FAQ – Tips and Tricks

Where can I find scarves?

EVERYWHERE!  Most of my favourite scarves I found at thrift stores, consignment stores etc.  I have lots of advice about thrift shopping, so let me know if you’d like to hear more about it!  Bottom line: make sure that you wash the scarves (or anything else that you get) as soon as you buy them.  Thrift stores are amazing for finding incredibly inexpensive (but high quality!), unique scarves and accessories.  I can’t even count how many gorgeous silk scarves, pashminas etc I’ve gotten for a few dollars each (or less!)  Many of my scarves were gifts from friends.  Make sure to donate your unused ones to a gemach, or host a tichel swapping night!    I also have bought and received many of my scarves in Jerusalem, where they are sold everywhere.  If you are there, make sure to check out the shuk (market) and the Ben Yehuda/Yafo area.  As well, take a look in your current closet!  Experiment with what you already have; a simple pashmina scarf can be used for any of the rectangular scarf ties that I’ve posted.  A ripped skirt can easily be turned into a tichel!  I’ve also noticed that many stores here in the USA have lots of scarves… H&M, Forever21 etc.  In Canada, I’ve seen great scarves sold at Ardene.  Most art boutiques (with jewelry, small trinkets) have gorgeous handmade scarves.  Dollar stores have them too.  There are also many online options.  Just search “tichel”, “mitpachat”, “head covering” “hair wrapping” and/or “scarf” and you will find lots.

How do I prevent my scarf from slipping back during the day?

This used to be a big problem for me, as I am quite an active person and don’t have time to be sneaking off to the bathroom to rewrap my scarf 24/7.  At first I thought that tying it tighter would help.  Wrong.  It just gave me headaches and slipped back more.  Then I tried loose tying.  This helped somewhat because I could shift the scarf forward when I needed to but it didn’t prevent slippage.  Then one day my friend insisted (thank you!) that I try something called a “Grip Comfort Band” and… wow.  I haven’t gone without one since!  This thing is an adjustable headband made of stretch velvet.  You wear it with the ridged side of the velvet facing forward, so the scarf is met with friction if it tries to move back.  It works.  It REALLY works.  I’ve had days where I haven’t been home from morning til night… removing layers, putting a hood on and off, etc.  My scarf didn’t budge!  These things tend to be over priced (about $15-20 for one, plus shipping) but they are totally worth it.  I wear mine every day.  So just search “Grip Comfort Band” and you should be able to find one quite easily.  I also suppose that if you’re crafty, you could simply buy some stretch velvet and make one yourself!   Also, try to avoid using a lot of hair conditioner on your roots, because this can make things slippery.  (Personally, I just use it on the ends of my hair.)  See recommended fabrics for more anti-slippage advice.

Don’t headwraps give you headaches?  Don’t the tips of your ears hurt?

As a migrane sufferer, I know how awful this can be.  Yes, using lots of knots and tying your scarf too tightly can give you a bad headache.  Since I’ve been using the velvet headband (see above), I haven’t had a problem with headaches because you don’t have to tie your scarves tightly.  I would highly recommend the “Regal Wrap” tie, because it doesn’t require you to make any knots.  As for ears, I tend to keep my ears under my scarf, and then sometimes I’ll let them out if the scarf is making it hard to hear.  I’ve only found that they hurt if the material is too rough, or the scarf is tied too tightly.  Bottom line: DO NOT tie your scarf tightly!  This does not prevent slipping and will only give you headaches and hurt your ears.

How do I accessorize?

Stretch headbands, sashes, ribbons, pins, skinny scarves, and even necklaces can all be used to accessorize your scarf.  Have fun and experiment.  Some of the things that can look gaudy otherwise can look great pinned on your head!  Check out craft stores for stretch lace and ribbons.  Look to thrift stores for antique pins, and colourful sashes.  Breathe new life into your old stretch headbands   For necklaces, just pin them in and tuck the ends underneath.

You will find that covering your hair with a scarf gives you a very regal look.  Like a ballerina or royalty.  Our sages weren’t kidding when they refer to a married woman as a queen!  Your posture will improve (mine did!) and your face will glow.  I find that covering my hair with a scarf brings more attention to my eyes and face… so if you enjoy makeup, go for it!  Also, earrings are a must for me, because they really add to your glow and frame your face nicely.

How do you wash tichels?

Since I often wear a simple cotton scarf or headband underneath the scarf that is showing, I don’t have to wash the fancy ones often.  When in doubt, hand wash.  I’ve found that pashminas and pre-shrunk cotton scarves do well in the washer.  Israeli tichels tend to pull a bit, so I would use a delicate cycle or hand wash.  Since your scarves are on your head, they tend to get less dirty/sweaty than your clothes, so you really don’t need to wash them as often.  Be careful with intense dyes because they can bleed…

What fabrics do you recommend?

