The wig faces a huge image problem - one that Vicki Ullah, proprietor of the wig Boudoir at Urban Retreat in Harrods, is on a mission to overcome. "Everybody knows how bad extensions are for your hair. With a wig, you can get  the same effect instantly without the damage", she says.

 

So consider these facts. A decent wig costs the same as a good cut and colour - and could mean an end to bad hair days for ever; wigs and hairpieces are used in the majority of fashion shoots to create supernaturally thick, glossy, healthy looking hair; most A-listers keep wigs as a regular part of their red-carpet kit; years of tonging have left many women with fragile, broken hair, which a wig can conceal in an instant; it's a great way to experiment with new styles and colours, without the commitment - or cost - of visiting your hairdresser every eight weeks.

 

To prove her point, Ullah whips out a few examples for me to try. Eyeing my meagre blonde ponytail (more rat's tail, to be honest), she declares me "an ideal candidate for wigs", particularly as I'm at a crossroads between growing out and going short, and have also been toying with the idea of going back to my natural colour. The next 30 minutes pass in a whirlwind of magic dust and microfibre (tougher than real hair and surprisingly life like), as I go from Wag (waist length blonde flicks), to a pre-Brad Jeniffer Aniston, and end up breakfasting at Tiffany's in a gamine brunette crop, "Wigs can be addictive," warns Ullah as I ask to try another.

 

But can't everybody tell? Well, thanks to Scarlett Johansson rocking her candyfloss bob in Lost in Translation and last year's fancy dress obsession with Amy's beehive, it has become acceptable to wear an obvious wig on occasion. But if you're looking to fake it realistically, then that's also surprisingly easy to do.

 

As for me, I leave Ullah's Boudoir sporting a chestnut "Pob" (or Posh Bob) to trial the real life wig experience. It's drizzling outside, but, she advises, "if it gets wet, the wig will spring back into its original shape". Joy!

This increase in personal experimentation has spawned a new industry of beauty-to-go. Blow-dry bars, now taken for granted, have been the precursor to a flurry of new services. Harrods launched Glamour to Go last month in prime position on the ground floor (thank goodness, as getting to Urban Retreat on the fifth floor takes an enthusiasm for orienteering), offering fast, image-altering treatments on a drop-in basis. You can have a hairpiece fitted by the Vicki Ullah team, your nails decorated with Leighton Denny's catwalk-insprired colours, or a blow dry in a record 15 minutes.

 

Harrods opened a 'Wig Boudoir' on its trendy Urban Retreat fifth floor a year and a half ago. It has been so popular that the store has just opened an express bar. Vicki Ullah, who runs both outlets, wears wigs every day and is amazed at how they have soared in popularity in the last six months. "Everyone wants one. Fashion changes so quickly and women want to change with it - a wig works for that. Plus, we can on longer afford to go the hairdresser every week for a blow dry - a wig is credit-crunch friendly."

 

Ullah says a hairpiece is a small jump from extensions - and much kinder to your locks. "With extensions, you can sit in a Salon for four hours for hair that will only last three months and will cost £1,000. You could get three high quality wigs for that , which will last for six months if you look after them."

 

I try on a variety - they are incredibly addicative, each opening up the possibility of a new you. I screamed at the brunette me, laughed at the pink one and seriously considered chopping off my waist-length locks into a bob. One friend did not recognise me with a copper bonce. I don't know about blondes having more fun... but wig-wearers certainly do.