Jonathan Van Ness, the grooming guru from Netflix’ hot TV show Queer Eye, knows a thing or two about great style and fabulous hair.
Find out Van Ness’ top hair care recommendations that can help you get TV-star level hairstyle.
Don’t Fight Mother Nature
In an interview with InStyle, Van Ness said that a secret to a great hairstyle is embracing the hair you have. “If you have really curly hair, maybe try not ironing it every day,” he said. “If your hair is really, really dark, maybe embrace that.” Fighting against your own style can result in hair that’s damaged and drab.
Choose the Right Color
Van Ness recommends that you keep your hair color relatively close to your natural color, only going two shades lighter or darker. This keeps the palette of your hair color within a range, so it still matches your skin tone.
However, Van Ness has also advocated for creating a style that works for you. Who’s to say that mermaid ombre hair should be excluded from your color choices?
Don’t Wash too Much
According to Van Ness, “Washing your hair every day dulls it out.” He shampoos about one to two times per week. On alternate days, he uses a cleansing conditioner or cleansing oil. Even after sweating at the gym, he recommends to not wash your hair, but instead use a dry shampoo and blow dryer to create a beautiful texture and shine.
Washing less can restore the balance of your hair’s natural oils, breaking the repeated cycle of dry hair that leads to greasy hair.
Use the Right Products
The right product can help your hair look fabulous while also protecting it for the long-term. Here’s what Van Ness recommends:
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- Avoid the bad stuff:
Stay away from products that contain sulfates, which strip the hair of its natural oils. Moreover, avoid products where the first ingredient is alcohol or a word you can’t pronounce.
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- Protect your ends:
Use a leave-in mist or repair treatment to smooth your ends and protect against damage.
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- For dull hair:
Van Ness attended cosmetology school at Aveda Institute, and he recommends his alma mater’s Emollient Finishing Gloss for a rich shine.
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- After shampooing:
A primer or prep spray applied to wet hair can help your hair look sleek and glossy when it dries.
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- For men:Use water-based pomade because it’s more absorbent.
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- Preserve your blow-dry:
Van Ness recommends using a mousse to extend the life of your blow-dry.
Be Nice to Yourself
“I can tell you the best moisturizer, the best serum, the best travel stuff,” said Van Ness, “But if you’re not drinking water, if you’re not sleeping, if you’re not practicing good internal self care, it does reflect, like 100 percent.”
Get your beauty sleep. Pamper yourself with a trip to the salon. De-stress after the hectic holiday season. Both your hair and body might thank you for it.
Night-time Routine for Long Hair
Van Ness has a specific routine for how to handle his long hair at night. He says that sleeping with your hair down can mean that you wake up with a mess. To keep your fabulous blowout in shape while you sleep, pull hair up into a loose top knot to prevent tangling and breakage. Van Ness also recommends silk pillowcases because they conduct less heat and can prevent your ends from fraying.
Be Nice to Your Hair
More than just using nice products and caring properly for your hair, Van Ness wants you to say nice things to your hair. When he hears people make comments such as, “Oh, my hair is so fine and so thin, I hate it,” he replies, “Don’t talk to your hair like that.”
In his conversation with Bustle, he explains that his response to negative self-talk is based on the work of Japanese scientist Dr. Masaru Emoto who documented how water crystals respond to different words. “Basically when [the researchers] said, ‘I hate you,’ to the water, the water crystals or the crystalline structure of the water turned really asymmetrical and ugly. But then when they said, ‘I love you,’ it turned into these really symmetrical balanced snowflakes and made it really pretty,” he explains.
This Yoda-level hair advice might be your key to the ultimate Queer Eye style.
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