Kyan Douglas and an evening with the Fab Five, 20 years later

In anticipation of the upcoming event An Evening with the Original Fab Five: 20 Years Later, I caught up with one of the Queer Eye guys we haven’t spent much time with! The very handsome Kyan Douglas, “grooming guru” on the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, talks with us about performing, styling, self-care and staying centered in today’s world.

The event, moderated by award-winning journalist Thomas Drayton, will be held on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City. Get tickets now at ticketmaster.com. See you there!

The reunion in Atlantic City is quickly approaching! Are you excited for the show?

KYAN DOUGLAS: I’m looking forward to it! I think this might be the third or the fourth one, maybe. They’re super fun. The boys and I have always had this particular chemistry together. It’s very brotherly but easy. It’s been interesting to watch how we are with each other as we’ve all aged because there are elements to our friendships that are a little more mature and seasoned. And there are elements to our friendship that are just the same. You know, we tease each other, we know each other kind of in a fundamental way. I might not know what one of the guys is doing at any given moment, but I know kind of who they are. That comes across when we all get together in these stage shows. And it’s fun, a lot of fun.

How does it feel to be back with the Fab Five?

KD: It’s always fun. That’s what I’m looking forward to. I retired from television a few years back. I had been doing the Rachael Ray Show, regular segments on her show for about 13 years. I shot more episodes of Rachael Ray than I did of Queer Eye, and we shot a hundred episodes of Queer Eye. But I just left television completely three years ago. This stage show is how I get my fix. I don’t have to get all dolled up and, you know, be ready for the camera and deal with the production. It’s just that the show starts, it flows, and it ends, and then it’s over. And I love it. And I get to be with the guys. That’s why I’m doing this is because I have an excuse to see the guys a few times a year.

That’s awesome. Can you tell us more about the show and what our readers attending the event have to look forward to?

KD: Well, when we were thinking of what a Queer Eye reunion show, an “Evening with the Fab Five” would look like, one of the principal concepts was that it would feel a little bit like a Queer Eye show while you were there. So we’ve thrown elements of an episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy into the stage show. There is going to be a makeover from the audience. We usually will ask people that are coming in advance to submit themselves if they want a makeover. And we will have a team of experts with us. I’ll be there overseeing the hair. Carson will be there overseeing the wardrobe, and we’ll do a makeover on someone in the audience while the show’s going on. Ted always creates some ridiculously delicious yet obscure cocktail he pulled out from, you know, the 1930s or 40s, and he shows the audience how to make it. Then if we’re lucky, the bar at intermission will serve that cocktail.

There are gifts and prizes from our sponsors. Jay is a very talented singer and actor. He performs a couple of numbers for us. Thom is an expert on interior design, and he is a working interior designer and has a lot of really well-known clients. And he’s funny. Thom is the unknown. Everyone knows how funny Carson is, how witty and quick. Thom has a slightly obscure humor, but just as quick. He’s delightful and it’s fun to watch him go from an expert in something to being absolutely ridiculous and silly. And so all of those elements are there. And yeah, it’s a lot of fun.

It’s set up so that there’s a moderator who will ask us questions. So it’s kind of a question/answer format, we play some games, and the audience has an opportunity to ask us questions directly, individually.

So as the Grooming Guru, you remain one of our favorite Queer Eye guys. Do you still dabble as a stylist?

KD: No, I don’t. As a matter of fact, my hands-on working with clients in a salon really ended when I started shooting Queer Eye because at that time we were shooting 15-hour days, 12-hour days. And, you know, I didn’t have time to see clients. On the weekends it was press or trips somewhere to promote the show or cable buyers. A lot was going on, and a lot to do. And the nature of being a stylist, I was a colorist actually, is that you have to be there. You have to be there hands-on and be doing it yourself. Thom had an advantage in his industry. He has people that work with him and for him that make his vision happen. That’s sort of what I had to do on Queer Eye. I had a sort of database in my head of stylists who were great and products that I loved, and I would decide what the straight guy needed most given whatever his event was for the show and make suggestions. But that meant that I had to give up doing hair in a salon. So I kind of let that go a long time ago, I moved more into beauty sort of the way Thom does interior design. You know, Thom isn’t at Jennifer Lopez’s house painting the walls or moving in the sofa. He has an idea and a theme and he works with a team to make it happen. That is how I worked on Queer Eye and how I worked on Rachael Ray.