One thing that I love about wearing tichels is how much they help when dealing with extreme weather.  When it’s sweltering outside, they keep the hair off of your face and neck and prevent your scalp from getting burned.  Keep in mind that light, breathable fabrics are best for hot weather… and avoid over-layering!  When it’s cold outside, scarves can do wonders for keeping you warm!  I find that I can cover my ears much better with a scarf than with a hat… and if you layer them, even warmer!  Of course, I recommend seeking out environmentally friendly fabrics (such as bamboo) and supporting local designers.   Keep in mind that slippery fabrics are… slippery.  Using a grip comfort band (see above) helps a lot.  Adding a pretty pin can help keep the wrap in place and prevent slipping (super helpful when dancing at weddings!)  Cotton slips the least, but in my experience tends to wear out faster.  Silk is great, simple, and looks super fancy… but make sure you tie it well or it will slip!  Human-made materials can work well, but don’t allow your scalp to breathe as much.  Pashminas are great for the winter and don’t slip if you tie them well.

Happy Wrapping!  Love, Andrea

30 thoughts on “FAQ – Tips and Tricks”

  1. Ashley

    You have given me so much encouragement! Your scarves and different styles of coverings are beautiful and you make it so obvious that they aren’t oppressive what so ever! I am beginning a new journey with my family in learning Torah and I am so excited that I found your videos and your website while searching for coverings. Thank you so much for your humbleness and true beauty of a daughter of Yisrael!

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    1. Ashley, thank you so much for all of your encouragement! You’re right, covering my hair is liberating for me, which I know is a rare feeling in our generation. Hopefully I can help other women feel this way as well! It’s wonderful that you and your family are beginning this journey together. Wishing you lots of bravery, clarity and connection as you continue on your path (together, and individually). If you’d ever like to discuss anything, I’d be honoured 🙂

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  2. Kimberly Burns

    I just found another option today for the comfort grip bands…at a Sally’s Beauty Supply, I found an adjustable terry cloth wrap about 2 1/2 inches wide with a Velcro closure, it is headband often used for facials I guess…but it is super thin, very breathable and seems to be almost completely NO SLIP!!! I even tried it with a silk scarf and it held fairly well!!!! another bonus, it cost less than $4.00, plus no shipping charge :)… I just wanted to share this option in case any one else is looking for a more cost effective alternative to the Wig Grip Comfort Band.

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  3. shorty

    I just found you website and love it! I was just in Israel with my husband and son, and I was so inspired by all the amazing hair covering. I had wanted to cover for a while, and now I’m jumping in…

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  4. Hi Andrea. What would you recommend for keeping hair nice when it is so fine. By that I mean if our hair is our ‘crowning glory’ for preferably only our husband to see, then when in private it should look good. My hair is very very fine and thin. I have a curly perm as it is the only way for it to look half-decent. When wearing a head covering and taking it off at night/inside the house I look like a scare-crow! I look anything but attractive and I would go as far as to say the state of my hair would be a total turn-off to anyone. The only thing I can try and do if in between shampoos is to ‘spritz’ my hair to try and make the curls bounce back. I have just discovered your website and love it.

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    1. Hi Pauline! First of all make sure that your hair is fully dry before covering it (covering wet hair results in quite a site when you uncover it!) Also, I highly suggest what you already said; when you uncover your hair, wet your fingers and run them through your hair to bring the curls back. Also, try washing your hair in the evening so your hair can dry around your husband and he gets to see how beautiful it is (this also helps it be dry in the morning when you cover it).

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      1. Thanks for replying Andrea. Washing in the evening is a good idea if I am up to it (health prroblems:-( ). I have never covered my hair when wet and my hair dries very quickly due to being so fine. I don’t cover all the time as it can aggravate my very sensitive scalp that can itch like mad. I already use a special shampoo without any additives. I love experimenting with different colours, layering etc. The other day I met a lady who asked me where I got my “hat” from! That got me thinking whether I looked a bit bizarre, or if it was a compliment due to it being unusual. I hope the former with her asking where it was from:-) When my daughter came home, although she isn’t “into scarves and things” she was happy to let me experiment weaving and entwining her lovely long hair into different styles with the scarves.

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  5. Hadassah

    I use my husbands kippah clips to keep my scarf in place and the narrow decorative scarf I tie over the top covers my ears and the clips at once. Stays in place all day and I run around a lot.

