Daniele Sullivan has made a career out of creating wigs, but even she confesses that up close she can’t tell a lace front creation from a real head of hair.
So that’s what she teaches her classes.
Sullivan, an Orthodox Parisian who moved to Israel two years ago with her husband and their 10 children (number 11 is on the way), is the entrepreneurial mind behind the Custom Sheitel Wig-making Course, a training seminar designed to teach Jewish women how to build wigs — one hair at a time.
“Every woman loves hair,” Sullivan said from her home in Kiryat Arba, in the West Bank. “It’s our sexuality. We wouldn’t have to cover it if it wasn’t so beautiful,” she said, referring to the Orthodox precept that married women must hide their locks from all men except their husbands.
The class, a three-day, 16-hour extravaganza of shaytl creation, teaches would-be shaytl-makhers every aspect of wig-making, from how to hold the hair to how to troubleshoot should the wig begin to fall apart.
Sullivan holds classes at a number of locales in the United States, including New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Seattle, as well as in Jerusalem. For those who cannot make it to any of the scheduled lessons, Sullivan offers private classes anywhere in the world. But more often than not, students come to her. “I’m world renowned,” she said with a laugh, as she prepared for a personal tutorial with a South African woman looking to learn the art of shaytl production. “I have people flying from one country to another just for me. To me, that makes me world renowned.”
Sullivan stumbled onto wig-making 11 years ago, when she answered an ad that sought women to “ventilate” wigs. “I thought it meant blow-drying,” she said, amused. In fact, ventilating is a painstaking process that involves implanting a few hairs at a time into a wig cap, using a special needle. Sullivan was a fast learner, but her employer was careful to teach her only the minimum skills necessary to get the job done. She made Sullivan sign a contract promising that she wouldn’t work at wig-making for herself or anyone else for an eight-year period — or she would risk a hefty $100,000 fine.
But the secrecy shrouding the shaytl business did little to quell Sullivan’s burgeoning interest in the trade. “I was inspired by [my boss]. She had a bunch of kids and could work from home,” she said. Plus, “in many religious houses, there aren’t really a lot of job options for women. But this service is necessary in every Jewish community.”
Less than a decade ago, Sullivan’s house painter husband was the major breadwinner for the family. “Now, he doesn’t need to work, because I make enough money for all of us,” she said proudly. “There were days when my husband came home from painting all day and I repaired just three shaytl and made more money than him. I also cooked dinner and was there to greet the kids when they got home from school. I figured there had to be other women out there who would love to be able to do that.”
And she was right. Though Sullivan originally assumed that her class would appeal only to observant women looking to make some money or to keep their wigs looking pristine, she soon learned that hairdressers, stylists, cosmetologists and salon owners of every race, creed, color, sex and religion were drawn to her seminar. “No one teaches lace fronts the way I do,” she said, referring to a relatively new procedure in which wigs are created on lace foundations that are virtually invisible to the naked eye. Even master wig-makers have trouble telling them apart from real hair. Sullivan also makes sure to teach her students more traditional wig-making techniques.
In addition to holding the class, Sullivan sells a line of handmade “Renata” wigs, named after her ninth child, on her Web site, www.customsheitel.com. Her next class will be held in Brooklyn, from May 27 to May 29. “I offer my students the possibility of retaking the class if they’re not completely satisfied with the results,” she said. “But they never come back.”
Send comments or inquiries about the classes directly to Daniele Sullivan at learnlacefront@gmail.com or call her at 718-502-6560
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do you offer any other classes outside of New York? I live in the midwest and would love to learn how to make wigs they way you do. Please let me know. Thanks, Johnette
Do you only accept Jewish students? How much is your course?
I am a cosmetologist and I would love to learn the art of wig making. I live in virginia.Do you ever come here or close to this area.
do you have a class in israel in july or aughust? or in new york? how much is your class? do you have a phone number,? i'd like to contact you. thank you for your answer. sterna.
i am very interested in learning how to make lace front wigs. i work in fashion and woud love to learn how to build custom wigs for my shoots! do you do classes in ny?