You’ve been quoted as saying, “Let me just tell you about disposable razors. They’re illegal as far as I’m concerned.” What are some of your “greatest hits” that you can share with readers on good style and grooming habits?

KD: Let’s talk about aging because that has a whole other meaning for me now as I am about to turn 55. I was 32 when I started shooting Queer Eye. The body is different at 55 from where it is at 32. And you know, basic things: cleanse your face. I am now a person who’s aware of the biome that’s on the skin, and I don’t want to necessarily kill off good bacteria because they provide a function, a skin barrier that protects you from disease and all kinds of things. So I stay away from harsh cleansers. I use, for example, pure organic witch hazel. It has some lovely things thrown into it to cleanse my face. I’ll occasionally use a cleanser that emulsifies into a foam to wash my face. Cleansing is important.

Taking care of your skin in terms of the sun’s radiation is important. SPFs are important still, and hydration is really important. Most of us walk around dehydrated, so drinking a lot of water, drinking water in a smart way. Making sure that you’re getting the electrolytes you need when you’re consuming water, either by consuming water that has electrolytes in them or making sure they’re part of your supplement routine if you take vitamins.

And then there’s hyaluronic acid. It’s a classic. It’s moisturizing for the face. It helps to establish and protect the skin barrier. It’s also good for plumping up fine lines and wrinkles, so it’s a good anti-aging strategy. Vitamin C is still really good for brightening the skin. And the number one most effective clinically speaking anti-aging ingredient is retinol, which is a form of vitamin A.

I’ll do a retinol cycle every once in a while and retinol will slough off dead skin cells. It’ll speed up the regeneration of new skin cells so there is some fresh skin that gets exposed. You always want to use a sunscreen when you’re going through a retinol cycle. I call it a retinol cycle because it’s not something that I stay on. I don’t use an everyday moisturizer with retinol in it. That’s too much. It’s something that works as an exfoliant. It’s great for fighting aging, the signs of aging, and it’s something that I might do for two weeks every six weeks, something like that.

I’ve read a lot about your passion for yoga, spirituality, and spiritualism. What do you do to stay centered?

KD: When I was younger, I was learning about all of that stuff. I was definitely in student mode, learning mode. While I was shooting Queer Eye, I also took two different kinds of yoga teacher training. I did a two-year shamanic internship and study in my off time. I’ve certainly worked with therapists throughout my life when I needed to. I’ve used journaling. I have an altar at home where I center myself spiritually.

The one practice that I do every day is when I get into my car for the first time of the day, I turn on the car, get the AC going, because I live in Florida, and it’s hot. I usually have my greyhound, Maya, in the back seat. And I have a stone that I keep in a little console and I pick up that stone. It’s a black obsidian stone. It’s not polished, it’s rough and heavy. And I can just connect with the weight of that. And I find that weight in my center that is the essence of my being. And I be with that for a little while. I thank it for life and for having a great day and for getting around in the car safely. I will thank it for the things that I’m appreciative of. I will thank it for the good outcome for the things I’m hesitant or worried about. But mostly, I’ll just be with the foundational primordial energy that is being. I do that for a couple of minutes, and then I start my day or start to drive. I just take off and go into the world and then don’t think about it much after that.

We look forward to seeing you at the show! How can our readers keep up with you?

KD: I have social media, although I admit I’m not on it as much. The best way to keep up with me would be my Instagram account @kyandouglas and my Facebook account, KyanDouglasactual. There’s the messenger portion of that and people can reach out to me, leave notes. I’m not on it constantly, but I do check and interact with it.