Wigs

Question

Having been inside the wig business for longer than I would like to reveal, I will tell you it is not unlike the Kashrut industry.We all would like to believe that the more we pay, the better it will be, but so much of the business is marketing (or shekker). First of all many many of the "European" wigs do come from Indian hair. (Trust me, it is not hard to tell the difference). Indian hair is very good quality, Indians are technically Caucasian and the hair has a very nice texture. Until the early 90's or so, the most expensive Y*ffa and Ge*rgie wigs boasted "Indian hair". Many "European" hair wigs also come from South American hair. All are treated to give that "silky" feel that is so valued. This of course contributes to tangling that is often a problem with "European" wigs. Many that claim to be undyed are actually dyed and permed too. (Again it is easy to tell if you know what to look for). The least expensive hair comes from the Far East, that is China and Korea with the latter being preferable for its thicker texture and ability to take a perm (most wigs have at least a body wave). I have seen quite a few wigs in recent years that were a mixture of Korean and Indian hair, wigs that were made to sell for $500-1000. I have sold Chinese hair wigs from Ge*rgie that were suggested to retail for $750 and I have also seen cheap Chinese hair wigs for $29 downtown. I have seen $2000 "custom Euro" hair wigs that were definitely Indian hair. Often the same factory makes an identical wig for both Jewish and non Jewish labels. One is designed to sell for $200 and the other for $29. After all my years in business, I am still not convinced that synthetic sheitals look bad. They are easy to care for and impervious to weather. All of the newscasters on TV wear them as do many moviestars, performers and professional business women who want to look perfectly polished but do not have time to sit for beauty appointments. I have not seen too many European "customs" that I think look better than cheap synthetics. Maybe they feel silky, but who is touching your head?? Personally I always wear blends. They look nice, hold up great and have body and bounce like "hair". Generally the Jewish manufacturers DO offer a higher quality wig than the downtown vendors, but not always. Most of the benefit is in the cap construction and not neccessarily the hair quality. A lot of the wig business is no different than Kedem Grape juice vs. Welch's. That is the only difference is in the marketing. I am seeing sheital machers advertising that they are under a certain Rabbi's certification that the sheitals they sell absolutely do not contain Indian hair. I am wondering if the Rabbis who give the hashgacha are going to Russia to supervise the purchasing of the hair for the manufacturers or if it is like any other manufactured product that is under hashgacha, that they rely upon the word of the manufacturer in order to certify the product. Anyway, I really have been wanting out of the sheital business completely for a couple of years now. I think this Indian hair thing is the last straw for me. It is really too crazy out there.