Local stylists say lace-front wigs started to become popular here within the last year. At first, stylists resisted the requests as salon owners want to be known for promoting healthy hair on their clients' heads rather than attaching someone else's mane.

But then Mary J. Blige hit the cover of Essence magazine with an article that said she wore them. Tyra Banks admitted she wore them on her show, and Beyoncé released her B'Day CD, featuring eight singles that showed her moving, grooving and shaking all that reddish-blond hair.

Immediately the salons started getting calls.

Olivia Hughes, owner of Shapes -N- More, says she fields at least five requests for lace-front wigs weekly.

Karen Wilson, who owns Simplicity, a Germantown salon, says she has five or so regular customers with the wigs, as well as walk-ins every day who ask about them.

"I just started doing them this year," said Wilson, who charges $900 for the wigs and the application. "People are seeing them and they just want them."

It's not just the celebrity influence that's drawing customers to the wigs. Women suffering from alopecia (hair loss) and those who have lost their hair from chemotherapy are also drawn to the wigs' realism.

But not everyone is happy with lace-front. Some stylists point out that the wigs have the potential to be very damaging to skin and hairline.

Anika Thompson, who owns Ryan Foster Inc. in Germantown, refuses to do the applications in her salon. The bonding adhesive can be damaging to the skin and scalp, and sometimes, Thompson says, when the wig comes off, the hairline comes off as well.

But even more damaging than losing hair from a bad application is the loss of self-esteem that can come from wearing someone else's hair on your head for months at a time, Thompson says.

"These women come to me with wigs they have removed. ... [and now they have] no hairline," Thompson said. "The skin on their face is broken out from the adhesive and their own hair is matted and broken off from rubbing up against the stocking cap."

Still, there are people who say the lace-front wig gives them courage to express themselves.

Tuere Brown, 37, had a miscarriage that she said caused patches of her hair to fall out. The Southwest Philadelphia mother wanted a look that wouldn't stress out her hair and would appear natural. So she chose an off-black bob with chestnut-brown highlights that falls just above her shoulder.

"I feel great with it on," she said. "It looks how I used to wear my own hair. I love it."

Is a Lace-Front Wig for You?

This Sunday, Dayna Cherry-Smith will host Diva Cherry's Secret Is Out Hair Event: A Lace-Front Wig Seminar from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Holiday Inn at 1305 Walnut St. in Center City. Tickets are $10. For information, call 215-871-3611.

For information on lace-front wigs, check out these Web sites:

www.divacherrylacewigs.com

www.celebritylacefrontwigs.com