Why did the English and Early Americans wear wigs?

They didn't have good hygiene, and with smallpox and other fevers that they suffered, their hair fell out or they had scabs all over their scalps. Wigs were also in fashion for public appearances, for persons of authority, such as the wigs that judges and barristers (lawyers) wear in British courts, to this day.

A side note to the wearing of wigs: The Europeans started the scalping of the Native Americans, both to make wigs for themselves and their wives back home, but also because they found that the Native American believed that they wouldn't make it to the "Happy Hunting Grounds" without their hair. So the Native Americans started scalping Europeans.

Actually American Indians started scalping Europeans first and Europeans did it right back. I am afraid it was something that went on in wars between tribes for generations before the Europeans occupied America. All was not peaceful before or after the Europeans landed, but just added more people to conflicts. The real big issues did not happen until Andrew Jackson. He was a horrible man to the Indians. But a lesson to be learned, when you fight between yourselves you fall, a lesson we all need to learn as a nation now of America will be lost to all of us.