A Head Covering Giveaway!

The folks over at HairCoverings.com were kind enough to send me one of their amazingly lightweight berets to take on a test-drive. When it first arrived, my initial thought was: Turquoise? Me? Really? Never! But then I put it on, and I was really jazzed with the color and I've probably worn it four or five times in the past week and a half! I'm huge on these kind of hats, and in the winter I live in knit hats, so a lightweight version for summer really sang to me!

And now for the super-stellar part in which you guys get a chance to win a $25 Box of Surprise Hair Accessories! And better news is that the box can be shipped worldwide!

All you have to do is visit www.HairCoverings.com and write a comment here on the blog on which items you would love to have!


If you want additional entries, you have some options, and all you have to do is post here (honor system) where else you posted.

• Add www.hairproductblog.com to your blogroll and/or subscribe to our our Blog Feed.
• Join our Google Friend Connect: Go to www.haircoverings.com/blog and click "Join This Site" in the Google Friend Connect box.
• Follow us on Networked Blogs, Go to www.haircoverings.com/blog and click "Follow This Blog" on the Networked Blog box.
• Follow us on Twitter.
• "Like" us on Facebook.

Remember: All you have to do to enter is comment here, but if you want extra entries, be sure to do those extra things!

CONTEST CLOSES on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2011 at 8 PM!

The Underground Scoop on Tzniut Style

I try really hard not to contact awesome retailers for product samples, because, well, I feel like it cheapens the whole experience. But when retailers contact me with beautiful, tzniut products, I can't turn them down, and I never have! Thus, I'm excited to share with you a retailer that I've been hoping and praying would contact me for some time now (ever since I moved into Teaneck and heard about it, that is), and that is The Style Underground, the fine purveyors of innovative, classic, and modest hairwear and headgear. Julie at TSU contacted me and sent me two amazing products: A Purple Yoshi Braid Hat and the Luxe Silk Voile Scarf.

I'll admit it -- when the package came, it was small and well wrapped, and I was concerned. Will her products fit my gigantic German noggin? Yes, I have a big head, and it's always caused me woe and drama when it comes to buying hats, which is why I don't really wear hats outside of winter when slouchy, knit hats are oversized and comfortable. If I had my way, I'd wear comfy hats all year round, so consider me stoked to discover that TSU makes a comfortable, stretch-cotton hat, called the "Yoshi Braid Hat."

The Yoshi Braid Hat is what it says -- it's soft, cotton, and stretchy, but without that "you wore it once and now it's stretched out" kind of feeling. It was comfortable, looked like a tichel (according to Tuvia), and it provided versatility, as the braid is attached in the back but is able to be moved around on the crown of your head. I was incredibly excited the moment I put it on -- I felt like summer wouldn't be so bad after all! My only concern is that, because my noggin is so big, the hat doesn't look exactly like it does on Julie on her website. It's just a little too snug to look casual. As Tuvia said, from the side I look like an elf. I tried to rectify the situation by pulling and tucking the extra fabric in, and it worked for the most part, but I noticed throughout the day that I did suffer some slippage of the hat because, well, of my gigantic head. (I know, I know, it doesn't look that big, but it is.) Overall, however, I'm super excited about the hat, and I'm excited to buy the other colors (especially the versatile black!).

The Luxe Scarf at first glance had me thinking that this wasn't anything special, but then I unwrapped it and ... holy wow ... it's shaped like a triangle! Which means there isn't gobs of extra fabric to try and tuck away, and it makes it easier to leave the part around the neck out without it reaching half-way down my back and making me look like a peasant. The fabric is incredibly lightweight and comfortable -- it honestly feels like I'm wearing nothing on my head, which is perfect in time for summer. The stitching on the scarf, too, is impressive. I can't use a sewing machine, let alone make something this elegant.

Overall, I have to say I am very, very impressed with what The Style Underground has to offer. I was taken aback at first by the prices, but after receiving the products, I can tell you that it is beyond worth it. The product is elegant, the stitching is expert and flawless, and the color options are innovative and seasonal. I'll be wearing these for years, and they won't show the wear, either. We're talking Boutique Tzniut, folks! And I'm sold.

