Hair goals not hair types for everyone, with Jonathan Van Ness

JVN Hair started with almost 20 years behind the chair and one clear frustration. Clients needed moisture, strength or body, and shelves sorted them by type instead. Jonathan Van Ness built a silicone free range around those goals. This is the hands on story of how to wash, treat and air dry for the hair you have.

Nine months. That is the number that frames JVN Hair. From finalized deal to first bottle on a Sephora shelf, during the pandemic, the team built the brand from scratch in nine months.

Jonathan Van Ness worked as a professional hairstylist between Los Angeles and New York before television work. Growing up they struggled to find where they belonged until the salon offered community, confidence and beauty. Almost 20 years of client work followed, with the same requests coming back to the chair. More moisture. More strength. More body.

What JVN Hair is now reflects that history. Founded in 2021, launched in the United Kingdom with SpaceNK a year later, the range is silicone free and sulfate free and built around hemi-squalane from sugarcane. It organizes by hair goal rather than hair type and aims to work across texture, age and gender at an accessible price.

What others miss is the discipline underneath the warmth. Van Ness tests on their own hair, keeps the assortment tight, and would rather wait than make a product that does not add to the conversation. The story below stays close to the sink and the shower. How much to use, where to place it, and when to leave hair alone.

You spent almost 20 years in the salon between Los Angeles and New York before JVN Hair launched in 2021. What did clients ask for again and again that made you think in goals like moisture, strength and volume instead of hair type?

In almost 20 years in the salon, clients often needed more moisture, more strength, or more body in their hair. That was the pattern. It did not matter if someone had fine straight hair or tight coils or bleached waves. They would sit down and say my ends feel dry, or my hair snaps, or it falls flat by noon. So I started thinking in goals. What does this head need today.

Growing up I struggled to find where I belonged until I discovered the salon as a place of community, confidence and beauty. That stayed with me. I wanted accessible products that celebrate every texture and that set out to create a range built for hair goals versus hair type. I combined knowledge of hair care with inclusion and accessibility and an interest in clean beauty. That is how JVN started.

We believe so much in these formulas and we are so excited about our mission to help people love the hair they have, and feel confident about their gorgeousness. If you name the goal first, you can share products across a household. You, your partner, your teenager. You just adjust the amount and the technique.

You went from finalized deal to first bottle on a Sephora shelf in nine months during the pandemic. What did testing look like in that sprint, and what did you learn about your own hair while you did it?

I was already testing things at that time. I was already way into testing at that time. We already had all of our formulas formulated by them. Through a relationship with Biossance and work with formulators and cosmetic chemists, the team developed silicone free formulas around hero ingredient hemi-squalane. So the sprint was real, but the learning was hands on.

I was always using JVN Hair. I have always been one of those people who, once I find something I like, I only want to use it. I washed, treated, styled, then washed again the next day. I watched how my scalp felt on day two, how ends held moisture, how much body stayed after sleep. That is the work. Lather, rinse, repeat with notes.

What I learned is that consistency matters more than quantity. A small amount placed well beats a large amount placed anywhere. And that our intention was to always grow, but it was always to grow intentionally. If a formula did not serve moisture, strength or volume clearly, it did not move forward.

You say you would rather not create products just to create products. When an idea reaches you now, what has to be true for it to earn a place in the range?

We do not want to create products just to create products. We want to create products that really add to the conversation, and that are really innovative. I think it is really important for us to be intentional about our growth, especially product wise.

They really needed to add something, and they need to be a reason why you needed that assortment. That is the test. Does it do a job our shelf does not do yet. Does it help more than one texture. Can you explain its use in two sentences at the sink.

I am also really proud of what we have, because aside from dry shampoo and hairspray the only thing I use is JVN, so I am really proud of the completeness of the range though we still have more innovation to make. No products made just to make them. That rule keeps mornings simpler too. Fewer bottles, clearer steps, more repeats of what works.

