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Op-Ed: Shaitels – Bottomless Money Pit, Or is it?

by Zalman H.

As a husband for over ten years now, I think I’ve learnt a thing or two about shaitels. My wife has been through three, well four if you count the one she bought when we were engaged… the one she hasn’t worn since, that’s scrunched in a bag at the bottom of a drawer somewhere. (I’ve learned not to bring that up, no need to start a fight.)

Recently, much to my dismay, my wife decided it was time for a new wig, her others weren’t ‘looking fresh and healthy’ anymore and she really needed a new one for the upcoming Yom Tov. I didn’t know where I was going to find the $3000 I needed to pay for it, but my wife works hard and I know how important it is for a woman to feel good about the way she looks, so I agreed to drive my wife from shaitel store to shaitel store until she found ‘the one.’

We made a plan to visit the usual places, Shevy, Milano, Freeda, and then someone said ‘why don’t you try Yaffa.’ ‘Yaffa?’ My wife turned up her nose, ‘my mother and grand-mother wear Yaffa, im in my 30’s I have plenty of time to look like an old woman’ was her reply. Boy was she wrong!

After a little convincing, my wife walked into the Yaffa pre-cut studio in Crown Heights and was warmly welcomed by the Yaffa team. She looked around the studio expecting to see short ‘Bobby haircuts’ as she likes to call them, but instead saw a range of long, luscious, young cuts. The hair felt fantastic and the girls were open about the quality of the hair and its origin. In the past my wife had been fooled into buying lower quality hair, by the salesgirls who pretended the hair was virgin European but was really a blend – one wash and its clear to see, but the girls at Yaffa had nothing to hide, how refreshing!

Anyway, long story short my wife came out of the store with a HUGE smile on her face, to be honest I was a little nervous, but it turns out, she found exactly what she wanted, and the price was exactly what I wanted! For a wig as long as the one she found, and for the high quality hair as it was, other wig company’s were charging at least $3000, some more. We paid $1700 and it really is beautiful, not to mention how happy it makes my wife, and we all know a happy wife is a happy home!

So why am I writing this op-ed? Personally I am fed up with shaitel machers over-charging for their products and then not backing them after the sale. We have so many expenses, a wig is a necessity for every frum woman, how can these people justify hiking up the prices, knowing that woman don’t have a choice and will pay them? Especially newlyweds whose money could be spent towards other things in setting up their home, so for that I am grateful to Yaffa, for giving the same fantastic quality for much more reasonable prices. Secondly, other companies do not stand behind their product after the purchase (hence the reason there is a scrunched up wig in a bag, hiding in an unknown location in my home.) Yaffa backs their products. My wife went back a couple of times and was greeted with a smile each and every time, until she was 100% happy with the way it looked and felt.

So Yaffa may be a name of the past, but that’s because they are a well established company, a name one can trust and a name that is moving with the generations. So much so, that my wife tells me all her friends now have Yaffa’s too! In fact, in turns out she tells me, that there are many women in Crown Heights and beyond in the 20-35 age range who wear Yaffa wigs and she didn’t even realize!

So thanks Yaffa, for making my wife enjoy doing this mitzvah with a bigger smile and for allowing me to afford to buy her what makes her smile!

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52 Comments

  • rip-off

    $1,700 for a wig???? I know a shaitel macher. The cost to them is $300. Everything above that is pure profit. You let them take advantage of you…

  • rip-off

    $1,700 for a wig???? I know a shaitel macher. The cost to them is $300. Everything above that is pure profit. You let them take advantage of you…

  • Husband

    You ever notice how your wife says that she needs a new shetial, and when you ask, “didn’t you just get a new one?” she replies “That was a shabbos Sheital, I need a weekday,” or that was for Yom Tov.

    They know we don’t pay attention and thats how they get us!

