Ruling concerning wearing wigs

Question: Is it allowed for a woman to use a wig to beautify herself for her husband? Is this considered part of the prohibition of adding hair to one's hair?

Response: Wigs are forbidden and are considered a type of adding hair to one's hair. Although it is not exactly that, it makes the woman's hair look longer than it is and becomes similar to adding hair. The Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) cursed the one who does the adding of hair as well as the one who requested it. However, if the woman does not have any hair upon her head, for example, if she is bald, then she may use a wig to cover up that blemish as it is considered permissible to remove blemishes. For example, the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) allowed the man who had his nose cut off during a battle to wear a fake nose of gold. The matter is more flexible than that. It might also include the question of having plastic surgery to fix a small nose and so forth. However, beautification is not the same as removing a blemish. If the matter is that of removing a blemish, there is no harm in it, such as when the nose is crooked and needs to be straightened or the removal of a beauty mark. There is no harm in such acts. But it is not to remove a blemish, such as tattooing or removing eyebrow hairs, then it is forbidden. Using a wig, even with the permission and approval of the husband, is forbidden for there is permission or approval in matters that Allaah has forbidden.

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Fataawa al-Mar.ah