The soaring cost of wigs in the Chareidi community has sparked a growing debate, with some high-end wigs now selling for as much as NIS 40,000 (more than $11,000). Claiming the prices have spiraled far beyond what is reasonable, Chabad attorney Nechama Tzivin has launched a campaign urging rabbinic courts to intervene and regulate the industry, arguing that wigs have become an essential religious necessity rather than a luxury item. Wig manufacturers, however, insist the rising prices simply reflect increased demand, higher-quality materials, and far greater production costs.

Tzivin, a longtime resident of Kfar Chabad and a veteran attorney, recalls a time when quality wigs cost only a few thousand shekels. Today, she says, married women routinely spend tens of thousands of shekels on natural-hair wigs, a trend she believes cannot be justified. She is preparing to submit a formal petition to the Chabad rabbinical court asking it to impose limits on pricing and says she intends to bring similar petitions before other rabbinical courts as well.

Coming from a multigenerational Chabad family, Tzivin argues that wigs should be classified under chayei nefesh—items considered essential to daily religious life under halachah. If that status is granted, she believes rabbinical authorities would have grounds to regulate excessive profits and establish limits on pricing.

“I am not claiming to speak on behalf of Chabad,” she emphasized. “I am simply expressing my opinion as someone who belongs to the movement and lives deeply within it.”

Tzivin noted that the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, gave clear guidance decades ago encouraging married women to cover their hair specifically with wigs.

“There is a categorical directive from the Rebbe that head covering should be with a wig,” she said. “That instruction dates back to the 1950s. The Rebbe encouraged women to purchase wigs and even instructed that financial assistance be provided to women who could not afford them.”

She explained that while wigs were once relatively uncommon and expensive, they gradually became an accepted and expected part of life for married Chabad women.

“Today the feeling is that a woman simply has to cover her hair with a wig,” she said.

According to Tzivin, the dramatic increase in prices has coincided with advances in wig manufacturing that have made them increasingly natural-looking.

“The more realistic wigs became and the more they resembled natural hair, the more dramatically prices climbed,” she said. “We’ve examined the issue, and the production costs simply do not justify these increases.”

She added that many young brides now insist on purchasing the most natural-looking wigs available, making the wig one of the largest expenses associated with a wedding.

“It isn’t only the bride who bears the cost,” she said. “The burden falls on her mother, her sisters, and the entire family.”

Reflecting on her own experience, Tzivin said the changes have been staggering.

“When I got married 50 years ago, wigs looked much less realistic and the prices were perfectly reasonable,” she said. “Even when my daughters married in the early 2000s, buying a wig was a significant expense, but it was still manageable.”

She noted that her most recent wig, purchased three years ago, cost NIS 18,000, compared with roughly NIS 5,000 to NIS 6,000 for the one before it.

“Today, the average wig in Kfar Chabad costs about NIS 30,000, and some sell for NIS 40,000,” she said. “There has always been healthy profit in this business, but today we’re talking about completely different levels.”

Tzivin attributes much of the increase to social media and growing pressure to achieve an ideal appearance.

“The demand for the most natural wigs continues to grow, and that demand is being fully exploited,” she argued. “Psychology plays a huge role. As demand rises, prices keep climbing.”

She recently heard from a friend whose granddaughter is preparing for her wedding.

“Her wig is going to cost NIS 40,000,” Tzivin said. “To me, this is similar to what has happened with other products associated with mitzvos, such as shmurah matzah, tefillin, and talleisim, where prices have also climbed far beyond what seems reasonable.”

She said her frustration ultimately prompted her to take action.

“I say this with pain, but today it feels as though in order to be a Chabad woman—or even a Chareidi woman—you have to be a sucker,” she remarked. “The prices have become outrageous, particularly for products that are an inseparable part of religious life.”

Rejecting comparisons between wigs and luxury consumer products, Tzivin insisted that a wig cannot simply be viewed as an optional purchase.

“People ask why we need to fight this. They say some people buy million-dollar cars while others buy used cars, so why should wigs be different?” she said. “But that’s the wrong comparison. Cars, homes, and cosmetics are not mitzvos. For a Chabad woman, a wig is a basic necessity. In halachic terminology, it is a chayei nefesh item.”

She stressed that her campaign is not directed against wigmakers earning a legitimate profit.

“Our argument is not against making money,” she explained. “If someone wants to buy a simple synthetic wig, they can do that. The issue is that some wigs generate profit margins of hundreds of percent.”

She continued: “We’re not asking anyone to sell at a loss. If a wig costs NIS 20,000 to produce, the seller is entitled to earn the profit permitted by halachah. But you cannot charge NIS 40,000 simply because it’s a mitzvah item and women feel obligated to buy it.”

Tzivin also criticized the high cost of wig maintenance.

“Products that can be purchased online for a few dozen shekels are sold by wig stylists for hundreds,” she said. “In the wig industry, there is a feeling of exploitation from beginning to end. Covering one’s hair is a mitzvah, and fulfilling a mitzvah should be within reach. Our problem is the excessive profits being made by wig manufacturers.”

Her proposal would place all wigs—whether synthetic or natural hair—under the same halachic pricing framework.

