On Sunday, Steven Yeun made a historic red carpet appearance as the first Asian-American to receive an Oscar nomination in the Best Actor category (“Minari”). We are honored to say Milbon’s Global Creative Director, Anh Co Tran, was the mastermind behind Steven’s hair style and incorporated Milbon products to achieve this sophisticated, modern look. When prepping his kit for major events, Anh always leans on performance-driven products that also help to maintain healthy hair. We sat down with Anh to learn more about his approach to styling Steven for the 2021 Oscars.




What are two Milbon products that you recommend for men to easily achieve a wash and go textured look. Why and how do you use them?

The two products that I would highly recommend would be Milbon’s Wave Defining Cream as well as Milbon’s Texturizing Sea Mist. For Wave Defining Cream, thoroughly towel dry your hair and apply the product onto damp hair, combing into hair using your hands or a brush to set the look. For Texturizing Seat Mist, apply the spray onto damp hair after brushing the hair. Spray the product all over the hair and scrunch the product into the hair to enhance texture.

What specific products did you use to achieve Steven Yeun’s hair for the Oscars?

Step 1: On damp hair, apply a generous amount of Milbon Weightless Replenishing Mist and one pump of Luminous Softening Oil all over the hair to rehydrate the hair with moisture and provide heat protection.

Step 2: Rough dry hair until about 50% dry using the Dyson Supersonic on the second intensity for both heat & speed with the smoothing nozzle attached.

Step 3: Once hair is 50% dry, turn up the heat on the Dyson Supersonic to the highest setting as well as lower the speed to the lowest setting and switch the smoothing nozzle to a Dyson concentrator nozzle. Use the small Dyson round brush to straighten the natural wavy texture in the hair, directing all hair backwards and away from the face.

Step 4: Once hair is completely dried, use the Dyson Corrale on the 365 degree heat setting to straighten the ends of the hair on the crown.

Step 5: Apply a palm’s worth of Milbon Wave Enhancing Mousse as well as two pea sizes of Milbon Molding Wax #5 and a pea size of Milbon Wet Shine Gel Cream #5 all over the hair for texture and shine.

Step 6: Use Milbon Strong Hold Hairspray #7 for a flexible hold and to set the look in place.


What hot tools did you use to achieve Steven Yeun’s hair for the Oscars and why?

I used the Dyson Supersonic blow dryer as well as the Dyson Corrale hair straightener.
Dyson tools are great for men because of how quick and easy they are to use. The Dyson Supersonic blow dryer quickly dries the hair with a comfortable grip and never burns the hair because of its intelligent heat control. The Dyson Corrale quickly straightens or waves hair while always maintaining the hair’s integrity and its state-of-the-art cordless feature keeps things simple and easy!

What is the reason behind needing to cocktail products? What are your favorite products to cocktail and why?

One of my go-to product cocktails is Milbon Restorative Blowout Primer & Milbon Luminous Softening Oil. This combination works great before a blowdry by softening the hair as well as optimizing heat protection. For a styling product cocktail, I like to mix Milbon Wave Defining Cream and Humidity Blocking Oil to moisturize the ends while also protecting the hair from frizz & humidity.

How did you prep Steven’s natural texture to achieve the look for the Oscars?

On damp hair, I applied a generous amount of Milbon Weightless Replenishing Mist as well as the Milbon Luminous Softening Oil to hydrate & soften the hair in preparation of a smooth blow dry.

What was your inspiration behind the look? Where was your inspiration drawn from?

The look was inspired by Tony Leung in Wong Kar-wai’s In The Mood For Love.

What factors helped inspire the couples look together?

I wanted Steven and Joana’s hair to complement their modern yet timeless looks.