I'm Ditching My Golden Highlights for This Low-Key, Cozy Blonde Color

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I tend to think of honey blonde as the color equivalent of golden-hour lighting . It brightens the face , softens everything around it, and has enough depth to avoid looking flat or overly processed. It also happens to be one of the most versatile takes on blonde , which explains why I keep seeing it reappear on everyone from Beyoncé and Zendaya to Keke Palmer and Rihanna .

What keeps me coming back to honey blonde is how polished it looks without feeling overly done. The best versions have a lived-in vibe, as though the sun did most of the work—even when the reality involved several hours in a salon chair. It can brighten a brunette base without stripping away all of its depth, or make an existing blonde feel softer and less stark. The result is there, but it doesn't have to read as a complete reinvention.

Ahead, I rounded up the honey-blonde hair colors I would bring straight to a salon appointment, along with expert advice on choosing the right version and keeping the tone looking fresh.

What Is Honey Blonde Hair?

Despite the name, honey blonde isn't one exact shade. "A honey blonde is light in level, neutral warm in tone, with an intentional gold reflect," explains celebrity hairstylist Matt Rez . Some versions lean rich and tawny, while others look brighter, creamier, or almost champagne under the light. That range is exactly what makes the color so appealing to me: it can be adjusted to complement different complexions without losing its signature warmth.

That said, honey can quickly lean copper or even strawberry blonde , so make sure you work with your stylist on a toning schedule, stock your shower with a great purple shampoo , and add in a gloss or glaze here and there.

Honey Blonde Hair Inspiration

Classic Honey Blonde

Rez describes honey blonde as a dimensional blonde with golden flecks. "This color still has contrast and depth, so it does not read flat," he explains. "The warmer, lightest brown lowlights create the texture of the color and melt into the lighter blondes."

Brunette-to-Honey Blonde

Rez's current honey blonde inspiration is Meghann Fahy. He did her hair , after all, with the appointment lasting 12 hours from start to finish. His best advice for someone going through a similar transformation is not to lose the depth. "The lowlights in the lightest brown color married into brighter blonde highlights are what give honey tones the nuanced golden reflects," explains the artist. "You can go more contrasty, but make sure the lowlights have a gradient—deeper at the root and graduating into blonder tips to avoid piano key stripes."

Root-y Honey Blonde

No matter how often Ciara changes up her hair , she always goes back to her (brunette) roots. Here, she made her natural color work with a fresh shade by adding a honey blonde balayage to complement her dark roots.

Vanilla Honey Blonde

According to celebrity hairstylist Laurie Heaps (she does Sabrina Carpenter 's color!), the brilliance of honey blonde comes through in its perfect balance of warmth and brightness. "It has golden tones that feel rich and natural, but is still light enough to catch the light beautifully," she says. "It's flattering on so many skin tones because it has that sun-kissed, healthy glow."

Sunny Honey Blonde

Heaps even has a honey blonde formula to share. For lifting, she uses Redken Flash Lift with Bonder Inside because it offers brightness without compromising hair health. "One of my favorite toning formulas for honey blonde is: Redken shades EQ ½ 9GI (Vanilla Crème), ¼ 9GB (Buttercream), ¼ 9G (Vanilla)," explains the artist. "It gives the prettiest bright, sunny honey finish that looks natural and glossy."

Hot Honey Blonde

Another reason Heaps loves a good honey blonde? It's a "timeless and versatile" shade. "You can wear it soft and natural or really dial it up for a high-gloss, more statement blonde," she says. "It's one of those shades that feels effortless but still elevated—and it photographs beautifully." This shade on Blake Lively could be mistaken for strawberry , but it's just a really warm (almost hot!) honey. Yum.

Honeycomb Blonde

For the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscars Party , Lindsay Lohan and celebrity hairstylist Tracey Cunningham whipped up a shade they called "honeycomb blonde," complete with golden honey highlights. Though not nearly as red hot as her natural shade, the warmth is still there. And that's what counts.

Honey Blonde Highlights

Honey blonde highlights look even more multi-dimensional with a little curl . But with all the bleach and heat, make sure you're taking care of your hair with a heat protectant . "Lightened hair needs bond-reinforcing to keep hair healthy with long-lasting shine," Rez says. "The health and cuticle of each strand count when it comes to hair color reflection, and the healthier and stronger hair fiber is—which comes from repairing broken bonds—the longer your color will last."

Royal Honey Blonde

We love Kate Middleton in any hair color, but last year's blonde shade was especially enticing (it's the lightest she's ever gone!). Though cooler than most of the shades on this list, the royal shows off some rich warmth in her lengths. When paired with that signature blowout, it's a look that's definitely fit for a princess.

