Everybody seems to want it.

But for many women, especially African American, a coif of silky, back-length locks that never sweats out (in other words, gets frizzy) and holds a curl for days can only be bought. And then it must be braided, woven or glued in.

Enter the latest must-have in millennium black hair care: the lace-front wig.

"I think they are the best because the hair is so human looking and I can do lots of styles," said Shawna Webb, 24, who works in real estate. "It's awesome."

Lace-front wigs are the next "miracle product" designed to give black women what society tells them (and what many now believe) is perfect hair. Meaning, long and straight.

The fad started with transvestite RuPaul almost a decade ago. Within the last five years, many silky-maned black celebrities, from Halle Berry to Vivica Fox, began wearing the wigs.

The lace-front wigs grew in popularity mainly because they give the impression that the wearer's hair is growing directly from the scalp. So once the wig is fastened securely around the hairline, a woman can part her hair or pull it up into a ponytail without fear of exposing indentations where the hair has been sewn or glued in (otherwise known as tracks).

"It just affords me more options," said Andrea Wright, 42, as she sat in Lisa Johnson's chair at the Wyndmoor salon Shapes -N- More.

Wright, an event planner who lives in Mount Airy, walked into the shop sporting a short, relaxed style. She walked out with straight dark brown hair that fell well below her shoulder. Her face was framed with soft curls.

"This is so nice. It's not so severe a look for me. I can put it in a ponytail and still feel professional ... feminine."

When lace-front wigs first hit the scene, they cost anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 because they looked so real. But these days, the wigs, most made from human hair, can be found for $300 to $1,000. There are demonstrations on YouTube.com that show people how to apply the wigs themselves and Web sites that tell people where to find them.

The wigs come in different shades, from dark black to white blond, and a variety of hair textures from kinky/curly to straight. Some wigs are real, some are synthetic. Most of the hair used to fashion the wigs comes from women of Asian descent, and most are manufactured in Asia.

In some of the wigs, the lace is very fine, with pin-sized holes that mark where each strand comes from. These are called bleach knots and cost hundreds of dollars more.

There are several ways to attach the hair, although most applications start with a stocking cap on the head. The wig is then glued along the cap's perimeter with a special kind of adhesive. It takes about an hour to have the hair applied then cut and styled. That's a fraction of the time it takes to get weaves and braids.

Because of the cost, most women keep the wig on for at least three months (wearers should remove it then so they can wash their own hair). The wig can then be reapplied, without looking shabby, for up to a year.

"You can work out in them and swim in them and everything," said Dayna Cherry-Smith, 35, a mother of two who lives in West Oak Lane.

About four years ago, Cherry-Smith had health issues that caused her hair to thin out. How did celebrities have so much hair all the time? she wondered. She read the glossy mags, then did some online research.

Her search uncovered a Chinese company, and she ordered a wig for herself online.

"I felt better about myself," Cherry-Smith said. "The wig was undetectable. You couldn't tell that I had a wig on and when I looked into the mirror, I felt a sense of my old self was back."