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ST. LOUIS 鈥� Kelsey Miller trimmed her client鈥檚 long hair and started blow-drying while keeping her eyes on the Olympic figure skater gliding across the phone screen.

Miller, who works as a stylist at 13th and Washington salon, helped perfect Olympian Alysa Liu鈥檚 signature 鈥渉alo鈥� hairstyle, those alternating rings of dark brunette and golden blond, when Liu was in St. Louis for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in January.聽

Miller鈥檚 most famous client was now competing for gold. Lucky for Miller, the client in her chair during Liu鈥檚 free skate was also a fan. She pulled up the live stream on her phone so they could watch together.

鈥淚 had chills watching her,鈥� Miller says.

It was a chance opportunity that led Liu to her chair. Another one of Miller鈥檚 clients was at lunch with a person connected with the team. He mentioned that a girl on the team needed a hair appointment. Miller鈥檚 client immediately contacted her.

鈥淚 have a VIP client, and I can鈥檛 tell you who it is or what you鈥檒l be doing, but she needs a hair appointment tomorrow night."

Miller, who has been doing hair for 18 years, jumped in. Coach Phillip DiGuglielmo reached out to her and shared Liu鈥檚 skating videos. He said she wanted rings with a 鈥渕ilk tree鈥� color.

鈥淚 need to look into this,鈥� Miller remembers thinking. She started researching and put together a game plan. Liu had originally bleached the circles around her hair herself with a product she bought at Sally鈥檚 Beauty Supply store. But Liu wasn鈥檛 thrilled with the brassy tone. She wanted the rings to be more dramatic.

When she arrived the next day, Miller told her the color processing could take a while.

鈥淚 will try my hardest to get you your desired look, but I鈥檓 not going to compromise the integrity of your hair,鈥� she told Liu.聽

Thankfully, Liu has strong hair.

It took five hours to get the style right.

During that time, they got to know聽each other. Liu鈥檚 chill, down-to-earth demeanor and positivity put Miller at ease. Liu has said the style was inspired by the rings on a tree trunk and how they document the passage of time. When Miller dropped Liu off at her hotel, she asked to be tagged if she shared her new 鈥榙o on social media.

She had no idea how that casual request would impact her career.

Liu credited Miller, who only had about 650 followers on Instagram at the time. Her fans loved the unique look and jumped to follow her hairstylist as well.

The day of the Olympic finals, Miller curled her client鈥檚 hair while they anxiously awaited the score in the free skate. Liu earned 150.20, the highest score of the night. Japan's Kaori Sakamoto missed the top spot by less than 2 points.

Liu won the Gold.

Within the next 24 hours, Miller had thousands of new followers on . Interview requests flooded into the salon. She gave interviews with Vogue and Sports Illustrated. Brands asked her to try their products. New clients wanted to get on her books. Other stylists praised her work.

鈥淚n my wildest dreams I would never expect any of this to happen to me,鈥� Miller says.

An Olympian's iconic hairstyle changed her life.