I recently came across a great option for traveling with a sheitel that doesn’t require a whole separate piece of luggage or carry-on and takes up minimal space.

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We’ve all been there. It’s the week of Sheva Brachos, or your first Shabbos or Yom Tov away during shana rishona. So, we dutifully pack up our brand new sheitel in the travel wig box that we were told we had to buy. Carrying the box out to the car (or even better watching your new husband carry it out) is a badge of honor and a grand announcement that says “I’m married!”

But then, you get to where you’re going and you have to carry all those items in. Or, you have to fly somewhere and realize that you can’t really take much else onto the plane with you. But, time moves on and you get into a routine of taking that travel wig box with you whenever you go away. Maybe you’ve even taken two—weekday and Shabbos?

What happens when the time comes to add a stroller, diaper bag, and all the other baby paraphernalia to the mix? And, of course, the squirmy baby too? It’s time to rethink the cumbersome wig box! (Other than flying during Sheva Brachos and to the sheitelmacher during shana rishona, I don’t think I’ve used mine at all…why do I still even have it?)

My Earlier Solutions to Traveling with a Wig

So, what did I do when I ditched the travel wig box? I did what my good friend, who was a wig stylist, recommended. I put it in a plastic shopping bag! It worked like a charm. If it got a bit staticky from the bag, I would spray it with a little static guard or pass a dryer sheet over it. I didn’t want to put it in my checked suitcase or just toss it in my backpack. So, I would place it in the head of my husband’s hat in his hatbox.

Why Jews (Can’t) Travel Carry-On Only

And for a wig head? I still use the styrofoam wig heads in my closet at home. And, until recently, I would travel with a collapsible wire travel wig stand. If I forgot it, I would just hang my sheitel on a tissue box, lamp (make sure it’s off), bedpost, or even the corner of the TV in a hotel room.

Traveling with a Sheitel That’s Styled

A few years ago, I bought a new sheitel and had it styled for my son’s Bar Mitzvah. The Bar Mitzvah was in Israel. Now what?

I had spent a pretty penny on the wig and on the styling. I was concerned about it not holding up with my fancy plastic shopping bag solution. So, I asked the person who sold and styled the wig for a suggestion. Her answer: a shoebox!

That’s what I did. I stuffed the head with newspaper to hold the shape and placed it in a shoebox in my carry-on suitcase. Again, worked great.

But, afterwards, I continued to use the plastic bag for several more years. Way more convenient and space-saving (especially in the hat).

Now How Do I Travel with a Sheitel?

I recently started using a new type of wig travel case that lays flat, has a piece in it that helps keep its shape and has an accessory pocket.

The wig box is available in several colors and my daughter picked out one for my Shabbos sheitel and one for my weekday sheitel. (Beware: it’s available in two sizes; the small is for extensions and doesn’t have the shape-keeping piece. Be sure to get the large which is made for a full wig.)

I mentioned earlier that I don’t use the wire travel wig stand anymore for traveling. I was able to find a travel wig head that fit in the accessory pocket of the travel wig case. I ordered a set of two that comes with two different styles.

One is the traditional wig stand style and the other actually allows the wig to hang from the closet rod. This is a great option if you’re limited on counter/shelf space or if your sheitel is long and you don’t want to travel with a tall wig stand.

Furthermore, when really limited on space, I can hang it from the handle of my suitcase!

I’m so happy I’ve found this solution, especially for when I travel alone and don’t have my husband’s hatbox. Don’t worry though, we’ve found other uses for that space when we do travel together.

Drawbacks?

So far so good. My daughter actually swung around and shook the travel wig case not realizing that my sheitel was in it. And it totally held up. All I did was run a brush through it when I took it out—which is exactly what I did even from the big sheitel box.

I’m not sure if I would go this route if I had just had it styled for a wedding or Bar Mitzvah, though. I would probably still go the shoebox route.

All in all I’m very happy with this addition to my travel gear. To use a word that has become cliched, this wig travel case and travel wig stand are essential when traveling with a sheitel.

How do you travel with your sheitel? Let me know what you’ve come up with.

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