Honey, Blonde's Never Looked Better

There are few things more challenging than describing the type of blonde you want to your stylist. You can use buzzwords galore (read: warm, icy, golden), but nothing paints a better picture than, well, a picture. The good news? If you’re on a mission to get a honey blonde hue, we have you covered. We’ve scoured the internet for tons of gorgeous photos—and even asked the celebrity stylists for tips so you can figure out exactly what you want.

While stars have been rocking the warm, buttery blonde forever, it’s had a bit of a resurgence the last few years, with stars like Zendaya, Beyoncé, and Hailey Bieber proving just how good the taupe-meets-tawny shade can look. It shouldn’t come as a shocker that everyone is getting on board with the classic tone. At its core, honey blonde hair is multi-dimensional and flattering against the skin—but that’s not to say there’s a blanket formula for every person. You can play with shadow roots, chunky highlights, and balayage techniques.

Celebrity colorist Matt Rez describes honey blonde as "a dimensional blonde with golden reflect."

"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. The seamless yet defined dimension has golden reflects and seen as a honey tone."

To help you decide on the perfect honey blonde shade and coloring technique before your next salon appointment, scroll ahead.

Classic Honey Blonde

Celebrity colorist Matt Rez describes Honey Blonde as "a dimensional blonde with golden reflect."

"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. The seamless yet defined dimension has golden reflects and seen as a honey tone."

Brunette-to-Honey Blonde

Rez's current honey blonde inspiration is Meghann Fahy. He did her hair, after all.

His best advice for someone going through a similar transformation is to not lose depth.

"The lowlights in the lightest brown color married into brighter blonde highlights is what gives 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."

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.

"Lightened hair needs bond reinforcing to keep hair healthy with long-lasting shine," Rez says. "The health and cuticle of each strand counts when it comes to hair color reflection, and the healthier and stronger hair fiber is—which comes from repairing broken disulfide bonds—the longer your color will last."

How to Make Honey Blonde Hair Last

"I also always recommend the epres Bond Repair Treatment for its disulfide bond repairing technology. I use the professional treatment in the salon, and recommend the consumer product for at-home use," Rez says. "This will keep color from fading, keep hair healthy in structure and more reflective full of shine - promoting continuous hair health well after even one use with its patented Biodiffusion™ technology that keeps repairing hours and days after it penetrates. When the hair fiber is getting treated from the inside out re linking its broken disulfide bonds that make up the protein in hair, your color will last longer, and your overall hair health will be stronger."

"At home care is just as important for hair health. Between heat and styling, chemicals in the water, and dayto day wear and tear… it takes both the pro and the client to keep each other accountable on the journey."

When it comes to caring for you color though, Sierra Kener, a stylist at 901 Salon, warns against over-doing it with purple shampoos, which are typically life-savors for blonde hair. "Purple shampoo will actually add more cool tones to your blonde," she explains. "Limiting that will help your blonde stay more honey-colored and warm." Instead, look for a brightening formula (she love the Joico Blonde Life Brightening Shampoo!) that will enhance your existing tone.

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