Talking Shop is our series where we talk to interesting people about their most interesting buys.
Whether you met Jessi Draper through watching The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives or came across her on social media as MomTok became more popular, you’ve definitely thought that she has incredible hair.
It’s one of the best compliments she can receive as a hairdresser for more than a decade who runs JZ Styles, a Utah-based salon (and product line and hair school) whose success was booming before we saw her give her castmates extensions, do their color and create bouncy curls on the show. You can admit it if you want all her beauty secrets — I did too.
So, I talked to Draper (who was just named one of Vulture’s Reality Masterminds, a.k.a. one of 2026’s most powerful people in unscripted television) about seven of them, including Utah curls, of course.
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“Two things I’ve recently incorporated into my routine are using mouth tape every night and ice rolling every morning,” says Draper. “Mouth tape seemed like a trend to me — I thought people would hype it up for now and then forget about it. But it really has made a big difference with my sleep quality since I’ve done it. I wake up feeling refreshed and I don’t get up during the night now. It’s also great for snatching the jaw and making my face look slimmer.”
Draper says The Skinny Confidential’s Mouth Tape is the best one she’s tried. You get 30 tapes per pack, which come in a compact tin to keep on your nightstand or travel with. There’s a small cutout in the center of the tape to allow for some airflow.
Draper also uses The Skinny Confidential’s Ice Roller to help with depuffing when she wakes up. The tool has a comfortable silicone handle and a large aluminum roller head that feels cold to the touch whether you use it at room temperature or put it in the refrigerator first. It comes with an aluminum roller back that also helps the head stay chilly.
“I need to have lip balm on me 24/7, and I’ve probably become that way because Utah is so dry,” says Draper. “ It’s so basic, but I use the Aquaphor stick to moisturize all the time. It’s my favorite because you can use it on your lips, your hands, your elbows — literally everywhere.” Aquaphor’s multi-purpose balm stick is made with petrolatum to protect skin, as well as avocado oil and shea butter to moisturize.
“In the past, I wasn’t sold on having a skin care routine, but the older you get, you realize how important it is,” says Draper. “Now I use all of Medicube’s products. I’m sold on all of them, and the minute I’m getting low, I reorder everything. I also have a set that stays in my Béis weekender or suitcase, so I have a travel set and a home set at all times.”
One of Draper’s favorite Medicube products is the PDRN Pink Peptide Serum, which hydrates and boosts elasticity to make skinit look plump, bright and dewy, according to the brand. She also loves Medicube’s Zero Pore Pads to reduce blemishes.
Draper doesn’t just show you how she does her hair on social media — she also shares how she does her kids’ hair, and as you’d expect, they have the best styles on the playground. “I’m obsessed with doing my kids’ hair with Dae’s hair stick,” says Draper, who uses it on her son and daughter. “It really helps get the flyaways, and when my kids are moving around a lot, I can use it quickly.”
The pocket-sized tube of Dae’s Cactus Fruit 3-in-1 Styling Cream comes with a built-in taming wand that looks similar to a mascara brush. It’s ideal for getting rid of frizz, doing slickbacks and styling edges.
Utah curls have always been a thing, but The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives made them famous.
The hairstyle consists of large barrel curls or beach waves with a 1- or 2-inch portion at the bottom that’s left straight. Draper is inarguably the foremost expert in Utah curls — she even trademarked them.
“Utah has always had a specific look because we’ve done our curls a certain way, and it’s always just been something that was joked about in the hair community,” says Draper. “But then Secret Lives [of Mormon Wives] came out, and everyone was like, ‘the Utah curl, the Utah curl,’ and it was credited to JZ because I curl all the girls’ hair. We had our hot tools for four or five years at that point, but we decided to trademark ‘Utah curls’ since everyone was referencing it.”
Draper walks you through exactly how to do Utah curls on Instagram and TikTok, and she uses JZ Styles’ curling irons, which she designed. “When I create a product, I want to make sure that if it’s something on the market already, I’m fixing the things that I don’t love about it,” says Draper. “We made them with long barrels so they’re really good for long hair, especially extensions, but you can also use them with short hair. We also have ceramic coating on our iron so it never gets too hot to protect hair.” The curling irons come in three sizes: 1 inch, 1.25 inches and 1.5 inches.
Draper’s 2 million TikTok followers and 1.8 million Instagram followers take her product recommendations very seriously, so she doesn’t take partnering with brands lightly. Recently, she’s been working with Raw Sugar, whose hair care products she incorporates into her own hair care routine at home.
“I’m all about luxury products that work for the everyday person,” says Draper. “It’s something I’ve tried to achieve with my brand, and Raw Sugar does that as well with the packaging, the scents, the way they feel and the way they work. The hair care feels high end, but they’re for everyone, including busy moms on the go like myself.”
Her favorite products are Raw Sugar’s Scalp Restore Shampoo and Conditioner, which you can buy individually or as a set. “I don’t think many people realize how important scalp care is and how much it can affect hair health,” she says. “Like if your hair gets oily or greasy quickly, it could be because your scalp is clogged.”
The shampoo and conditioner are made with ingredients like jojoba, aloe and pro-vitamin B5, which soothes and moisturize the scalp and help reduce build-up, according to the brand.
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I’m a reporter at NBC Select who writes our Talking Shop series, interviewing people like Paris Hilton, Maureen Kelly, Hannah Berner and Chase Crawford. To write this article, I interviewed ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ star Jessi Draper about her favorite products.
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