poll for those who only wear tichels- pls respond

mummiedearest

Sun, Aug 17 2014, 6:40 pm

I noticed a while back that women who don't wear sheitels sometimes complain that they feel frumpy next to the be-sheiteled women at weddings/bar mitzvahs/etc. I'm considering becoming a custom "headscarf stylist." I'd love to know if this is something worth doing. I love tying tichels in elegant arrangements. they make me feel happy.

Frumdoc

Sun, Aug 17 2014, 7:38 pm

I would love this, but am not in the US so unlikely to be of help to you.

But it does take me ages to sort out a complicated fancy tie for a simcha if I'm unlucky. I was once used as a demo at a tichel tying stall at some event, it was so much fun to have this amazing headpiece wound round me and then everyone watching, but I never got to learn how to do it as I was the guinea pig!

mummiedearest

Sun, Aug 17 2014, 7:42 pm

Frumdoc wrote:

I'd appreciate your opinion anyway. if you'd be interested in a service like this, please add your opinion to the poll. I'm trying to see if there is a market for this. not everyone in my area is on imamother, I'm looking for general statistics here. thanks!

Frumdoc

Sun, Aug 17 2014, 8:00 pm

mummiedearest wrote:

I did, would depend on finances and cost. Might pay 15 or 20 dollars if it was a big simcha and we were doing well that month. I can think of others who would pay similar.

mummiedearest

Sun, Aug 17 2014, 8:02 pm

Frumdoc wrote:

I did, would depend on finances and cost. Might pay 15 or 20 dollars if it was a big simcha and we were doing well that month. I can think of others who would pay similar.

thanks for giving me numbers. I appreciate it. anyone else?

watergirl

Sun, Aug 17 2014, 8:32 pm

I wear sheitels, but I think it would be cool if your service included selling (or renting) the different scarves/accessories. I have a number of friends and a sister who only wear tichels, and they often have nothing fancy to wear for a tichel. If they send you a picture of the dress, you could bring over a few possibilities, then wrap it for her. That would be really cool, I think.

mummiedearest

Sun, Aug 17 2014, 8:37 pm

watergirl wrote:

I do intend to have a stock of accessories and basic scarves to sell. (basic can be fancy, btw, just the kind of scarves I consider a staple in the wardrobe.) I would be happy to work with the client's scarf, though, no need to buy through me.

mummiedearest

Sun, Aug 17 2014, 8:38 pm

emunahmother wrote:

I do know someone who does this sort of thing and I'm pretty sure she charges something more along the lines of $100

can you tell me where this woman lives? just curious. and I would not pay $100 for such a service, so I don't intend to charge in that range.

Barbara

Sun, Aug 17 2014, 8:40 pm

I don't usually cover my hair, but I'm answering anyway.

I live in NYC, where there are how many Dry Bars and other places that do nothing but wash and blow dry hair for outrageous fees.

And reading here, who doesn't do their sheitel, not to mention their little girls' hair, before a simcha.

Everyone wants whatever it is on top of their head to look good, especially when they are attending an affair.

So your idea seems to be a natural. But I think you'd have to sell tichels that could be used, and ask for a photo of the dress in advance.

Good luck!!!

mummiedearest

Sun, Aug 17 2014, 8:43 pm

Barbara wrote:

thanks, barbara!

seeker

Sun, Aug 17 2014, 8:57 pm

I would do it, but only as a one time thing where you would help me choose a nice tichel or two, teach me a couple of ways to do it nicely myself, and then I'd be all set until my next wardrobe update. Of course that would also be worth more $ than just tying it, but would be worth more to you too because I cant imagine it being worth your time to go to an appointment and tie a scarf for a total of ten minutes and whatever they're willing to pay for a ten minute service.

mummiedearest

Sun, Aug 17 2014, 9:08 pm

seeker, I was going to offer lessons as well. and group lessons for bridal showers.

I know people who pay to have their makeup done, that really doesn't take too long. as for what an appointment would look like, I would advise a consultation before the event, with review of the outfit and intended scarf. it could take me 10 minutes if left to myself, but I suspect some clients would ask me to give them less volume, more volume, hanging tails, tuck it all in, can we try it with the purple sash, how about that accessory, etc. and then there's making sure the tichel is comfortable on the client. some women get headaches from too many knots, and I would work with that. so I would definitely set aside more time than ten minutes per person.

little_mage

Sun, Aug 17 2014, 9:58 pm

That sounds awesome. I have a wedding coming up next year, among mostly non-frum family, and I really do feel dowdy in a tichel. I have my eyes on some of the wrapunzel ones next time I have an excuse. As far as cost goes, I think it would be reasonable for it to be comparable to an updo/getting hair done. I don't know how much the hair cost for my wedding (thanks Mom!), but when I got an updo for prom I think it was about $35. That was about ten years ago (yikes!) at a Great Clips or something similar. I also think that the cost should probably vary based on who is providing the tichel. Actually, what I would do, if I was providing the tichel, assuming I wasn't selling it, I would have a rental fee that was a separate item. That would cover washing it and whatnot afterwards.

mummiedearest

Sun, Aug 17 2014, 10:05 pm

little_mage wrote:

ok, that sounds reasonable. I was going to charge separately for the appointment and the tichels/accessories, that way the client has the option to provide her own. I think this makes sense anyway.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Aug 18 2014, 4:33 am

I think that a reasonable estimate for a fee would be whatever women are willing to pay for a nice wash and set on a sheitel, because it's a comparable service. If they choose to buy the scarves instead of rent them then you could offer them a really nice discount, and an incentive discount for any referrals they send you.

My rebbetzin and I are the only ones in our kehillah that cover completely, most don't cover, or just wear a hat. If they wear a scarf, they push it way back to show a lot of hair in the front.

Rebbetzin M and I are really into fancy scarves, and we're talking about doing a tutorial class on how to wear them (Sephardic shul, no one is interested in sheitels there.) I've been rocking some amazing looks lately, with intricate twists and a pretty brooch on the side, to build up interest. So many women have been coming up to me and saying "I have tons of scarves, but I never wear them because I don't know what to do with them. How do you tie it like that? It looks so hard!"

Once people start seeing your wraps, there's going to be lots of interest I'm sure. Word of mouth and networking are what makes or breaks you, so whenever you leave the house, make sure you look flawless and CARRY BUSINESS CARDS! (I'd even go so far as to bring a stash of cards to shul on a weekday, so you can hand them out after havdalah to anyone who asks.)