  • Rip-off

    Sorry to inform you, but your wife was ripped off. I purchased a shaitel from a place in Boro-Park for a little under $600 with the cut and it looks amazing if I could say so myself. I also have a Shaina wig, which I paid $300 and change. Yes I had to put some hair in to it, but that cost me under $100 and I have it for 3yrs now. My point is: Any Shaitel over $1000 is a rip-off, the article seems to be advertising for Yaffa wigs. Good try

  • marcus gellerman

    SAM CHANIN IS WORKING ON THE FIRST EVER LEASING PROGRAM WILL ALLOW CONSUMER TO MAKE MONTHLY PAYMENTS ON A SHAITEL FOR $39-99 A MONTH.

  • shaitels

    So happy to hear the great outcome for your wife..and I am so glad to know that you see the importance of your wife feeling good about herself and needing a new Shaitel.
    Having a few shaitels is not a Luxury it is a NECCESSITY! Boruch Hashem we are very happy to cover our hair, however, Whether you agree or not, Hair is a very feminine part of the female and it is important to feel beautiful with how your Shaitel (hair) looks. Sometimes a few Shaitels are needed per individual bec…you need one for work everyday (gets dirty quickly), one not so great one for the rainy days, Shabbos Shaitel, fancy Shaitel for Weddings. So, we really appreciate the husbands understanding that we feel more put together when our Shaitel looks great….and of course we are always looking to find a reasonably priced one.

  • ur point?

    y a whole story praising the company??? ur point xactly? we shud all get sheitels from them?

  • ETE

    Nice article, totally agreed!
    But its the same story as with all Jewish articles:
    Lulav and Esrog
    Matzes
    Teffilin
    Etc.
    Overpriced because ‘they’ know we have to buy it anyway!

  • wifey

    i had the same experience with Georgie wigs in boro park. fantastic wig at a reasonable price.
    i highly recommend it!

  • Don-t understand

    Maybe someone can explain the rationale for wearing shaitels so married women can “look beautiful”. Don’t married women cover their hair so they won’t be attractive to men other than their husbands? Shouldn’t they be using teichels or hats? What if the shaitels are more attractive than their own hair?

  • chaya s

    i also got a yaffa precut this past year! i paid 1250 for mine. im really really happy with it. i wear it more then any of my other wigs. i was really pleased with how comfortable they made me feel when i was there!

  • Beautiful

    very nice, thoughful article. They should pay you for advertising! Will tell my son and his Kallah to check it out! Thanks.

  • Eli

    I was expecting more of a rant against high Sheitel service prices, and instead a shameless plug for Yaffa? Don’t get me wrong, Yaffa makes great Sheitels – but the title is misleading.

  • in the same boat

    my husband and i feel the exact same way!! Sheital prices keep going up and up ….and salaries dont! So, I went to milano and got a beautiful precut sheital for 750 and couldnt be happier! I absolutely refuse to pay $2500+ for a Shevy and think its a total chutzpa!

  • hair covering

    To #13
    Women wear a shaitel to cover their hair as dictated by Halacha. Nowhere does it say in Halacha in what way you should cover your hair. If you choose to cover your hair with a shaitel and it happens to look really nice, well,that’s great! Boruch Hashem we have modern technology and a nice shaitel can be produced and we don’t have to wear stiff nylon cardboard shaitels from the days of old. The reason a woman covers her hair is not so she should look ugly…where do you even come up with something like this?

  • kindabach

    Did Rashi’s wife and daughters wear shaitels? I would guess they covered their hair with a tichel. But the modern orthodoxy of the chareidi world won’t tolerate such primativeness. And the so-called MO’s play the game the way Rashi’s wife and daughters did. Ironic.

  • Anonymous

    This is great news for you – unfortunatley i think my wife pretty much had it with the wigs! they are too expensive to find – i am not talking America but Israel (8000 shekels for any decent one) Its a huge mitzvah but she has just had it with the prices especially when we are counting our shekels. She is going to let her 4 year old wig wear out and dont know what will be after that. Its a shame to take advantage of such a mitzvah. We know their are cheaper shaitels but the cheaper you go it will just wear out quickly no matter what people say. Hopefully one day shaitel places will bring their prices to ultimate low levels so people can perform the mitzvah without hearing from the bank.

