of a wig.

Maybe. Do you know a wig maker?

Sarah is a wig keeper at the Chicago Opera. Her job is to use hair to make actors look more like their characters. She can even use her skills to make thousands of viewers feel like they have traveled through time and into an imaginary world.

A wig maker works with a costume designer to decide which hairstyle and beard would be best for each character in an opera, play, movie or TV series.

How do you make an opera wig？

It takes Sarah and her staff 60 to 100 hours to make a wig.

First, they measure the heads of opera singers. They then construct a wig that fits the shape of the head and a natural hairline.

According to Sarah, there is a special mesh or wig lace that is used to tie hair. It's so fine, it's almost transparent to human skin, and you can't tell the difference with the naked eye.

Professional wigs usually use human hair, so they all look very natural. These wigs can be washed, cut, dyed and ironed just like real hair.



A hundred wigs are sometimes needed for an opera performance. It's a lot of work for Sarah and her staff.

Why do opera singers wear wigs? Why not their real hair?

Sarah points out that part of a wig maker's job is to decide who should wear a wig and who should use their hair.



Operas are usually set in very old times. They have changed a lot since they are now. So when their hair color, style or length needs to change, the easiest thing to do is to wear a wig.

Plus, it takes a long time to do a delicate hairstyle. Performers also need to do a variety of preparations before performing, warming up their bodies and voices, putting on costumes and makeup. It also saves them a lot of time to just wear the wig.



Sarah devotes a lot of time to making wigs, which she sees as hair crafts. However, she said: "We want the wigs to go unnoticed. It would be the greatest compliment to a wig maker if no one realised that people were wearing wigs."