As a little girl, Natalia Hepworth hated her curly hair. She thought it was a curse. She says she pressured her mom to relax her hair so she could straighten it.
It wasn’t until she was a reporter for EastIdahoNews.com when she was talking to a salon professional about her desire to get her hair to grow longer that she learned she needed to stop heat styling her hair.
“And I was like, ‘No, there’s no way I’m going to do that because I’ve for so long strayed away from my curls. I don’t want to actually have to face my curls,’” she said.
She did face her curls. She sought out people on YouTube and elsewhere to learn how to do her hair using what’s called protective styles. Hepworth says these styles let you manipulate your curls without losing the natural curls.
This is one of the techniques people will learn at Talia’s Curly Workshop on Saturday. They’ll also learn about curl patterns and subtypes and what products you can find locally for those different types of hair. There will be live demonstrations with her sisters as models. There will also be a trichologist who will talk about hair growth and scalp health.
The second half of the event will include a salon networking mixer with Define Style, Jagged Edge and Collective Curl. They’ll give presentations at the event and have stylists there too.
“There’s so many people that travel out of state to get their hair done and I want to teach people and show people that there are people locally, stylists locally, who are trained professionals who can cut your curls or who can style your curls, or color your curls, in a healthy way that where you’re achieving a desirable style,” Hepworth said.
While the workshop is geared toward people with curly hair, Hepworth says parents of children with curly hair and even people with straight hair can learn some things. They will also be able to take home some products to try out and lunch is provided.
“The workshop is really supposed to serve as a launchpad for your own hair journey,” Hepworth said.
The workshop is on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 208 W. 1st N. in Rexburg. Registration is $50, and there’s a “Mom + Me” ticket for $80. You can register here.
The workshop also serves as a fundraiser for the Sephlin Foundation, a non-profit organization started by Hepworth’s mother that “uses golf as a vehicle for providing skill-building, education, and wellness opportunities for underserved children to aid them in achieving discipline and self-reliance to reach their full potential,” according to their website.
In full disclosure, Hepworth works for BYU-Idaho Radio as the programming coordinator.