Is avodah zara hair still an issue with shaitels?

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Fashion and Beauty -> Sheitels & Tichels

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Sat, Dec 16 2023, 11:39 pm

I keep hearing that people are buying wigs off ali or through someone who sells ali wigs(I think the name is Malky wigs but not certain). I have reservations about this because I remember as a child there was a huge bombshell news that hair for shaitels was coming from hair cut for avodah zara. Since then I thought all wigs needed some kind of "hechsher".
Anyone know if this is still the case or nowadays one can buy a wig off ali?
I would love some clarification.

Thisisnotmyreal

Sat, Dec 16 2023, 11:46 pm

My Rav said it never was.

amother

Whitewash

Sat, Dec 16 2023, 11:46 pm

No
It’s not a thing
Hair doesn’t need certification

Tanya1234

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 12:25 pm

My rav said I should only wear with a hechsher.

amother

Mauve

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 1:22 pm

I knew it was an issue all the time. 25 years ago when I got married I made sure not to get wigs from India. (and even then not everyone agrees that it's an issue) I only got European hair.

amother

Turquoise

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 1:43 pm

Without "shmura mish'as ketzira"* it's almost impossible to know what hair you're getting. DD was in the market recently & the Rov where they daven suggested to try to get synthetic. However he's not their posek & SIL asked around, it seems most rabbonim are not concerned.

Bottom line follow your posek.

(From extensive reading on the hair industry, I strongly suspect that whole hooha was motivated by an anti-sheitel agenda. And I say this as s/o who gave up sheitels for my own reasons.)

*supervision from the time of cutting, borrowed from Shmura Matza

AllThings

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 3:02 pm

Actually, based on a kuntress (in English) that my husband recently brought home from someone selling in yeshiva, it seems to be a lot more questionable than people think. Worth doing a bit more research and probably asking a shaaleh from a rav who knows the topic (not just someone saying over from someone etc)

amother

Tiffanyblue

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 3:10 pm

Yes. I don’t know anything about the wig industry or where people get hair from and if it’s supervised in any way from a halachic perspective , but technically speaking there are people who cut their hair as a worship to their g-ds and it is absolutely be considered avoda zara

amother

Trillium

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 7:41 pm

amother Turquoise wrote:

(From extensive reading on the hair industry, I strongly suspect that whole hooha was motivated by an anti-sheitel agenda. And I say this as s/o who gave up sheitels for my own reasons.)

Why do you think so?

amother

Turquoise

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 7:48 pm

Yet many (including some geirim from India who speak the language) understood that the women believe they are sacrificing their beauty
The hair industry just takes advantage of that.

mommy1000

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 9:00 pm

Per my rav, it was never an issue to begin with.

amother

Turquoise

Thu, Jan 11 2024, 9:21 pm

amother Trillium wrote:

Why do you think so?

Because I'm a cynic? Based on seeing how various people lined up then.

My personal opinion is that long, natural-looking shaitels can be (and usually are) quite provocative. And I wish there was a kind, gentle way to persuade women to understand this.

However, I'm also very opposed to religious coercion and manipulation. Which is what the anti-Indian hair lobby feels like to me.

(I would say this under my screen name but I have some dear relatives with long wigs)

amother

Yarrow

Fri, Jan 12 2024, 12:26 am

amother Mauve wrote:

I knew it was an issue all the time. 25 years ago when I got married I made sure not to get wigs from India. (and even then not everyone agrees that it's an issue) I only got European hair.

It's very unlikely that you are actually getting European hair unless you're paying a fortune.

amother

Seafoam

Tue, Jan 30 2024, 5:19 pm

I know a reliable person who thoroughly investigated this issue by actually going to India and observing the process. The women who sell their hair are living in poverty and need the money to survive. It is not for avodas zoroh. The Indian people actually consider their hair to be unholy, thus they will not “sacrifice “ to the a”z.

amother

Hosta

Tue, Jan 30 2024, 5:37 pm

I saw on Instagram how Indian women who wanted something would sacrifice their hair to some avoda Zara as a "zchus". Then the people in charge sell it.

amother

Sapphire

Tue, Jan 30 2024, 5:56 pm

Years ago it was a thing for a short time. It came out ultimately and soon after that it was nothing to worry about according to big poskim. This was in the early 2000s.

Page 1 of 1