7 Tips From Queer Eye’s Jonathan That Absolutely Everyone Can Use

We’ve spoken before about how we’ve accepted Jonathan from Queer Eye as our lord and saviour (you can read about it here).

He’s hilarious and an absolute sweetheart, and also full of amazing and practical advice that everyone – not just the lads – can follow. Here are some of his best tips from the first season.

The ‘spray, delay, walk away’ method

Jonathan’s tip (borrowed from Kyan, the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy groomer) for putting on cologne in episode two can easily be applicable to body sprays and perfume. And it’s fun too!

This DIY lip scrub

Just mix half a cup of coconut oil, two tablespoons of brown sugar, a touch of honey, and any essential oil that takes your fancy – boom, you’ve got yourself a cheap and cheerful lip scrub.

And this DIY face mask

Mush up egg whites, a teaspoon of honey and diced peach to make a skin-softening mask. “The enzymes in the peach clarify the skin and also encourage it to detoxify,” he says. Magic.

Don’t use a clay mask the night before an event

We’re often guilty of slapping them on as an emergency spot treatment, but they just end up drawing out any other nasties lurking beneath the surface. Jonathan says they’re better as a ‘Sunday night thing’, and we’d be inclined to believe him.

Avoid shampoos with sodium lauryl sulfate

Our Skincare Junkie Cara already has gone into detail on the problem with sulfates in this column, but in summary: THEY BAD. As Jonathan says, they’re “actually the same thing that cleans the engine in a car” which… no thanks.

This stress release trick

In episode five, J recommends doing a ‘dragon breath’ to relieve stress – basically, you make a phone shape with your hand, inhale through your right nostril, hold it, and exhale through your left, and vice versa. Repeat for a minute to relax yourself throughout the day.

And of course, wear sunscreen every day

The number one rule (and the one we break all the time). But we’ll do it, if it means he’s proud of us.

• jonathan van ness
• queer eye