Do you have a favorite The Style Underground scarf or hat? Let me know what you think!

EDIT: Don't forget to check out the invaluable resource of The Style Underground's scarf-tying videos on Facebook!

Hair Covering Giveaway!

Yes, it's that time of year. The time of year to buy new head coverings! Why? The weather is changing, the leaves have all but disappeared, and, well, who doesn't want or need new, beautiful head coverings? Thus, I give you a giveaway from CoverYourHair.com (aka CYH)!

First, I have to tell you about the cute hat they sent me to get you guys excited about what's in store for the colder-weather months (and for those of you in Texas or Israel or countries where it doesn't get so cold, there are plenty of beautiful tichels and headbands available). Called The New Fashionable Beret on the site, this knit hat is a wonder. I buy a lot of knit winter hats at places like K-Mart and Conway (in NYC), but they tend to be plain, and I often wish that they had just a little something to jazz them up. Thus enters these hats. With a simple bow, the hat really does give off a different vibe than if it were sans the bow. And, believe it or not, adult bows are in fashion this season (so sue me, I saw it on TV). The hat is actually a lot thicker, which plays into a serious high-quality look and feel. Overall? I'm loving this hat! Can't you tell?

Here are the details:

• One winner will receive a box of surprise hair accessories worth $25!
• You have many ways to enter the contest, and for each thing you do, please mention it in the comments (honor system!) in a single comment, please. Here are the ways to add entries to your comment.
• Post a comment here telling me about the best hair accessory in your collection. 
• Join Google Friend Connect by going to www.hairaccessoryblog.com, click "Join This Site" in the Google Friend Connect box.
• Subscribe to CYH on at www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/coveryourhair.
• Follow CYH on Twitter.
• Add www.hairaccessoryblog.com to your blog roll. 
• Add CoverYourHair.com to your blog roll. 
• Follow CYH on Networked Blogs by clicking here and choosing "Follow This Blog."
• Bookmark CYH on Delicious. 
• Fan CYH on Facebook. 
• And, last, but not least, subscribe to the CYH feed on YouTube!
• Remember: Post a comment on MY BLOG with all of the things that you did to enter. 
• The contest will close at 10 p.m. on Thursday, November 18. The winner will be chosen at random! Men, enter for your wives, too!

Note: This CAN be shipped worldwide -- so, no matter where you are, enter enter enter!

And, just so you don't walk away empty handed if you don't win, you, my lucky blog readers, have the opportunity to receive 20% off at CoverYourHair.com through December 31, 2010 using promo code "blog1231." Enjoy!

Pardon the Interruption

Please excuse me, those of you who value the academic and intellectual integrity of this blog, for a few seconds while I make a very, very girly inquiry to my head-covering female readers (or the attentive man with a head-covering wife).

My hair, which I have decided to just sort of let grow now that I'm covering (it hasn't been longer than VERY SHORT since probably 2001), is at this really awkward length where I can't put it into a pony tail, but a headband doesn't keep all the tiny pieces in check. So a half-hour into wearing any type of tichel or scarf (and don't get me started about how hard it is to wear a hat right now), my hair is flying out of every nook and cranny possible, attempting a not-so-crafty escape.

Is there anything I can put on my head that will keep everything in check? All I can think of is like a knit hat one would wear in the winter that's tight fitting, but I need something smaller, more lightweight, that will keep all of my hair in place until it's long enough to put in a ponytail under my tichel.

Thoughts?

Stay tuned for our regularly scheduled programming, including a rehash of the mechitzah issue.

Where, is My Hair Brush?

Eighteen days. Eighteen days of spiky, “wow” hair. And then? My hairdo will gladly send out change of address cards, something unique, notifying admirers and onlookers that it can now be found under a hat, swathed in a tichel, and maybe, someday, stacked under a sheitel for specific simchas for specific relatives with specific, let’s say, hair how-tos.