Your hero ingredient is hemi-squalane from sugarcane instead of silicones. For someone standing in the shower with dry ends, what does that choice change in how hair feels and how they should layer product?

My belief is simple. I would rather use hemisqualane from sugarcane than silicones. I would rather formulate for hair goals like moisture, strength and volume than formulate for hair type. Silicone free hair can feel truly clean after rinsing, and then it needs water plus a little sealing support to look smooth.

Here is how I layer. Shampoo well, rinse fully. Condition mid lengths to ends, comb through with fingers or a wide tooth comb, leave for 2 to 3 minutes, rinse. If ends still feel thirsty, press a pea size amount of serum through damp ends before styling. Then style on damp, not dripping, hair. Pat dry with a towel first so product stays where you put it.

For dry or bleached hair, I like shampoo, mask once a week for 5 to 10 minutes, then conditioner on the other wash days. Give any new routine 3 to 4 weeks before you judge it. Hair needs time, and so does your technique.

Your Pre-Wash Scalp Oil with rosemary is rated 4.7 out of 5 stars and anchors the treatment range. Show us the method. How much, where, and how long before you wash?

This one is about the scalp first. Apply to scalp and hair before washing as a strengthening treatment oil. I section dry hair into 4 to 6 parts so I can see the scalp. Add a few drops per section, about 1 to 2 droppers total for most heads. Massage in with fingertips for 2 to 3 minutes. You want movement, not scratching. Then comb the remainder through the lengths.

Leave it for 10 to 15 minutes before you wash. If hair is very dry, leave for 20 minutes, no longer. Then shampoo, lather twice when hair is oily. First lather lifts oil and buildup. Second lather cleans scalp. Rinse with warm water, not hot. Follow with conditioner.

If your scalp itches, flakes a lot, feels sore, or you notice shedding that worries you, pause the treatment and speak with a dermatologist. If a child has scalp changes, speak with a pediatrician. Product supports the appearance of healthy looking hair and scalp comfort. It does not treat a condition.

Once I find something I like, I only want to use it.

Jonathan Van Ness

The Air Dry Cream is your bestseller for frizz fighting texture with soft hold. Many readers want to wash and go. What is your section by section routine for waves, curls and coils?

Apply to damp or dry hair to fight frizz and enhance texture with soft hold. That is the line, and it works when the base is damp. Start with clean, conditioned hair. Squeeze out water. Pat, do not rub.

For waves, split hair into two halves. Use a dime to nickel size amount total, rub between palms, rake through one half, then scrunch upward. Repeat on the other side. For curls, work in 4 sections. Smooth a small amount down each section, then scrunch or coil around a finger. For coils, work in 6 to 8 smaller sections on damp hair. Smooth through, twist or shingle, then leave hands off while it dries.

Air dry fully before you fluff. Touching wet texture makes frizz. If you need softness on day two, warm a pea size amount between hands and pat over the surface. If you diffuse, use low heat and low air and stop at 80 percent dry.

The Instant Recovery Serum is described as a repairing and protecting style primer and bestseller. Where does a primer fit on a busy morning, and how do you pair it with heat?

Use it as a primer before styling to repair and protect hair. Think of it as the step between wash and heat. After conditioning and gently towel drying, smooth 1 to 2 pumps through mid lengths and ends. Comb through to distribute. Then add your styler.

If you blow dry, work in 4 sections. Keep the dryer moving and use medium heat. Point the nozzle down the hair shaft to support smoothness. If you use an iron, make sure hair is fully dry first. One slow pass beats three fast passes. Let hair cool before you shake it out so the shape holds longer.

I love that our formulas punch so far above their weight class and are so luxurious, effective and top of market too. But method still carries the result. Small amounts, clean sections, heat kept at a sensible level. That is how you support the appearance of strength and shine.

