Synthetic sheitel wearers (come on, I know you're out there)

To those of you who own a synthetic, what brand, how much, where'd you get it from, and is it worth it? Prefer to hear from those who own a long or medium length one. Describe the pros and cons. I'm really thinking about getting one b/c I need a change and it must be seriously cheap.

I bought a long, curly synthetic sheitel in Manhattan- it was great to wear in the rain because it dried in perfect curls Smile

I bought it for about $80- I'm not sure of the brand though
The lady told me when I bought it that I could straighten it, and I tried to use my straightening iron on it, and it resulted in burning the hair Sad

I still wear it though, I just try to hide those burnt pieces as much as possible. Never use heat on a synthetic!
I got one with a lace top, which is supposed to be glued to the scalp, which I obviously did not do. I trimmed the lace, but still cannot wear the sheitel alone; rather with a headband or with some of my hair pulled out.
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"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty" Winston Churchill

I have a few synthetic ones. All long and blond except a long and red. They look pretty but to a specialist it's obvious it's a wig and not the highest quality one. But I wanted to try the colours, got the online for under 20 dollars from Hong Kong (ebay) and was very happy with them. They're rather short lived when you wear them daily.
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"You will have many many children and make successful shidduchim beh", rebbetzin Esther Jungreis
"It's all cultural, disagree respectfully", me

I had a shoulder-length one from Rene of Paris, ordered online. Don't remember exactly what I paid, probably $60-$120. Easy and inexpensive to take care of, no complaints. Wearing every day, I think it looked good for about 8-10 months. Sometimes synthetics behave a little funny in the wind -- you might have to remember to shake it and maybe pat it down when it stops blowing.

Diamond Member Joined: Aug 03 2007 Posts: 4448

I read great things about something new, True2natural IIRC.

b'h
I own one and am very proud of the way it looks,the styling does not need high maintenance ,nd to the average eye could be taken as a real Wink

you can check out www.especiallyyours.com
I dont own one but my mother used to get the magazine and they come in really nice styles
and I know she ordered from them a few times

Diamond Member Joined: Feb 28 2008 Posts: 2964

Anyone familiar with the Paula Young synthetics? How does it compare to the other brands mentioned here?

Platinum Member Joined: Mar 12 2009 Posts: 13182

Especially Yours is geared to black women, so if you're a darker shade (e.g 1, 2) you'll like it. It's a division of Paula Young, which seems geared to a more matronly look, and they all seem to lightweight and small to me. And the darkest shade is a 4, when I last checked.

Some people do exceptionally well in beauty supply stores. A few caveats:
- no returns or exchanges
- most to the cheaper ones (under $30) just don't last the whole day, despite hairspray, in my experience
- the feel WILL be different than some of the better stuff you're used to
- don't compromise on caps. Not that you can expect the best, but make sure there are ear tabs, e.g.

Hatzlacha! It's a good move IMO.
And speaking of HATzlacha, that's what I tend to wear now most of the time Wink

Oh, and if you're into falls, you'll do well with synthetics from many places too.

I have a few of them.
Most of them are below the shoulder length and I have them for the past 4 years.
2 are hat sheitls which were about 75$ really cheap and knotty.
Then I bought the Raquel Welch one and I wore them for 3 years almost all the time.
I did not wear them loose always in a pony or a bun a lot of people (ie from chassidish ladies as well as non jews thought I was not covered/ it was natural hair!!)

Pros:
Wash and set is sooo easy
light weight
no change in color ie no fading vs to my european hair sheitl
Rain proof!
so cheap

Cons:
no change in style ie if it is curly it will always be curly even though some people can straightened them apparently
very knotty when worn loose
no heat (be careful with the oven!!!)
has to be changed every year or so to keep it looking "natural" and not wiggy

Hope it helped!
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Gamzu L'Tova

I have worn a long straight with heavy bangs with a skin part -- a Henry Margu. It lasted for 4-5 years wearing it on Shabbos and occasionally during the week. When the ends got frizzy, I cut it a couple of inches and it looked good for another couple of years. It was then about 150$

I have purchased a Paula Young big curly wig (30$ on sale) which I loved but I can't tell you how long it would have lasted -- Hurricane Katrina ate it. Confused

I had a Especially Yours caesar/pixie cut that I liked but I had to keep my hair very short underneath it.

I currently have a Revlon monofilament wig (so you can change up the part), to the shoulders. After three years of Shabbos and occasional weekday wear (and I treat it like crud in between), it looks wiggy although I still get compliments on it sometimes. I will buy something new very soon.

I bought the Revlon at www.wigsalon.com They have a very liberal return policy (which most online places do NOT have) and they have quality wigs. If you can figure out what style works for your face/complexion, you can have your pick of wonderful wigs for 300$ and under.

Hatzlacha,
Yael