Thick Honey Highlights

Thick highlights are so fab, especially when you go honey blonde. Here, Serena Williams turned away from Y2K chunkiness in favor of some thick honey pieces that framed her face and looked gorgeous alongside her dark curls.

Honey-Dipped Brunette

While honey-dipped brunette was one of Marie Claire' s favorite summer hair color trends last year , it can work during any season. "I use one or two shades lighter than the client's base color to brighten up their hair for the season while maintaining that beautiful brunette look overall," explained hair colorist and stylist Temur Hamilton . When discussing the shade. "I also love adding a warm-toned glaze to really bring the color to life and make the overall effect richer."

Caramel Honey Blonde

Two things no one can resist: Rihanna with her natural curls and Rihanna with a honey blonde hue . This look, which featured caramel honey highlights, combined the two perfect hair elements. It also shows how good the color looks with a similarly warm palette for your outfit and makeup; that deep red shade is dreamy.

Chunky Honey Highlights

An icon circa Y2K and today, Jennifer Lopez 's honey-blonde comes through in her chunky early-aughts highlights. (See how they differ from Williams' face-framing streaks?)

Honey Brunette

Naomi Campbell , you—and this hair color—will always be famous. Though we all remember when the model went through a blonde phase in the early 2000s, her return to the light in summer 2025 felt fresh. Here, she shows off a darkened version of the bright shade that blew us away—and proves honey brunette is just as iconic.

Beachy Honey Blonde

Such a soft hair color looks especially sweet with some sun-kissed highlights. Jennifer Aniston is a quintessential California girl who always looks like she just got back from the beach, and so much of that energy is thanks to her always stellar dye job. According to colorist Michelle Hong , founder and creative director of NYC The Team, honey blonde works so well because it's "radiant and beachy yet sophisticated, where the hair doesn't look damaged and over-processed."

Supermodel Honey Blonde

Bella Hadid 's pretty honey-blonde color, which she debuted last summer and has since made her signature, was the work of celebrity hairstylist Jacob Schwartz (he named it "Supermodel Blonde"). And guess what? He was kind enough to give Marie Claire his exact formula for the shade.

Honey Bey Blonde

The trick to a proper honey bee—I mean honey Bey — blonde is a golden base and pale highlights. Also, how pretty is this half-up, half-down hairstyle?

Moody Honey Blonde

Selena Gomez offers another example of dark hair lifted to honey blonde perfection. Her cool dark base adds a moodiness that contrasts perfectly with the lighter strands.

Whipped Honey Blonde

Have you ever had whipped honey? It's so delicious. As is this color on forever hair color icon Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

All-Over Honey Blonde

When it comes to honey blonde, there are so many ways to get the look. "You can lean into a deeper, richer honey if you want more dimension, or go lighter and golden-pale if you like a brighter look," Heaps says. "Placement makes a huge difference too—some clients love an all-over honey, while others want it painted in through highlights and framing pieces so it feels more customized."

What Do I Ask for at the Salon?

Besides showing up armed with plenty of inspiration photos, Hong says to request "a sun-kissed look that's softly feathered to the root and blended throughout for a warm highlighter look." Ultimately, you want your color to mimic the way sunlight might hit the hair. Keywords are "warm," "soft," "natural," and "golden."

"Ask your colorist for a soft balayage so the grow-out is super easily maintained and then a gloss to warm up the highlights," she adds. Depending on your skin tone, the range of honey could be from golden butter to soft amber hues.

How Do I Maintain Honey Blonde Hair Color?

As far as the blonde hair dictionary is concerned, Heaps says that honey colors definitely require less maintenance than anything super icy . "Honey grows out softer and more natural," she explains. "Most clients can stretch their appointments to 10 to 12 weeks, and a gloss refresh in between is always a good idea to keep the tone shiny and vibrant."

Hong adds that you should be able to go at least three months if your color is done with the feather balayage technique.

How Do I Make My Honey Blonde Hair Last?

As for making your honey blonde hair last, Rez recommends epre's Bond Repair Treatment . "I use the professional treatment in the salon, and recommend the consumer product for at-home use," he says. "This will keep color from fading, keep hair healthy in structure, and make it more reflective and full of shine."

You'll also want to incorporate purple shampoo every few washes and consider an at-home hair gloss . Sierra Kener , a hairstylist and co-owner of Eské Salon in Los Angeles, says, "purple shampoo will actually add more cool tones to your blonde," she says. "Hong recommends pairing it with a conditioning mask to keep your hair hydrated and further lock in your tone.

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Gwyneth Paltrow's cool ash blonde is warmed up thanks to fine honey flecks.