“The goal is for wigs to receive the status of chayei nefesh,” she explained. “Once that happens, every wig would be subject to the same rules regarding acceptable profit.”

Based on information she says she has received, profit margins in some cases reach 200 to 300 percent.

“And it doesn’t end with the wig itself,” she added. “After the purchase, customers are encouraged to buy special shampoos, serums, treatment products, and accessories. The ongoing maintenance has become part of the problem.”

According to Tzivin, the issue extends well beyond Israel.

She said women from France and other countries have contacted her to describe similar concerns. One activist from France, Gila Maman, founder of the FairWigs organization, wrote to express support for the campaign.

“I wanted to personally thank you for your courage and the incredible work you’re doing on behalf of women,” Maman wrote. “It was deeply moving to read about your initiative. It is inspiring to see someone willing to stand up to a system that has left so many women feeling unheard and powerless.”

Maman said many women in France have stopped wearing wigs altogether because of the financial burden and frustration surrounding the industry.

“Many women feel trapped, silenced, and alone under the dictatorship of wigs,” she wrote. “You have no idea how many women in France have told me they stopped covering their hair because of all the problems involved.”

She described how FairWigs provides free wigs, free repairs, charitable assistance, and legal help for women experiencing disputes with wig manufacturers, expressing hope that the movement would eventually expand worldwide.

Despite her criticism of current pricing, Tzivin emphasized that she has no objection to women wanting beautiful wigs.

“I have absolutely no criticism of women who want to wear an attractive wig,” she said. “On the contrary, I think it’s wonderful that we live in a generation where women—including religious women—want to feel good about themselves.”

She added that every woman has the right to look her best.

“If someone wants to look like a beauty queen or as though she just walked out of a Louis Vuitton fashion show, that’s her right,” she said. “But covering one’s hair is a mitzvah, and performing that mitzvah must remain affordable. Our problem is with the outrageous profits that have nothing to do with manufacturing costs.”

Tzivin expressed confidence that her effort would ultimately succeed.

“I can say with a high degree of certainty that this campaign to stop runaway pricing will succeed,” she said. “After extensive halachic research and consultations with numerous rabbanim and dayanim, I discovered broad agreement both about the seriousness of the problem and the tools available to address it.”

She noted that only about 20 major wigmakers would ultimately be affected by a rabbinical ruling.

“I cannot imagine they would openly defy a ruling from a beis din,” she said. “They would not risk a customer boycott.”

She called the campaign “a golden opportunity” for rabbinical leaders to address an issue affecting tens of thousands of religious women throughout Israel and around the world.

“Until now, women had no real voice to rescue them from this tremendous financial burden,” she said.

Not everyone in the industry agrees.

Zehava Weitzman, who has owned a boutique wig business for three decades, says rising prices are the natural result of changes in both demand and production.

“Demand has increased, and so have manufacturing standards and quality,” she said. “Customers want the highest-quality hair available.”

She noted that roughly 40 percent of her clientele are not religious at all.

“Many of my customers are women battling cancer, alopecia, or thinning hair,” she explained. “Others are Chareidi women. They all want the same quality. This is simply supply and demand.”

According to Weitzman, natural human hair has become an increasingly scarce commodity.

“Like diamonds, we’re dealing with a rare raw material,” she said. “Only in this case, it’s human hair.”

She said the wholesale cost of hair has risen dramatically.

“Twenty years ago we paid about $400 per kilogram. Today we pay between $6,000 and $7,000 per kilogram just for the raw hair.”

She explained that approximately 70 percent of raw hair purchased cannot be used for Israeli wigs because only long strands are suitable.

Manufacturing has also changed significantly.

“Years ago, most wigs were made in China,” she said. “I used to order thousands of finished wigs directly from factories. Today, most production is done here in Israel, where labor costs are much higher and craftsmanship is on an entirely different level.”

Weitzman believes current retail prices accurately reflect the amount of work involved.

“Think about a wedding gown,” she said. “People understand why a wedding dress can cost NIS 17,000 or NIS 18,000 even though it’s worn for only a few hours.”

She contrasted that with a custom wig.

“A wig requires countless hours of work, and the job doesn’t end after delivery,” she said. “For an entire year customers come back for adjustments, repairs, refinements, and improvements, all of which are included.”

She added that consumers always have options.

“Just as you can buy inexpensive clothing or luxury clothing, you can buy a simpler wig or one that’s handcrafted to look as though the hair is growing naturally from the scalp. People who want that level of craftsmanship pay for quality.”

Weitzman firmly rejected accusations that wigmakers are exploiting religious women.

“I’ve heard the claim that we’re making huge profits off religious women, but that’s simply untrue,” she said. “Yes, religious women today invest more in their appearance, but that doesn’t mean we’re taking advantage of them.”

She also disputed claims of enormous profit margins.

“When I imported finished wigs from China, it was easy to calculate profit,” she explained. “Today, when I produce a wig myself, I often don’t even know what my final profit will be. I spend a year continuing to work with each customer, making adjustments, replacing hair, and refining the wig. Many times I discover in the end that I barely earned anything.”

One notable exception exists within the Chareidi world. In the Gerer community, maximum prices have been established for wigs, while in most other Chassidic communities, prices remain largely unregulated and can reach substantially higher levels.