You launched in the United States in 2021 and in the United Kingdom with SpaceNK a year later. Hard water in markets like the United Kingdom required added emollients and penetrating ingredients. What did you change, and what should someone with hard water do at home?

The United Kingdom launch partner was SpaceNK, with United Kingdom prices from around 16 to 24 pounds. What we learned is that water changes everything. Hard water in markets like the United Kingdom required added emollients and penetrating ingredients to make hydrating formulas perform. So hydrating formulas needed more support to leave hair feeling soft and to rinse clean.

At home, keep it practical. Shampoo thoroughly and rinse longer than you think, about 30 to 60 seconds. Use a hydrating shampoo and conditioner when hair feels rough after washing. Once a week, use a mask for 5 to 10 minutes on mid lengths and ends. Rinse with warm water and finish with a brief cool rinse if you like it.

If buildup makes hair feel coated or dull, clarify when needed and then rehydrate. Space washes to what your scalp likes. Some scalps like every 2 to 3 days. Others like once a week. Watch your own head, not someone else’s calendar.

In 2023 owner Amyris entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States and brands were put up for auction, then in 2024 JVN found a new owner in Windsong Global. Nurture was repackaged in blue and Undamage was renamed Revive. What did that period ask of you as a founder?

That period asked for steadiness. In 2023 owner Amyris entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy process in the United States and brands were put up for auction. In 2024 JVN found a new owner in Windsong Global, Nurture repackaged in blue and Undamage renamed Revive. Names and packs changed, but the mission did not.

We were glad to find a partner in Windsong to keep building JVN Hair. We have so much left to do and there is a lot more hair joy to be had, so we are excited that Windsong wanted to align with us and help us continue our mission. That is honest. We believe so much in these formulas.

As a founder I kept using the products, kept listening to customers, kept testing. Our intention was to always grow, but it was always to grow intentionally. Through change, the chair teaches you the same lesson. Stay with the head in front of you. Rinse clean. Treat kindly. Keep going.

You often say love your hair and talk about hair joy, and you describe JVN as queer founded and female led. How does that show up in a family bathroom where one shelf has to serve many heads?

I love that we are queer founded, I love that we are female led, however I think our formulas punch so far above their weight class and are so luxurious, effective and top of market too. Sees all beauty, serves all beauty is not a slogan to me. It is a routine decision.

I refuse to make products that do not work across many hair types, ages and genders. That means one shelf can serve many heads. A teenager learning a first routine can use the same shampoo as a parent. A partner with a beard can use a light conditioner to soften it, rinsed well. A child needs simple steps and gentle handling, and if a child has eczema or scalp issues, a pediatrician guides care.

Love your hair, love the hair they have, hair joy. Those phrases come back because they are practical. Detangle gently from ends upward. Massage the scalp with pads of fingers. Pat dry. Sleep on hair loosely gathered. Joy is maintenance you can repeat.

Closing note from the desk

What stays with us is the insistence on use before claim. Van Ness tests, wears the range apart from dry shampoo and hairspray, and keeps the assortment narrow so each bottle earns its place. That restraint reads clearly in the shower. Fewer decisions, clearer order, room to learn your own texture.

JVN Hair set out to make it simple to celebrate the hair you have, with goals instead of boxes and clean formulas at a reachable price. Through launch, travel across water types, and a change of ownership, that aim held. The work is still at the sink. Section, massage, rinse, style, repeat.

Product spotlight

Complete Pre-Wash Scalp Oil, 32 dollars. A rosemary infused scalp and hair treatment oil used before shampooing to support the appearance of stronger, smoother looking hair. Section dry hair, apply drops to the scalp, massage 2 to 3 minutes, leave 10 to 15 minutes, then lather twice and condition.

Complete Air Dry Cream, 28 dollars. A frizz fighting texture enhancer with soft hold for waves, curls and coils. Rake a dime to nickel size amount through damp hair in sections, scrunch or twist, then keep hands off until fully dry. Use a pea size amount to refresh day two ends.