Halo hairstyle

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American singer Caroline Polachek with a halo hairstyle

Halo hair is a hairstyle consisting of one or more horizontal bands of a distinct color wrapping around a person's head, creating an appearance similar to a halo. The band is typically applied in a lighter shade or as highlights, usually in blond.

Styling

The hairstyle consists of bands, usually in blond, applied to mimic a halo.[1] The hairstyle often requires having hair with a darker base color in order to achieve a radiant effect. The band is positioned towards the top of the head, helping maintain the halo effect as the hair grows out.[2] Sometimes the base may also be dyed darker to create more contrast.[3]

American figure skater Alysa Liu with a halo hairstyle with multiple highlighted bands

The halo hairstyle is an alt-grunge hairstyle, which gained widespread media headlines with American figure skater Alysa Liu, who wore the style during the 2026 Winter Olympics, where she became a gold medallist in both women's singles and in the team event.[4][5] In Liu's case, her hairstyle was completed in five hours by hairstylist Kelsey Miller. Liu applies a band once every year, creating an appearance akin to alternating stripes, which she likes to describe as "tree rings".[2][6]

Singer-songwriters Caroline Polachek and Rosalía have both sported the hairstyle, Polachek as early as 2013 while performing with synth-pop band Chairlift,[3] and Rosalía while promoting the release of her 2025 album Lux, which is surrounded by Catholic iconography.[7]

See also

References

  1. Mussen, Maddy (2025-11-11). "Halo hair is the divisive new cool girl hair trend". Yahoo Life. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  2. Hyman, Jasmine (2026-02-20). "The Story Behind Alysa Liu's Hair—Plus Everything You Need to Know About the Halo Hair Trend". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  3. Betker, Ally (2014-03-10). "Chairlift's Caroline Polachek On Why Her Bleached Halo-Effect Hair Color Just Keeps Getting Better". Vogue. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  4. Rosenberg, Michael (2026-02-20). "Gold Hair, Gold Dress, Gold Medal: Alysa Liu Radiates Joy As Olympic Champion". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  5. Wang, Sophie (2026-02-20). "The Real Meaning Behind Alysa Liu's Striped Hair". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  6. Gulino, Elizabeth (2026-02-06). "It Took Five Hours to Color Figure Skater Alysa Liu's Halo Hair". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  7. Anbouba, Margaux (2025-11-18). "How Rosalía Bleached a Literal Halo Into Her Hair". Vogue. Retrieved 2026-02-24.