The Meaning Behind Olympian Alysa Liu's Signature 'Halo' Hair, Revealed

Gold medalist Alysa Liu has consistently rocked some of the best beauty moments in the 2026 Winter Olympics. From her supercool outfits to her smiley piercing, she's definitely one of the few alt figure skaters who have graced the Olympics. Of all the components of Liu's signature style, however, nothing stands out quite like her halo hair — and we're not the only ones who have taken notice. Social media is going crazy over her brunette base with blond horizontal stripes, which is a unique take on the two-toned hair trend that has made a comeback in recent years.

Even more interesting than the look itself is Liu's reason for getting it done. When Haven Shephard, another Olympian, asked about the inspiration behind her halo hair, Liu had the most Gen Z response: "I just want to be a tree" (via TikTok). Like trees that add a ring for each year of life, she explained that she adds a new halo or ring every December and has been doing so for the past three years.

The best part of this look is that a dive into Alysa Liu's eye-catching hair looks shows that she's kept to this formula but managed to switch things up. The earlier variants of her halo hair weren't blond and brunette. Instead, the base was more of a cherry cola, and the halos were ginger-like. The switch-up came in 2026 and managed to give an even more dramatic version of her signature hair.

When Alysa Liu put the first halos in her hair, she did it herself. However, when she needed a touch-up and color change during the Olympic Games, she realized she needed a professional. "To get this light, I had to go to a salon because I couldn't lift my hair like this," she told Haven Shephard. "It lifted good. Not good enough."

This was where Liu's eventual hairstylist, Kelsey Miller, came in. According to Miller, a friend connected her to Liu's coach after asking for her availability. "I still had no clue who I would be doing, so I asked [him] if he would be able to tell me who it was and what I would be doing so I could better prepare," she said (via Instagram). "He then explained to me that she has these tree rings in her hair and they're gingery and she would love for them to be a milk tea color. He then sent me videos of Alysa skating."

Miller's strategy was to bleach the ginger rings to lift the color and then tone it to get that milk tea or blond hue. The result was the stunning halo hair that was one of the best fashion moments of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and made Liu's signature style even more in line with the bark and wood color scheme of trees. If you, like many social media users, are considering entering your tree era with a DIY job, it's important to remember that blond is beautiful, but bleach can burn, so you need to know how to prevent and treat it.