3 Dry Cutting Tips from Anh Co Tran
Celebrity stylist and Milbon Global Creative Director Anh Co Tran (@anhcotran) is synonymous with effortless texture and precision haircutting—a master of movement, flow and understated cool. While he’s known for his coveted dry-cut bobs, what most don’t see is the intentional prep work that sets the stage before his scissors even touch a strand.
While at Premiere Orlando, BTC editors caught a masterclass in soft movement as Anh deconstructed his signature bob. In case you missed it, we took notes. Get his top tips below!
The Secret to the Perfect Dry Cut Prep
Ask Anh where the magic begins, and he’ll tell you: It’s all in the prep. “The reason why we developed Milbon Froth Blowout Foam was for a dry-cutting purpose,” he explains. “Because as soon as you comb the hair—especially in the winter when the heater is on—it frizzes out. It’s hard to see layers, hard to see lines.”
That’s where Froth from Milbon’s Monochromatic Collection comes in. The featherlight, mousse-like formula is designed to tame flyaways, refine texture and protect hair from heat—all without sacrificing movement or volume.
Anh’s routine starts with a full blowout using Froth, dispersed evenly through damp hair. Then, right before the dry cut begins, he applies two palm-sized amounts of Froth onto the dry hair and combs it through. “It adds a little more tameness to the flyaways and texture,” he says. “And it has a heat protectant. It just makes the process so much smoother.”
3 Dry Cutting Tips from Anh:
Known for his lived-in lobs and chic, clean bobs, Anh has fine-tuned his approach to cutting short shapes with finesse. Save his top insights below:
1. Swap the Cape for a Robe: Here’s Why
“When I cut bobs, I usually like to use a robe,” Anh shares. “You can see the neck really well. Sometimes when you put a cape on someone, it’s just like a floating head. I really like to incorporate the body, the neck and the head together. So you don’t take off the cape and think, ‘It’s too long.’ This way, it helps you nail it right off the bat.”
2. Point-Cut To Create Soft Movement, Even for Blunt Bobs
Anh’s blunt bobs are deceptively soft. Although his goal is to maintain a blunt structure, he wants to create soft, fluid movement through the ends of the cut. He achieves this by using a parallel point-cutting technique versus cutting a blunt line, along with adding subtle face-framing and layering throughout.
“Sometimes, if you do a blunt cut bob, the hair moves together, not separately. So when you point-cut it, it moves separately and gives you that movement. Even though it’s a blunt line, it has some soft movement, which I really want on her,” Anh explains.
3. Streamline Cut & Color Clients With This Pre-Appointment Instruction
For busy stylists juggling color and cutting services in a single appointment, timing is everything. Anh’s solution? Have the client arrive with clean hair.
“That way, you can just smooth them out and then color them, so you only shampoo once, not twice,” he advises. “That really helps you cut down the timing of re-blowdrying, re-curling. It’s a lot easier going that way.”
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