But, you know, I didn't always have this hair. Once upon a time my hair was long, flowing, and thick as the day is long. The joy of covering in a few weeks is that I can sort of do whatever I want with my hair and no one will EVER know (save Tuvia, of course). I could dye my hair bright pink (like people poked and prodded me to in college) or give myself a perm (like my father always dreaded). Maybe I'll have a fun "vote on Chavi's haircut"thing monthly. Of course, y'all wouldn't be able to see it. I'd share with you, however, unless that's not tzniut! The adventures in hair begin here, folks. No more hair goop, either. Goodbye hair goop.

How do you deal with the loss of free-flowing hair? How do you own your coverings? Did you choose not to cover? How did you make the tough decision? Advice on getting down with your bad hair-covered self?

Yes, I'll Cover. Now Cover Your Hair!

EDIT: CONTEST FOR GIVEAWAY OPEN UNTIL MONDAY EVENING, 10 p.m. SHARP!

In about three months time, I'll be a happily married kallah. First and foremost this means I'll be both happy and married. What comes next, of course, are a few changes, the most immediate probably being that I'll be covering my hair! Yes, I'm going to cover my hair. The devastated looks on peoples' faces when I relate this news is funny to me. The typical verbal reaction is, "But your hair is so ... it's so you!" It's true, and I've had this hair for a long time, since I cut it right before my senior year of high school. I've been using the same product, styling it the same, for the past nine years. I'll admit, I'm a little sad about the prospect, too. In shul, women identify me by my hair, and I'm worried that the when I start covering I'm going to fade into the background, being just another married Orthodox Jewish woman with her hair covered. This, of course, is a truly fleeting thought for me. After all, isn't my personality the one thing that truly should shine? Not my hair?!

So why am I covering my hair? Maybe it's all of the incredibly beautiful hat, scarves, and other things I'll be able to paint my noggin with! (That's too easy, however, especially with all of the pretty things over at CoverYourHair.com.) In truth, the reasons are plenty. I don't know that I can really verbalize them well, but it's about being committed to my husband, spiritually and visibly; it's about respect to HaShem; and it's about being me, a new phase of me, the Jewish married me. I'm excited about covering, and in preparation for this new step, I've been stockpiling pretty head coverings, including when I was in Israel and bought a few scarves. I'm not going sheitel style, at least for the immediate future until it is or becomes necessary. One of the beautiful items I've added to the collection, provided by the lovely ladies of CoverYourHair, is a Cute Pull-On Hat -- a cute, crocheted number that, well, give it a look below.

I'm excited to tote this little number around after I get hitched in May, and it fits like a glove. It's a one-size-fits all, and for someone like me who sometimes has a noggin too large for some hats, I was so excited to find one that fits perfectly. And the flowery embellishments? Ooo so cute! It's definitely one of my favorite colors (brown), but with a flare of color (green and shades of brown/tan). Now, I just have to figure out what to do about my bangs once I go for hats and scarves! While I contemplate my visible hair choices, you, my lovely readers, get the chance to win something great from the folks at CoverYourHair.com!

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CoverYourHair.com is offering a free $25 box of surprise Hair Accessories to ONE lucky winner! There are a variety of ways to enter this contest. Also, they ship WORLDWIDE, so everyone can enter!

First thing's first: Visit www.CoverYourHair.com, find some items you would LOVE to have, and then post a comment HERE, on THIS BLOG, of those items you're Jonesing for.

For more chances to win, do the following and post a comment here of which of the following you completed.

[NOTE: Try to keep your commenting to a minimum for ease of drawing a winner. Try to only post ONE comment, saying what you want and what you've done!]

1) Join our Google Friend Connect. Go to www.coveryourhair.com/blog, and click "Join This Site" in the Google Friend Connect box.

2) Follow Cover Your Hair on Networked Blogs. Go to www.coveryourhair.com/blog, and click "Follow This Blog" on the Networked Blog box.

3) Follow Cover Your Hair on Twitter. 

4) Subscribe to our our Blog feed:  Click here. 

5) Add www.coveryourhair.com to your blog roll.

Good luck to everyone!

[NOTE: This contest will close on Friday, February 26 at 4 p.m., unless I decide to extend until Motzei Shabbos around 11 p.m. Saturday. I'll likely extend the contest if I want/need more entrants!]