  • chassidiste

    please donate that scrunched shaitel to the new gemach im zchus oh Pesha Leah a”v
    ksiva v’chasima tova. and enjoy your new one, and go greet Moshiach with your family, looking and feeling good.
    btw each woman needs two sheitlach- one spare for those times when the good one is out of kilter

  • Zalman H.

    I wrote the article… not a salesman or anything like that I just feel very appriciative for those who give good service as well as a good product- go for yourself and see… the one thing I didnt make clear is that This sheitel is a LOOOONG flowing shitel… now way you can beat that price I shoppped around – EVERYWHERE.

    Thanks for all your comments – I’m very happy

  • Fed up with high prices of wigs

    I have a friend that I work with and she is wearing this long black shaitel, sometimes she wears up with a clip and few strands hanging from the side and sometime she wears it down behind her ears with a barrette…. She keeps on getting compliments on this particular wig because it looks shiny and very natural….well guess what, she only paid $23.99 for this wig… she washes it herself and it still looks good… She bought this wig on Flatbush and Nostrand Avenue where they have many shops selling wigs for very cheap prices…..

  • Don-t understand

    To # 24- I never said a woman should look ugly. Just with all the articles about womwn not dressing modestly and being responsible for the calamities in the world I feel these wigs (especially these looooooong flowing wigs) are against
    the principles of modesty and quite petty to even be arguing about.

  • well written yaffa ad

    Sounds like a well written yaffa advirtisment! Injustice bought a beautiful Shaina for450.1700 is not abargin!

  • ah yid

    SO how much $$ did CrownHeights.info get for this ad exactly? :-) Good for you for making your wife happy!

  • Ahuva

    you sound like a very considerate husband and kuddos to you for making your wife and family happy. Yes, one can get a sheital for less than 1700 and one that does also look good. I know some places that come to mind. But 1700 is considered a bargain compared to some of the prices out there. So if you are all happy with the outcome and the price,then good for you

  • Relevant but off topic

    ETE is 100% correct

    Now that the Yomim Tovim are here we will be “hit” with everything exorbitantly price-gouged

    The most obvious is the Arba Minim. $5 for 3 hadassim, $3 for 2 Aravot, Not to mention the exorbitant price for a Lulav and Esrog, BTW, I understand that one should pay for a “hiddur mitzvah” and I also know that I can get an Esrog full of blemishes but there is absolutely no reason that I should not be able to get a beautiful Esrog for a moderate price.

    The grocery, meat and clothing prices are also raised etc
    Seriously?

    And there always seems to be a “shortage”, that is the “reason” for the gouge. What baloney!

    It is a field day for vendors to cash in and increase their personal fortunes, and it is up to us to stop being sheep for unscrupulous merchants.

    There are a lot of people in our community who work hard and have moderate incomes. They do not want handouts.

    What they DO WANT, however, is reasonably priced goods and services

    p.s You would do us all a big favor by starting a thread that lists the sales that honest merchants are offering.

  • Really?

    Hey Zalman

    Sheesh!

    Shopping for your wife’s shaitel?

    What’s next – Victoria’s secret?

    Man up!

  • Rochel Steinhauser

    I love my yaffa got it a couple of months ago and i am in love with it !!!! but what i like most about it is the costumer service , Lily is amazing at wanting to provide the best service , ive called her late , early ..they will fix or change anything you need …all to make their clientS happy !!! ive got soo many compliments on my yaffa and yes when i answer its a yaffa pre cut they are in shock .. but their sheitels are trully beautiful , with amazing hair , caps , and what i loved about it its that they are all precuts .. so i was able to see myself actually wearing the shaitel and how it would look!! bottom line is if you are looking for a shaitel and dont want to pay the shevy crasy prices .. try a yaffa precut for half the price ….

  • reduce the prices

    It is a big inyan to wear a sheitel, and to look nice in the sheitel. But there is no inyan to wear a fancy, expensive sheital. Sheitels dont have to be that high priced. And especially if it is number two, three or four! I think sheitel machers and sheitel shops should offer better prices: not everyone can afford those kind of prices and if it is such a mitzva to wear a sheitel, surely the sheitels should be more affordable. Making them cheaper is a mitzva!