I want to learn how to make lace front wigs. Do you know anyone that can help me and that stays in CA
When is your next class? How soon can I sign up?
Dear Madame My hat's off to such an enterprising woman. I too am a family woman with children still under the age 18. They are always needing things for school or personal items. So, I am looking for extra income. This is just what I needed to hear about, being blessed to contribute to the household's earnings.
Please send me more information about this class.
Hello there I would like to attend one of your classes in Miami. Please email me about how can that be arranged. Have a good Day. Thank you.
Hello, I am the "go between" person seeking Wig ventilating Classes on behalf of my employer (Universal Studios) in or about the Los Angeles, CA area for about five students. We are interested in going in House and would like information on any classes you may offer or be able to refere us to. I can be reached at: john.zaragoza@nbcuni.com or 818/ 622-3962 Tuesday-Saturday's 12:30-9PM Thank you John Zaragoza
I too am interested in the class in NY. How do I get in touch with this lady?
I would very much like to take one of your classes.I am a hair dresser in Los Angeles.Are you in L.A. any time soon? all the best ,Sean
I would like to take one of your classes. Will you be teaching in Los Angeles?
Hi, I am very interested in learning how to make wigs. Will you be offering any classes in the US soon?
Hello, Thank you all for your interest. Our newly renovated website is: www.customsheitel.com or if you prefer: www.learnlacefront.com. It will be my pleasure to answer your emails if you kindly direct your message to learnlacefront@gmail.com
Sinerely, Daniele Sullivan Master Wig Designer
I have a strong desire and passion to learn every aspect of wigmaking and what it takes to be called a "Master Wig Designer." I have worn wigs for 7 yrs now and i work at a shop that sells a variety of wig pieces. I have a lot of talent from Hashem, blessed be, and i learn quickly. Please direct me to the proper training routes to begin my career as a wigmaker and all that i need to be a certified professional. Thanks so much! And Shalom!
I took to hair off an exsisting wig and hand stiched on human hair. I'm stuck on how to create the closer. I'm trying to make my end result where I can part the hair where ever I want. Can you teach me this finnal step & how much will it cost to learn? Renee Mullen
hello there im a hairstylist i leave in manhattan im interested in taking a class where should i go and how much are the classes ?? Thanks Roberto Di Cuia
I have alopecia and have been wearing wigs for 40 or more years I work as a homecare provider looking after the physically challenged. Although I should have retired several years ago I love my job and I am still working, I admit with age I am slowing down. I like working with wigs and there were times when they all needed to be tossed out but I would rejuvinate them taking hair from one wig and adding it to another and tried whatever it would take to make them look attractive. Although I am not a stylist I feel that I would be good at wig construction. Not only for myself but for other women and children that suffer from hair loss it is a good feeling when one can bring happiness to someone else as well. With this said If at anytime there is a class in the Southern California Area, or if you can direct me to some formal trainning I would be forever greatfull. Oh by the way what will it cost to learn the trade of making full lace and lace fron wigs? Thank you for your time.
Good Health
Sincerly,
Judy
i'm trying to learn how to make lace frontals but the ventilating is so hard for me i cannot get the hair back through to make the knot and that's what i really want or need someone to show me the easiest way to do it or do you have some kind of video i could purchase because i'm not able to get off my job togo to your trainings please help me
thanks
cyndi
can u help me...i really want to learn
I know this is random, but do you think the pop singer Micheal Jackson wore a wig. The singers hair was thought to be his own until a friend came out and explained jackson had been wearing a wig.
Who hasn’t imagined completely changing up their look, just to see how it would suit you? Luckily for you, lace front wigs allow you to attempt to change your look without having to worry about committing to the new look for a long time.
Please share your thoughts....
:)
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dee
i want to learn to make synthetic hair and human
I have been searching for someone or someplace where I could learn wig making. Can you tell me when your next class is and where. Do you have any classes in Ohio? If not, what's the closest? I recently lost my job and have been wanting to learn this since loosing most of my hair on top from skin cancer and wear top pieces. Please let me know the soonest classes you have and where and how to sign up.
Thank you