The No-Stress Curling Technique L.A.'s "It" Stylist SWEARS By

There's no denying that Los Angeles-based hairstylist Anh Co Tran is one of the most influential in the game. There's the messy lob that he ushered into the zeitgeist like a beauty hurricane (fun fact: these were some of the most-pinned beauty images of 2015, Pinterest reports), many techniques that he's made popular for both cutting and styling hair, and tons more killer celeb looks to copy. (Like Alexa Chung, for one.) Add in a contract with L'Oréal and a wildly-popular salon and it would seem he's accomplished it all — almost.

"I’ve been wanting to do this for quite some time," Tran told us when he arrived at our R29 L.A. offices with a few curling irons, his favorite products, and a beautiful wig from Extensionology that he chopped into his famous lob the day before. His self-imposed challenge? Prove that he doesn't just dole out styling advice — he makes damn sure it's good advice.

"I keep getting questions from clients on how do I do hair," he says. "I would show them, but it was always from an outsider’s point of view." To change that, he popped on a client's wig one day and gave it a go in private. Turns out, giving advice is very different when you're self-styling. "It's definitely harder to do it on yourself," he says with a laugh. "However, once you get the hang of it all, it becomes easier."

Ready for some truly amazing DIY hairstyling tips? Start with straight (natural or blown out) hair, grab your favorite iron, and press play for a look at exactly how to score his signature messy lob and "wave formation" techniques. Here's to pushing the envelope yet again...