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  6. Cee

    Hello–I don’t cover my hair but I like wearing headscarves to keep my hair out of my face (I have A LOT of hair!). I’ve just discovered this site and it has made me want to incorporate headscarves even more into my style. : ) Thanks for the inspiration, even for those of us who don’t cover!

    With that said, I have a suggestion that might also work as a grip-y band to keep scarves from slipping. There are a lot of “no-slip grip” headbands now that have silicone either woven through the headband or on the bottom of the headband, to keep it in your hair. I had a set where the rubber was woven through the headband and so gripped on the top and bottom, meaning that when I wore it under a scarf it gripped my hair and also kept the scarf from slipping. I’ve had the scarf on for 5 hours now and it hasn’t moved at all. Since a pack of headbands is about $3 a pop, it might be a cost-friendly alternative to a comfort grip band. I have two on, but they’re so thin that they don’t add any bulk and they’re doing the job!

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    1. I have a similar problem rodriguezadi. Like Andrea I have very fine hair, and as I have got older it has been thinning. I suffer with an itchy scalp and use a special shampoo when washing my hair. I don’t cover all the time because of this. I do two other ways of covering that give a similar affect that may be helpful. I use one or two (depending on the width and material of the longer rectangular types of scarves. These usually go round the head a couple of times. I start off by scrunching them so they are a type of headband, and I wrap them round my forehead and behind my ears. I then either tie them at the back or the side depending on my mood or the style. Sometimes I will also wrap round a second time overlapping. This gives a slight turban effect. I still use two of the decorative scarf clips as well, even though they don’t necessarily need to be held in place which still gives the effect of wearing a more traditional tichel. Also a flower as Andrea has worn on the side draws attention away from the hair not completly covered. This of course means I still have hair showing at the back, but it isn’t very obvious. My itching scalp goes ‘up and down’ so I wear scarves accordingly. I don’t know if there is a way of posting photos on this site for anyone other than Andrea to give you a better idea of what I mean. It is a bit hard to explain. On a lighter note: I was approached by an employee while having a coffee and asked if I was a Medium, and did I know whether her son would be okay! Not sure if it was the scarf that looked a bit ‘turban-ish’ or as usual, I attract all manner of people as I have always done 🙂

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  9. Stephanie

    While my husband and I are practicing Christians, my decision to start covering my hair was more personal than religious – after spending five years getting stuffed into baggy military camouflage I needed to do something, ANYTHING to make me feel like a girl. I watched a few of your and Rivka Malka’s tutorials and, using a cut up T-shirt and my husband’s Navy neckerchief, I made an absolute hash of my first tichel. Looking in the mirror afterwards (despite the terrible job I did) I can honestly say that I felt pretty for the first time in my life. I’ve since invested in some pretty scarves (and that velour headband thing, which is GENIUS!) and I’m actually pretty amazed at how much has changed in my life. It’s a constant reminder of what G-d made me to be, which in turn gently reminds me to behave accordingly. My husband appreciates the extra bit of effort I’ve put into looking nice for him, which has helped both our attitudes toward our relationship immensely.

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  10. MammaMartin

    What do I do with my hair UNDER the scarf? I have watched some tutorials (by women who don’t cover for religious reasons) and they leave it long and sort of scoop it under with the scarf as they tie. Or the women DO cover and they already have it nicely stowed away when they start to wrap. So what’s my foundation. The scoop thing hasn’t worked for me. I have been putting it in a low bun first but depending on what I plan to do sometimes that leaves a lump I don’t really like.

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    1. i use a bun in teh middle back of my head, BUT if thats too buky? braid two braids, on either side of your head, and then cross the braids in the back and pin them, they lie around yoru head (one friend crosses them over her head in a kind of bavarian look).

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  11. Gabi

    Hi, thanks for your site, it has really given me and my friends more style and confidence when covering our hair! Just one question, when you tie a few scarves on to make layers, where do you tie the knot for the second scarf, above the knot of the first scarf, or underneath (below) it?

    Thanks again!

