If you’ve ever looked at

Chrissy Teigen

or

Gigi Hadid

or

Martha Hunt

and experienced severe hair envy (we sure have), allow us to introduce the woman behind those perfectly tousled waves:

Laura Polko

. The L.A.-based stylist has been taming the manes of Hollywood’s most glamorous elite for years now, and when she’s not traveling around the world with her kit in tow, she’s caring for her daughter, Breezy. We were lucky enough to snag an afternoon with her at her Venice Beach home to discover what tools and products she swears by to achieve that effortless, undone hair for which her clients are known. Plus, how she got her start in the industry—she’s originally a Midwestern girl—her favorite products to fight frizz, and how to get that signature hair bend on your own.

Want more stories like this?

Everything We Found in Huda Kattan’s Makeup Bag

Kate McKinnon’s Makeup Artists Has a Hack for Voluminous Lashes

If You Want New York’s Best Blonde, Meet This Under-the-Radar Colorist