The Toupee Is Making Its Comeback

Once mocked as an unnatural-looking "rug," the toupee is quietly staging a comeback. Writing for the Guardian, Sarah Ann Harris reports that a new generation of "hair systems"—partial hairpieces glued to the scalp and tailored to match existing hair—is drawing in everyone from lawyers to celebrities who don't want to embrace baldness or subject themselves to a hair transplant.

Unlike the often painfully obvious versions of decades past, modern pieces use human or synthetic hair on lace or skinlike bases, can be custom-colored, and are designed to stay firmly in place. "I've got one customer who regularly jetskis, one who goes scuba diving, one who's constantly in the gym," barber Thomas Robinson tells Harris. She attributes the surge in part to social media "transformation" videos and to the cost and limitations of hair transplants, which can run into the thousands and rarely achieve the thickness a hair system can provide.

The bump in interest appears to be a recent one: Harris reports that Aderans, whose subsidiary has sold toupees since 1965, saw a 43% increase in male hair system purchases in 2025 compared with 2024. Robinson has been selling hair systems for the last two years, with customers paying roughly $800; well-cared-for pieces last about a year. Wearers tell Harris they've experienced "massive" increases in confidence, and that despite what you might expect, most people—relatives and co-workers included—don't know they're wearing one. Read the full piece for more, including photos.