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  12. Diane Drexler-Little

    I have different problems from what have been mentioned. First, I have a small face with low forehead and cowlick at back of my head. It have have a hard time totally covering. When I have no hair showing, the tichel is nearly to my eyebrows. I noticed some leave hair showing in the front. If my hair is pushed back, is it okay to have some showing in front?
    Also, I have thick, short, and salt pepper colored hair (I stopped coloring when I began covering. (And being age 63, my husband is fine with me not coloring it.) It is hard to get the back hairs covered. I bought the largest velevt headbands. And end up with lots of bobby pins and hair clips.
    Also, I have cervical dystonia which means anything too heavy or too tight gives me horrendous headaches. I cannot wear regular headbands over the tichels as they are too tight. I also cannot wear the shaper. My hair pushes up the shaper and doesnt stay close to my head, and just adds weight. So, I have stopped using the shaper.
    Even the pashminas can be too heavy at times. I cannot even try to add a scarf to with a pashmina. And, with a small face, I have problems wrapping the pashmina so it doesn’t overwhelm me. Usually, I just do a simple wrap and tie in the back and let both ends hang down both sides to the front. (I do not tie originally just after the basic wrap is done.

    One other problem I have found with the 2 in 1s are that they have stretched out so much that their tails hang nearly to my waist. (I am only 5ft tall and high waisted.)

    With both the pashminas and 2in1s, when I wrap one or both of the ends to tuck in, the bulk just stands out from my head making my head look swollen and too much like a fat turban.

    Is there a way to get then to shrink back to what they were when purchased. I tried handwashing and twisting them to dry to get the twisting back again. They take longer to dry this way. I am hoping that the waves return this way and will shorten them.

    I love the new Wrapunzel Israeli tichels, but I wish there were more colors. Tso of the silk scarves I purchased are just too large for my head especially without a shaper.

    I keep watching the tutorials, and there appears to be too much layering for a small face and head with low hairlines. I love Rivka Malka’s wrapping, too, but on me, I look like I have a basketball on my head and can’t hold my neck upright. I bought the Autumn kit, and no way can I get both pashminas on my head without looking like an astronaut:)
    Andrea shows that less is beautiful, yet, they still don’t seem to fit my face and head. And, I cannot use the shaper. I don’t have the long hair either underneath so I cannot even use a small scrunci.

    And, I also wear glasses. I watched that tutorial. I cannot have the wraps over my eyes, I put them behind my ears to make it easier with the glasses. It also, keeps the sides closer to my head and keeps it less bulky on the sides.

    So, I cannot have bulk on top or sides or back of my head. Any suggestions for simple wrapping?
    And, is there any problem with having some hair showing to make my forehead look less narrow?

    Sorry to be so long, but I spend a half hour every morning trying to get it right, often changing tichels trying to get a decent look and covering as much hair as I can. It is frustratiing. It takes more time than putting on makeup:)

    Help please!

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  13. Ann

    Could anybody please tell me how to wash thrift store scarves so that I can feel safe that there is no lice or bed bugs, etc.? I would love to buy some, but I want to feel safe wearing them. Should I boil them?

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  14. Audrey

    Finding the Wrapunzel family has been a blessing to me. I’m go though some sort of mid-life crisis and wanted to spruce myself up alittle. I start wrapping my hair as a result to finding you modest ladies. All of you are classy, fun and uniquely informative. I feel pretty wrapping my hair per your instruction & sugestions. Thank you! You all are kind of saving me from a downward spiral. I think I want to share some of my pictures with you all.

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  15. Gaye Lynn Hearn

    Hello to some of the most beautiful and joyful women I have ever seen! I am studying religious, personal, and modesty reasons to wrap my hair. My question is does it cause your hairline above your forehead to thin?

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    1. Shari Rosen

      Hi Gaye! Some wrappers do experience hairline thinning after wrapping for a long period of time. We suggest that they often change up the way they part their hair underneath their wraps to take stress off of specific areas, as well as wrapping just a little less tightly. We hope this helps and wish you the best always!

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  16. Galina

    Hi folks, and thank you so much for making these videos. they are so incredibly helpful.

    I’m a polytheist who has started covering for religious reason. It’s cut my migraines in half, at least which has been a lovely side effect too. Im working with basic tichel styles and that’s working (provided I wear a shaper since my hair is clipped short). Here is my question:

    how do I keep my ears under the tichel? They keep slipping out and it makes me crazy. I pull it down during the day as needed but …am I doing something wrong?? help.

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    1. Shari Rosen

      Hi Galina! Thanks for writing. You can cover your ears with our No-Slip Headbands or Shapers in the morning, but they may ache (from the elasticized grippy velvet fabric) as the day goes by. You can always take a bathroom break to let them out for a moment and then rewrap. We hope this helps and wish you the best always!

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  17. Virginia Blossoms
    Hi Andrea,

    Thanks for the awesome scarf tips! Thrift stores and Jerusalem markets, who knew? 😄 Excited to try the “Grip Comfort Band” – sounds like a lifesaver! Your headache and ear pain advice is spot-on. Loving the accessory ideas too. Short, sweet, and can’t wait to wrap it up!

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