Why do Black women wear wigs? Every reason counts.

There is no single answer. Ask ten Black women and you may hear ten reasons, often several at once. The big ones:

• Versatility. A new length, colour or texture in minutes, with no commitment.
• Protective styling. Your own hair rests underneath, away from daily combing and heat.
• Time. Getting ready takes minutes, not hours.
• Hair loss. Traction alopecia, alopecia, medical treatment or thinning hair.
• Heritage. Wigs and hair care go back thousands of years in Africa.
• Joy. Plenty of us simply love them. No other reason needed.

One woman might wear a twist-out on Saturday, braids on holiday and a wig all winter.

Afro-textured hair is more fragile than European or Asian hair, and more prone to knots and dryness, as the dermatology team at St George's Hospital explains. So every comb-through, every pass of the straighteners and every tight style takes a toll.

A wig is one of the simplest ways to step back. Your hair rests in loose braids or twists underneath, away from daily handling, and you style the wig instead. The same leaflet says wigs can be protective for this reason, and lists a wig over a satin wig cap among the lowest-risk styles for traction alopecia.

Protective only works if you protect what is underneath. Keep braids loose, keep cleansing and moisturising your hair and scalp, and choose a satin wig cap, which causes less friction than cotton or nylon and absorbs less moisture. Less heat and less manipulation is the whole idea.

For some of us, a wig starts as a way through hair loss. That is nothing to be ashamed of. Common causes include:

• Traction alopecia: hair loss from repeated pulling, often at the edges. The American Academy of Dermatology says girls and women of African descent get it more often, because tight styles are common in our culture. Caught early, St George's dermatologists say it can be reversed with care; later, it can scar and become permanent.
• Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA): a scarring hair loss that starts in the centre of the scalp and spreads outwards. St George's calls it the most common cause of hair loss in women of African descent.
• Alopecia areata: an autoimmune condition that causes patchy hair loss. Alopecia UK notes a UK study found people of Asian, Black and Mixed ethnic groups were at higher risk of it than White people.
• Medical treatment: the NHS lists cancer treatment among the causes of temporary hair loss. Our guide to wigs for cancer patients can help.

A wig cannot treat any of these, and we are not doctors. If your hair is thinning and you do not know why, see your GP, who can refer you to a dermatologist; a trichologist can help with hair and scalp problems too. Our hair loss guide covers gentle, comfortable wigs, and you may be able to get one through the NHS.

Wigs are not a modern trend. In ancient Egypt, elite men and women wore wigs as markers of status for over two thousand years, shielding shaved or cropped heads from the sun and helping to keep head lice away. One of the most intact examples, now in the British Museum, is made entirely of human hair set with beeswax and resin. Egypt's earliest known false hair, a set of hair extensions from a woman's burial, dates to about 3400 BC.

Hair care has deep roots too: a Cambridge exhibition traced the 6,000-year history of the Afro comb, from pre-dynastic Egypt to today.

In many African cultures, hairstyles showed a person's tribe and place in society. The slave trade carried millions of Africans across the Atlantic, and Afro hair was looked down on. After emancipation in America, straighter hair was marketed as more manageable, and many turned to relaxers and heat tools. The Afro became a political statement in the 1960s civil rights movement, and a new natural hair movement grew in the 2000s, as St George's dermatology team sets out.

Britain has its own chapter. In 1965 two Jamaican men, Len Dyke and Dudley Dryden, set up shop in Tottenham selling records and hair products to the Caribbean community. Dyke & Dryden became Britain's first multi-million-pound Black-owned business and the first company in Europe to make Black hair products. In 2001 the V&A held a Day of Record, photographing Black British hairstyles, weaves and naturals alike, for its collection.

Myth: it is about hiding. It is not. Plenty of us talk about our wigs openly, name them and swap them in front of friends. A wig is a style, like braids or a silk press.

Myth: wigs and natural hair are opposites. Many women who love their natural hair wear wigs to look after it. The wig goes on, the coils rest underneath, and both are part of the same routine.

Myth: it is about fitting in. Some women have felt that pressure, and the history above shows why. But a wig today is a choice, made for our own reasons. As St George's dermatologists put it, many women cycle through different hairstyles by preference, and no hairstyle is superior to another.

Every reason is valid. Style, protection, time, health, heritage or simple joy: you never owe anyone an explanation for the hair you wear. If you are choosing a wig, every Crown'd wig is 100% human hair, and our five-question quiz can help you find yours.