“Queer Eye” Star Jonathan van Ness at BTC “On Tour” Miami Beach on April 28
From Behind the Chair to Building a Brand: How Jonathan van Ness Built JVN Hair
On Monday, April 28, Jonathan van Ness (@jvn) will take the stage at BTC “On Tour” in Miami Beach, Florida. Host of hit TV show “Queer Eye,” “Getting Better with JVN” podcast host, social media influencer, veteran hairstylist of 20+ years and now founder of JVN Hair, Jonathan has explored so many sides of the hair industry. And now, he’s sharing his journey exclusively with BTC.
Whether you want to know more about the person behind the chair or feeling inspired to embark on a journey similar to his, read on as Jonathan (affectionately known as JVN) shares the ins and outs of sustaining a successful 20+ year hair career, building and formulating a haircare range and creating a more inclusive industry.
Want even more words of wisdom from JVN? For the first time, JVN is speaking directly to a group of only hairdressers in an exclusive chat with BTC Founder Mary Rector on the BTC Live stage on Monday, April 28 in Miami, Florida. You don’t want to miss it—click here to get tickets and more information and read on for his takes on such hot topics.
Hairstylist to Brand Owner—How JVN Took the Leap:
First things first, JVN still works regularly behind the chair, so the journey of creating a haircare brand required a lot of juggling. “I find there to be both challenge and reward in juggling both and I’m so grateful for it,” he shares. “Shifting gears from creative mode to founder mode can sometimes give me a little whiplash in my day-to-day, but continuing to have insight into what works for clients and the type of product performance they want is indispensable.”
According to JVN, launching his own brand always seemed like a pipe dream, but thanks to his experience servicing clients behind the chair coupled with time spent on the set of “Queer Eye,” a reality television franchise centered around a team of queer professionals, known as the “Fab Five,” who provide lifestyle and fashion makeovers to individuals seeking personal transformation, he’s been able to closely analyze hair products, their ingredients and how they perform. This ultimately informed the type of products he would create for JVN Hair.
JVN & “Queer Eye’s” Fab Five
“I started to more deeply analyze what types of ingredients spoke to me and what kind of product performance I expected to see if I was going to use a product repeatedly in my repertoire,” he shares. “I realized through all this analysis and observation that I had a strong POV for a line of my own, so I took the leap.”
JVN’s Roadmap to Creating JVN Hair:
Authenticity was the name of the game when JVN set out to create JVN Hair. His goal was to create products that targeted his clients’ three main concerns: moisture, strength and volume while also being effective, easy to use, accessibly priced, sustainably sourced and inclusive of a wide range of hair types and textures.
“It was early on in my hair career that I realized all my clients really wanted the same things when it came to their hair routine. No matter what their hair type or texture, they wanted their individual concerns addressed in a way that was easy and accessible so they could care for their hair in a way that felt authentic to them,” JVN shares. So on he went to create JVN Hair’s four core collections that are interchangeable and customizable depending on your hair type and goals—here’s a look at each one and their purpose:
- Nurture Collection: Smoothes and hydrates the hair
- Revive Collection: Repairs and strengthens the hair
- Embody Collection: Adds volume and body
- Complete Collection: Infused with Hemisqualane to improve hair health, reduce frizz and strengthen the hair in all hair types
“Hair is hair, it’s all made up of the same things no matter the type or texture. Where the customization comes in is the usage amount,” he shares citing fine, less dense or high-porosity hair as typically needing less product than more dense, coarser hair types.
Are Naturally-Sourced Ingredients More Sustainable Than Synthetically Sourced? JVN Chimes In:
Being that creating a sustainably sourced line was at the forefront of launching JVN Hair, Jonathan shares his thoughts on the beauty industry’s popular misconceptions about what makes a product sustainable or not. “One of the main misconceptions I see is that synthetically produced ingredients are less sustainable than naturally sourced ingredients,” he says. “This is just not true as a universal statement. Naturally sourced ingredients are phenomenal, we proudly feature many of them, but there are plenty of instances where the natural option is difficult to source ethically or sustainably whereas a synthetic ingredient can be made with lower environmental impact and delivers safe, reliable results,” he explains.
“Our Hemisqualane is one example of this. The natural source for squalene is sharks, while we’re able to create Hemisqualane using a bio-fermentation process using sustainably sourced sugarcane.”
JVN Outlines How the Beauty Industry Can Continue to Evolve:
Representation in the beauty industry is evolving. From the models featured in ad campaigns to products being developed, the industry is becoming more inclusive of all sizes, races and genders and is specifically catering to a more diverse range of hair types and textures. JVN describes the shift as encouraging and describes the importance of continuing to move forward.
“Everyone deserves to feel beautiful, which makes it our job as beauty professionals to hold the line when it comes to continuing to fight for our clients to feel seen,” he says. “We need to keep our focus on championing the idea that all kinds of beauty exist, to keep pushing forward instead of regressing when it comes to defining beauty as something everyone espouses.”
JVN & models on set of a JVN Hair campaign photoshoot
Meet JVN at BTC Live as he discusses these topics and more on stage in Miami.
JVN will be on stage chatting hair trends with BTC’s Founder Mary Rector (@marybehindthechair) while other top industry pros like Joico’s Larisa Love (@larisadoll), ARC™ Scissors’ Rachel Williams (@rachelwstylist) and Kenra Professional’s Eric Vaughn (@realericvaughn) and Kendra Alia (@iamkendraalia) and more all demonstrate their go-to cutting, coloring and styling tips.
The BTC Live One-Day Event Will Cover:
- The hair color, cutting and styling trends for 2025
- How to tailor those trends to specific hair types and textures
- The best social media strategies and business advice to attract more clients
- An in-depth breakdown of the BTC Trend Report to stay ahead of the game this year
BTC will return to The Fillmore, Miami Beach for a full day of education on Monday, April 28. Tickets start at just $95. Reserve yours here.
Want to party with BTC? Reserve your stay at the UMA House Hotel in South Beach to be on-site for a pre-show cocktail party with JVN!
Purchase your tickets, book your hotel and get more information here!
