How Anh Co Tran Creates Shine on the Red Carpet

Shiny hair is one of the most requested beauty goals. Truly luminous hair comes from the hair’s overall condition: smooth cuticles, balanced hydration, internal repair, and the right finishing products to enhance light reflection.

For Anh Co Tran, creating shiny hair on the red carpet is all about layering products intentionally. Whether he’s styling soft luminous waves or sleek editorial finishes, Anh often reaches for Milbon products to create polished, reflective hair with movement and longevity.

Here’s a closer look at what creates shine and the products Anh uses on the red carpet to achieve it.

What Actually Creates Shiny Hair?

At its core, shine is all about light reflection. When the hair’s cuticle lies smooth and flat, light reflects evenly across the surface, creating glossy, radiant-looking hair. But when the hair becomes damaged, such as from heat styling, coloring, chemical services, or even environmental stress, the cuticle lifts and the hair loses its ability to reflect light smoothly.

For Milbon, internal repair is a foundational part of achieving long-lasting shine. Their SSVR-Silk™ complex – featured throughout the Signature, Creative Style, and Gold Lines – helps restore the hair’s integrity from the inside out, revealing shinier, smoother, and healthier-looking hair.

For Soft, Luminous Shine: Illuminating Glow Collection

Milbon’s Illuminating Glow Collection was designed to restore the hair’s natural ability to reflect light by replenishing lipids within the cuticle layer. Environmental stressors, heat styling, and chemical services can deplete the hair’s outer lipid layer, which plays a major role in healthy shine. Milbon’s Illuminating Emollient Oil technology helps replenish these lipids to smooth the cuticle and restore reflective shine. Infused with luxurious Golden Silk, the collection leaves the hair glossy while still feeling lightweight and touchable.

See how Anh uses the Illuminating Glow Oil backstage to enhance luminous shine in these editorial looks:

Aimee Song x Louis Vuitton Paris Fashion Week, October 2025 →
Kathryn Hahn x Hermès Paris Fashion Week, October 2025 →
Bruna Marquezine x Chanel Paris Fashion Week, October 2025 →
Arden Cho x L’officiel Singapore Editorial Cover →

For Smooth, Reflective Shine: Smooth Collection

Sometimes, achieving shine starts with improving the hair’s texture. When the cuticle becomes rough or lifted, the hair can feel tangled, wiry, or dull. Milbon’s Smooth Collection was created to smooth the cuticle layer and improve the hair’s texture for a softer, silkier, more reflective finish.

See how Anh uses the Smooth Luminous Bodifying Oil as a leave-in hair treatment for the red carpet:

Ejae x Dior Paris Fashion Week, March 2026 →
Eva Victor x Golden Globes Awards Ceremony →
Anna Sawai x Monarch Red Carpet Premiere →
Rei Ami x Pre-Oscars Dinner Party →

For Glossy Wet Looks: Wet Shine Gel Cream

For more dramatic editorial finishes, Anh often incorporates Milbon’s Wet Shine Gel Cream. It combines the control of a gel with the spreadability of a cream, creating glossy definition without stiffness or crunch. The formula’s slow-dry technology allows more styling time for precision and shaping, making it especially useful for polished styles, sleek updos, and wet-look finishes. Select from two levels of hold: Wet Shine Gel Cream 5 for a high glossy shine with flexible control and movement, or Wet Shine Gel Cream 8 for stronger hold and a satin-gloss finish for more sculpted styles.

See how Anh styles with the Wet Shine Gel Cream 8 to create an editorial wet look:

Anna Sawai x Dior Paris Fashion Week, October 2025 →
Rei Ami x Sandro Paris Fashion Week, March 2026 →
Beau x Ember Lumens Editorial Campaign →

For Finishing High Shine: Shimmer Brilliant Shine Spray

For a lighter reflective finish, Brilliant Shine Spray delivers immediate shine in a weightless mist suitable for all hair types. The formula helps smooth frizz while protecting the hair from UV exposure, humidity, and heat. Anh recommends applying Brilliant Shine Spray after hairspray as the final step in your styling routine. This technique creates a radiant finish while allowing the hairspray to maintain its hold.

See how Anh uses the Brilliant Shine Spray to finish hair with a polished finish:

Alysa Liu x Met Gala Debut →
Rei Ami x LVMH Prize Paris Fashion Week, March 2026 →
Xenia Adonts x Schiaparelli Paris Fashion Week, March 2026 →

The Takeaway

From repairing internal damage with SSVR-Silk™ to smoothing the cuticle and layering lightweight finishing products, shine is built through both hair health and thoughtful styling.

Whether you prefer a soft luminous effect or a glossy editorial finish, these are some of the products Anh frequently uses on the red carpet and behind-the-scenes to effortlessly create polished, reflective hair.

For more hair education, styling inspiration, and celebrity hair breakdowns, follow @anhcotran and @milbonusa on Instagram.