​

Growing up in a small town in the mountains of Virginia, Noah Scott dreamed of being a celebrity wigmaker.

His dolls were early subjects, and he played with their hairstyles. He would put a T-shirt or towel on his own head to mimic having flowing locks. At 8, he asked his parents to take him to Sally Beauty Supply to buy hair and used it to make wigs by following YouTube tutorials.

“I was also super-inspired by Tyra Banks on America’s Next Top Model,” he tells Yahoo. “I thought it was so cool how every episode she would have a completely different look.”

His career goals didn’t waver, and in 2017, he moved to San Diego and launched his business, WhatWigs. The following year, he had his first celebrity client: singer Kehlani. Scott can’t remember whether he reached out to her or she contacted him, but there was an Instagram DM exchange in which she told him she wanted to work together.

His big break came in 2019. Scott was in the audience at Coachella when Ariana Grande took the stage for her headlining set, wearing a headpiece he made for her. The superlong, shiny brown ponytail stayed put throughout her performance.

“It was a huge moment for me,” Scott says. “She was one of my favorite artists and my dream client. For her to be one of my first celebrities [to design for] ever was such a life-changing moment for me. After that, more and more celebrities started requesting wigs from me. As a 20-year-old just starting out in the industry, it really changed my career.”

By 2022, WhatWigs had surpassed a million dollars in sales. Today, Scott continues working with Grande and Kehlani, but his client list has exploded to include Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Nicki Minaj, Paris Hilton, Rihanna, Sabrina Carpenter, Mariah Carey, Sydney Sweeney, Chappell Roan, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Lindsay Lohan, Drew Barrymore, Camila Cabello, Halsey, Cardi B and Megan Fox.

“Young Noah would be absolutely shocked by the things I’m doing now,” he smiles.

Why wig?

Beyond the roles they play, celebrities across the entertainment spectrum — actresses, singers, talk show hosts and reality stars — have long relied on faux locks to elevate their looks for red carpets, photo shoots and stage performances. While wigs were once worn discreetly and rarely discussed, a new era of growing beauty transparency is changing that.

Scott helps us pull back the curtain on the craft and culture around wigs — and why it’s time to normalize them.

“More people wear them than you would think,” says Scott. “I would say the majority of Hollywood wears wigs.”

While certain celebrities — Oprah Winfrey, Dolly Parton, Cher and Beyoncé — have long been known to wear wigs, the list keeps growing.

In recent months, Nicole Kidman, Kelsea Ballerini and Sherri Shepherd have all spoken openly about using them as a beauty enhancement. Whether for creativity, ease, confidence or health, wigs serve a wide range of purposes for different people.

Ballerini’s reason was to protect her mane from damage and constant styling for performances.

“They are such a good tool for protecting your natural hair,” says Scott, who made the country singer’s tresses for her 2025 tour. “Especially for celebrities who are constantly changing up their look using hair color, heat tools and even extensions, a wig is a quick and easy way to hide your real hair and reinvent your look — or even keep your look the same and just use a wig to protect it.”

In Kidman’s case, the leading lady said she wigs out so she can be a style chameleon, changing her look from day to day.

“There is a misconception that wigs all look unnatural, and that’s just not the case,” Scott says. “If you invest in a good one and take the time to learn how to apply it and care for it, no one would ever know.”

With high-quality pieces and expert styling, it can be hard to tell the difference between someone’s real hair and a wig. That’s probably why those Carpenter wig conspiracy theories persist, with fans speculating whether or not her golden tresses are her own.

The songstress poked fun at the topic during her recent Interview photo shoot, posing in a wig cap against a wall of differently styled blond hair options and wearing a wig for another setup.

For the record, Carpenter told the outlet that while she’s “not well-versed” in wearing wigs, it’s “fun” when she does. The blond bombshell also told Rolling Stone that she’s been known to don a brown wig to go incognito.

But the practice is not without malfunctions. Shepherd, a star who has helped to destigmatize wig use, experienced one on-air during a Sherri taping. Her wig fell off in the middle of a segment, and she kept at it, saying, “The show must go on.”

The art and craft behind celebrity wigs

So what goes into making a head topper? A whole lot of time — and patience.

On average, it takes Scott anywhere from four to eight hours to complete one piece — with some of his bigger projects taking “many days.” He credits “a good playlist” for helping him pass the time as he works.

Scott specializes in the “lace” variety. To craft a wig, strand by strand, he individually ties high-quality human hair to a lace base, which is then placed over the scalp. There are different variations, but Scott says full lace, vs. lace front, gives the most natural look and can be styled like natural hair. After building the piece, the tresses get colored (which can take a full day), customized to mimic the client’s natural hairline and then cut and styled.

Often, he’s on a tight schedule.

“Most of the time I’m making wigs on super-short notice,” Scott says. “Hollywood is very fast-paced, and the girls need new looks on the drop of a dime. So a lot of the time, I’ll be making a wig that a client will need the next day.”

Typically, Scott works with an A-lister’s team to craft their desired look. After he makes the wig, it’s handed off to the star’s hairstylist to apply, groom and glam.

Prices on the WhatWigs website range from approximately $710 to $2,195, and each wig has a name (like Tatiana or Phoebe), but custom projects cost more. The most expensive one Scott has made to date costs $15,000.

“I’m known for doing super-long wigs and [they] are the hardest hair to source,” he explains. “It’s very rare to see someone walking around with hair to the floor [who wants] to sell it. That hair is more difficult to work with,” as far as coloring and styling it.

The craftsman says celebrities have been asking for an “old Hollywood blond” shade — think less platinum and more golden and soft in color — lately. He points to the wig he created for Rihanna in her 2024 Dior campaign.

Some of Scott’s other favorite celebrity looks to date are a strawberry blond one he did for Minaj for a 2022 photo shoot, explaining that “the color on her skin tone and the tousled side part just looked so beautiful.” Hilton’s long flowing mane for her Infinite Icon album cover in 2024 is another standout.

As for his dream client? It’s Lady Gaga, whom he’s yet to work with.

“From a young age, her music and fashion style always inspired me,” he says of the singer. “Her wigs have always been revolutionary. She always just thinks out of the box and does things that most people are afraid to do.”

Famous or not, people turn to alternative hair for all different reasons — from medical treatment to hair loss to gender expression or simply for fun. There’s nothing to be ashamed of and everything to celebrate and normalize.

For Scott, that aspect has been the heart of his work.

“Above all else, I want to help people feel more like themselves,” he says. “The best part of the job is building people’s confidence through hair. You never know how much a wig could change their life.”