  • ftr

    The Rebbe said we should wear beautiful sheitels and that we should have 2. That’s 2 wearable ones. Many women have more than 2 but that’s because they have the half dead/rain sheitel that used to be their wearable one.
    Bottom line – following this horaah of the Rebbe is costly. Sometimes you can luck out with a much cheaper brand, but if you wear blond, red, or want a few years out of your wig, it’s going to cost you. I think of it as an investment, you wear it every day and it makes you look like a mentch.

  • glad i dont have to go far !!

    cmon people …. a good shaitel is like everything else ….. “sure go buy a 500 dollar shaitel you will see how long it will last you !!!! bottom line is yes a woman that has to wear a shaitel every single day of her life wants something that looks nice , doesnt fizz up after 2 wears and feels natural ……. wearing a shaitel is not an easy mitzvah and no man will ever ever understand what it feels like to have to wear something on your head all day ..and no a yalmuka does not count !! ive had 3 shaitels in my life a shevy that i paid a fortune for lasted me 6 years, a shaina that cost me 450 $$$ and that i have to wash every week or else it fizz up and looks horrible … and now i am looking for a new one …do i have 3000 to spend on a new shevy no i dont .. but do i want to buy a 500 dollar one that i will have to fix and wash every week no i dont want that either .didnt know that yaffa wigs had precuts and im going to go see them and see what i can find .hpefully i will have as much luck as this man’s wife !!!..

  • Cheap expensive all the same garbage

    I bought a Shevy wig for big dollars a couple of years ago and then found an inexpensive shaitel in Boro Park. Both the Shevy and the inexpensive wig lasted the same amount of time. They are all the same garbage, sometimes you get lucky and the wig will lasts a little longer. Buying an expensive wig is a pure waste of money.

  • Use Logic!!!!

    To #45: No wig companies can accept a product back after it has been custom cut for that person. They can’t re-sell it for a normal price. When you buy a custom wig, make sure you use your brains and confirm that you like it, as opposed to coming back 2 days later and asking for a return or just some exchange. A wig store isn’t a grocery store!! (use common sense!!!). The price of a wig depreciates dramatically, as opposed to your average product…

  • Tom jenkins

    I think 1700 for a wig is reasonable.
    take into consideration that retail rent, customer service, and friendliness is provided.I know many people with yaffas and they are extremely happy with them.

  • Eh...

    Sorry, but you cannot compare a Shevy and a Yaffa. My Shevy has good quality, gorgeous hair while my Yaffa wig is nearly transparent. Mind you, the Yaffa is a few months younger than the Shevy! (Both are a year old)
    I’ll definitely agree that the staff at Yaffa’s wig studio is very friendly and pleasant, but my wigs are totally not equal to each other!
    Personally, I’d rather pay the difference and absolutely love my sheitel and feel good about myself. It’s hard to wear a sheitel but it’s much easier when you’re happy with how you look and feel in it.

  • Down Under

    On my recent trip to the U.S.A. I visited the Yaffa shop on Kingston Ave. I bought a beautiful Yaffa pre cut shaitel. much cheaper then any of my other shaitlach. Better quality hair.And the more amazing is, I wash and wear it, no need to go to the hairdresser and it looks VERY natural.Thanks Lily and Wishing you a Gut Gebencht Yohr!

  • Abigail

    I get my sheitels from a Chinese owned beauty supply store for around $40. The “hair” they use today is a far cry from that of thirty years ago when it looked like it was made from plastic bags. Today it is nice enough to fool my colleagues and public school students (they get confused when I change lengths- shorter, “Hey, you got a nice hair cut”; Longer “Uh… Ms. Teacher, your hair is different but ???”). I see no need to spend thousands (or even hundreds) of dollars when I can look perfectly fine for much less.

  • Writer (me)

    I wrote my opinion in this matter… if others have different opinions that’s fine…I did not feel i needed to go into each aspect of every other wig and say what was wrong … my attention was not to bash others… but to praise the one i was happy with – There is no connection between me and yaffa…. I am just bringing to your attention my experiences – feel free to do the same… and write your own op-ed.