Hairs To You Podcast: The State Of The Hair Replacement Industry

Continuing on from our last post, we have International Hair Authority CEO and Publisher Chris Webb discussing all things hair system and hair replacement. In this second recap of the podcast, Chris talks about the non-surgical hair replacement industry, how it’s changed over the course of the years, what’s currently missing, and much more!

If you prefer, you can also listen to the full episode below:

How has the hair replacement industry changed over the years in your opinion?

Chris Webb: I think it's gone from a this or that, surgery or a hair addition…it's gone from those kinds of choices to increasingly a combined therapeutic approach. So people who wear a hairpiece for example, might at the same time be using lasers or they might be taking a medication in parallel. And those temporary solutions could be leading up to surgery. Or alternatively, people who are simply not candidates for surgery would be looking for a non-surgical solution, like some kind of hair addition or extension. So I think that bridge has now opened up and people are recognizing that therapies can work together.

Yes, exactly. Where do you feel the hair replacement industry is lacking?

Chris Webb: I think the challenge at the moment is on the one hand, to continue what I call that cross pollination, those combination therapies. So I want to see that continue to advance. The other big challenge that we confront is consumers now, particularly after the COVID pandemic, they are looking for personal solutions. And that means that we have to learn to get closer to the consumer to talk to patients in their own language. So the old days of advertising at a consumer or at what they would've called a target audience, those days are over. Now we are alongside the consumer having to make friends, having to talk their language, having to hold their hands.

Has there been anything in the hair loss industry that has become obsolete in the last 25 years?

Chris Webb: Yes. I think the idea that hair solutions are private and secret and furtive, I think that's in the past. Right now, having hair is a fashion statement. It's part of your wardrobe. It's nothing to be embarrassed about.

I would even go further and say, you could have different hairstyles for different occasions. I don't know why you couldn't have long hair for holidays or riding your Harley Davidson or whatever, and shorter hair when you go for a job interview.

That makes sense. We had a younger client who decided to go for white hair. It’s okay for young guys to wear a hair system just for the fun aspect of things like trying out different styles and expressing yourself.

Chris Webb: I think the time when people tried shaving their heads, call it the bald era if you like, that actually was not a handicap for the hair addition industry. I think it was a very good thing because all of a sudden it said, this extreme is okay. That can be my fashion statement for now. So it actually opened the doors to the fact that you've got choices. You can have no hair if you want. Most people want to have hair. It makes them look more vibrant and young and it's a fashion statement. But I think going bald just opened the door saying whether you want that extreme or the other extreme, it's your choice.

Do you feel there is a particular area in the hair replacement industry that's booming now more than anything else? Do you see anything that's kind of at its peak?

Chris Webb: I think I see two things. The first one is everybody is now open to adding hair. If you go to a beauty show, for example, and you look at the booths there, people are crowded around the hair extension booth. They cannot try on enough different hair extensions because it's fun and it transforms you. So I think hair extensions have been a huge area of growth. Women's hair additions in general are becoming very successful. I think the very informal cuts for men are finding their way now finally into the marketplace. So additional hair has gone from being an old man's solution to being a young guy's fashion statement. So I think that's good as well. But the limit there is you have to find a stylist who's trained to work with that hair and for that matter, a supplier who can provide hair in that invisible configuration that's necessary.

Stick around as the next blog recap will see Chris Webb talk about the stigma of hair loss, children’s hair loss and how geography and seasonality plays a role in when people decide to get hair replacement systems.

You can also listen to the podcast on YouTube:

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