Front Lace Wigs Set To Overtake the Tradition Weaves In the Black British, American & African Women

Why does Beyonce, Tyra Banks and Paris Hilton prefer the front lace wig?  Well what is so exciting and innovative about the front lace or full lace wig system is that the wigs hairline is constructed of lace material. This material is made out of French Lace or Swiss Lace and is virtually undetectable to the naked eye when placed against the skin. The hair is knotted into the lace and appears to grow from the scalp offering a natural appearance.   Only a lace front wig can be trusted to maintain the illusion of growing hair and it's the preferred choice of celebrities, actors, and people in media and is fastly becoming adopted by people with medical hair conditions. 

An opportunity exists in the market place to become a fully qualified front lace wig consultant in a 2 day training course for hairdressers who have been offering weaving for several years.

For over 30 years women of colour have been weaving hair extensions onto their head in order to combat damaged hair, uncontrollable hair or simply to have a new style and look. This process could often be time consuming (several hours to apply) and sometime of an unnatural appearance. Removal of the weave could often result in hair shredding and breakage due to tangling.

But now there is a new hair extension technique sweeping the United States and fastly becoming a sensation in the UK, Africa and Europe.

"What is so exciting and innovative about the front lace or full lace wig system is that the wigs hairline is constructed of lace material. This material is made out of French Lace or Swiss Lace and is virtually undetectable to the naked eye when placed against the skin. The hair is knotted into the lace and appears to grow from the scalp offering a natural appearance.

Only a lace front wig can be trusted to maintain the illusion of growing hair and it's the preferred choice of celebrities, actors, and people in media and is fastly becoming adopted by people with medical hair conditions" states Diane Shawe

Traditionally, African/British and American women and medical patients were the primary consumers of hair goods, but product demand has crossed over to other market segments that are demanding today's instant hair in all its forms. This is partially due to a push from celebrities like Beyonce, Paris Hilton and Lindsay.

Firstly driving the demand for hair extensions are time-constrained consumers who want quick, new looks and style options at a variety of price points. With even the highest-priced items selling, today's fashion followers are clearly willing to pay more for quality hair goods. Manufacturers are obliging them with synthetic wigs and hairpieces that hold colour and styles longer and increasingly feel more like the real deal, mimicking the bounce, body, sheen and light reflection of human hair. Today's hair goods also show off natural-looking, blended colours, even emulating grown-out roots and sun-kissed highlights. In addition, whether they're made from synthetic fibre or human hair, fashion hairpieces are now so fast and easy to attach that wearers can take them on and off like a pair of earrings. Factor in the wide array of price points and there's a wig, extension or hairpiece to fit almost every budget.

Diane Shawe who is the head of a hair extension training organisation states that "this is an exciting time for anyone wanting to become qualified as a hair extension consultant or even distributor, the opportunity to offer this new front lace technique to customers around the world is phenomenal". She further goes on to highlight the various markets as follows:

American manufacturers are seeing sales increases from 30% to 50%, and suppliers estimate that the total U.S. market now stands between $1.5 billion and $5 billion at retail. Human-hair goods represent nearly 70% of that dollar value, but synthetics represent about 80% of unit sales. (www.beautystorebusiness.com, February 2006)

In India hair goods are hot commodities. The global hair industry is now worth an estimated £160m and is growing by 25 to 30 per cent each year (www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/religious-offering-faith-hope--and-western-vanity-428697.html

Great Lengths, one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of hair extension products, said that its sales to salons in the United States have increased 35 to 50 percent each year since 2000, and it is projecting that such sales will be as much as $30 million by the end of 2006. The company president, David Gold, estimated that 95 percent of its market is made up of women 30 to 70 years old. (New York Times published on 28th September 2005 by ELIZABETH HAYT)

Black British women spend on average six times more than their white counterparts on their hair and more than half regularly visit a salon. Mintel market researchers found that while the average British woman spends £83.97 a year on beauty products, black women spend £117.44 - and that doesn't include trips to the hairdresser or spending on mainstream products not specific to Afro hair.

All this adds up to a major business opportunity for hair and beauty companies. The UK market for hair care products designed specifically for black women was worth £36.5m in 2002, and accounted for 70% of overall beauty spending by black women. Recent estimates put the figure £10m higher.

The worldwide market for black hair products, meanwhile, is valued at anywhere up to £2.5bn a year, with significant markets in South Africa, Brazil, the United States and Europe. The US market, valued by Mintel at £1bn, has grown by 13% over the past five years, and is the most developed, with about 40% of the global black hair business. But the UK is seen as the next big grow.

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2005/aug/19/raceintheuk.lifeandhealth)