Noah Scott Is Snatching Celebrity Wigs Around the World
Beauty

Noah Scott Is Snatching Celebrity Wigs Around the World

Open Instagram and chances are you’ll see his work on your feed. From Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj to Kylie Jenner and Nikita Dragun, celebrity wig-maker Noah Scott is the mastermind behind some of the most luxurious wigs on the market. As founder of San Diego-based WhatWigs, Scott delivers natural-looking lace, while also supporting those living with Alopecia and hair loss to help rebuild confidence through wigs. Below, PAPER gets to know Scott a bit more and breaks down his five favorite products.

How did you start WhatWigs? What made you want to dive into the beauty industry and, specifically, wig making as opposed to hair styling?

I’ve actually been making wigs and hair extensions since I was about 8 years old — not professionally, of course — but I’ve always been mesmerized by the idea of completely changing your look with the help of hair extensions and wigs. I felt I knew the most about wigs and knew it was more of a niche market, so that definitely was one of the main reasons why I went into the wig industry as opposed to hair styling. It’s essentially the same thing except one client is breathing and one is just a styrofoam head.

It’s a lengthy commitment for making each wig. What does the process look like?

Oh girl, the process of wig-making is a journey. I start off with either a bleach blonde wig or a natural black wig, depending on the desired lightness or darkness of the final product. After that I will color the hair, which depending on the color can take a full day. Sometimes I even break it down into multiple days depending on the wig and the time I have to complete it, which is convenient because, again, it’s not on a real head. After it’s been colored, I will then go in and customize the hairline to make it look as natural as possible and really give the WhatWig illusion. The last step in the wig-making process for me is to cut and style it to finish it off.

Where do you look for inspiration? Do your clients always have specific requests or do you sometimes get involved with the creative process?

I pull a lot of inspiration from current and also older trends. I love that Y2K hairstyles are coming back. There were so many iconic styles from that point in time, and I love trying to emulate that and give it a modern twist. For the most part, my clients typically come to me with a vision of what they want. Sometimes it’s an open-ended conversation, so they will take recommendations from me to best fit them and their ideas. However, sometimes people will give me full creative direction and that always excites me cause I get to really tap into my creative side and create really magical moments, which was a huge part in me starting this business.

Any fun client stories you can share? An overnight dye job for a Kardashian, perhaps? I heard Chris Appleton had to once dye Kim’s hair in a hotel room bathtub...

I can’t say names, but when I got one of my first high-profile celebrity clients I had one day to finish this piece. It was a lengthy one that had never really been done before and I would need a few days to complete it, but that was not an option. I was also in the process of moving, so I had a completely empty room. What I did was put drop cloths down and spread the hair all over the room and colored the hair. That evening, I spent all night sewing it together and then drove it up to LA that morning with the heat on full blast in the middle of summer so it would dry. To my surprise, I made it in time and to this day it’s still one of my favorite projects I’ve ever done.

Noah Scott's Five Favorite Products for Styling Wigs: 

OUAI Texturizing Hairspray: I love this product after I’m done curling hair to really give you hair that sexy “I just woke up, but also spent three hours making my hair look like this" look.

Olaplex No. 3: A must for keeping your wigs and real hair soft and healthy.

IGK Good Behavior Smoothing Spray: This product has so many benefits, but I use it as a heat protectant before I use any tools on it as it protects your hair up to 450 degrees and also has keratin in it, which makes your hair super soft and shiny.

T3 Whirl Trio: I use these curling irons on almost every single wig. It's so amazing because it heats up really fast and you have control over what temperature you want it to be to avoid burning your hair.

Amika Bust Your Brass Purple Shampoo: Maintaining ashy blonde hair/ wigs can be super difficult, so I always recommend using a purple shampoo to keep the hair nice and bright.

Photos via Instagram/ @whatwigs

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