The Story Behind Olympic Figure Skater Alysa Liu’s Halo Hair

Figure skater Alysa Liu is hard to miss. At age 13, she became the youngest ever national champion and the first U.S. woman to land three triple axels during competition. The following year, she became the first to land a quadruple jump in competition. She made the Olympic team in 2022, placed sixth in Beijing, then retired at 16… and now, the 20-year-old is back to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan on her own terms. One of her non-negotiables? Her hair.

Like her talents, the horizontal blonde and brunette stripes in Liu’s hair are one of a kind. Last month, she told NBC New York that she’s DIY’d adding a ring of gingery blonde to the crown of her head every year since 2023—but this year, she wanted them to be lighter and realized she could only accomplish that with “salon-grade products” and the help of a professional. So, she decided to put down the at-home bleach and called St. Louis-based hairstylist Kelsey Miller to freshen up her look ahead of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January.

Miller initially connected with Liu through a client who asked if she was free to do someone’s hair, keeping her name a secret. Upon finding out it was Liu, Miller says she was excited, even more so when she learned the figure skater wanted the brassy rings to stand out more against her dark brunette hair and be made “a milk tea color.”

“I specialize in dimensional hair color, red heads, and extensions, so this was definitely a very unique situation for me,” Miller tells Allure. “We get so set in our ways and it was fun to shake it up and do something I don’t typically do.” She followed Liu’s already carved out pattern of halos to make them stand out more. “We started in the back of her head and took it all the way through,” she says. The process took five hours in total.

The day after spending the night at the salon, Miller saw her work in action at the championships, where Liu placed second. Before accepting her award, the athlete took her hair down, brushed it, and added oil to the ends (all of which was captured on camera), which made Miller very proud. “Your hair is truly your identity,” she says. “It can help you with your confidence … I love to see that this is brought into the sports world because I feel like [the confidence that comes from it] only makes her a better athlete.”

Before Liu’s departure to Italy, Miller dropped a goodie bag of travel-sized shampoo, conditioner, a mask, and oil to her hotel room. “I would love it if she could get a toner before [the competition], but the girl’s too busy for me,” Miller says. For now, she’ll have to catch Liu’s three rings alongside the five Olympic ones on TV just like the rest of us: The figure skating competition begins this weekend.

More on hair transformations:

• Gabrielle Union Is Back In Her Bob Era
• Margot Robbie’s Random Hair Ribbons Bring the Whimsy
• Lady Gaga Reinvented Her Signature 2010s Hair Bow for 2026

Now, watch Dove Cameron’s 10-minute beauty routine: