35 Best Honey Blonde Hair Color Ideas

rosie huntington-whiteley — David M. Benett / Contributor

From platinum to silver to "bronde," blonde doesn't really describe a color; it's a category filled with an infinite number of shades for us to try. While we diplomatically love all blonde hair shades, we're currently crushing on one specific, sweet shade: honey blonde. A hue that mixes golden yellow with amber-brown tones, honey blonde looks strikingly similar to that gooey stuff we all know and love. Honey blonde is all about "intentional warmth," says Laguna Beach-based colorist Ashley Wahler. "There is a huge difference between unintentional and intentional warmth. Unintentional is unwanted brass and more of an orange tone, and intentional warmth has just the right gold."

From Gigi Hadid's California-girl waves to J.Lo's deep golden locks, we've compiled our favorite examples below. Be warned: There's a lot of hair inspo coming your way.

Honey Blonde Hair

Choosing a Shade: "Talk it through in detail with a stylist," says Mirza Batanovic, Style Director at Eufora. "'Honey' as a color is subjective. Everyone sees something different with blondes."

Maintenance Level: Medium to high, depending on how light/dark your natural hair is. Batanovic suggests 4-6 weeks between touch-ups.

Goes Great With: "Light, pale skin that is lacking in pigment," darker skin tones, cool eye colors. "If your eyes have gold flecks around the iris, you are a candidate," says Batanovic.

Similar Shades: Bronde, blonde ombré, caramel

Price: "Highlights and a gloss can run starting at around $190+," says Wahler. "Each salon has different levels of prices usually, so you can easily find what fits your budget," according to Batanovic. "The darker the hair naturally, the more involved the process, thus the more costly it becomes."

Keep scrolling to check out the honey blonde hues we're bringing to our colorist ASAP.

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Beyoncé

Honey Blonde Hair Beyonce — Getty Images

Beyoncé has sported honey blonde hair for years. This look has a seamless dimension: chestnut brown, golden blonde, and even a little auburn if you look closely. For volume, spritz a lightweight spray like Verb's Volume Spray ($18) throughout your strands.

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Gigi Hadid

Let's kick things off with the unofficial queen of honey: Gigi Hadid. Her hair is the perfect blend of toasted yellow highlights and golden brown lowlights that meld together to create a soft honey shade.

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J.Lo

Honey Blonde Hair Jennifer Lopez — Getty Images

If you're hesitant to go fully blonde, do as J.Lo does and opt for honey blonde highlights on a base of golden-brown hair. This coloring is the perfect complement to a warmer skin tone.

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Olivia Palermo

Olivia Palermo is another celebrity known for sporting varying shades of honey blonde. We like how her natural cool-toned chestnut is still seen at the roots and around her face, serving as a nice contrast.

Visible roots are a stylish way to make your dye job last longer, according to Wahler. "This type of hair is pretty low-maintenance as long as there is a root shadow to help with the line of demarcation once it grows out."

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Ciara

We're used to seeing Ciara with dark brown or raven-black hair, which we love, but we're always excited to see her rocking honey blonde hair.

Keep your natural hair color in mind. "The darker your hair is naturally, the more involved and complicated the 'lifting' process is to a honey blonde," says Batanovic. "You need a stylist that understands how to neutralize unwanted tones while lifting to honey blonde."

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Rita Ora

Rita Ora's textured wet-look lob exaggerates her dark roots and toasted coconut waves.

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Blake Lively

Blake Lively is another classic honey blonde star. The subtle balayage highlights placed throughout her long locks perfectly embody a beachy, California-girl vibe.

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Tia Mowry

If you're currently sporting dark hair but crave "I just returned from a month-long vacation on the Italian coast" highlights, take pointers from Tia Mowry. For this look, she added a few golden highlights on the ends.

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Kate Bosworth

Kate Bosworth's honey blonde hair looks gorgeous when it's pinned back into one of her classic low chignons, worn long and wavy, or in a high, tight bun.

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Lauren Conrad

Lauren Conrad's hair color is the closest thing we've ever seen to Rapunzel's golden color IRL. Aside from the color, the key to mastering this look is the high-shine finish. We swear by Sachajuan Shine Serum ($33).

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Hailey Bieber

Hailey Bieber often veers on the brighter side of honey blonde. This color, paired with a wavy bob, is giving us Bond-girl energy.

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Issa Rae

Issa Rae is firmly a brunette, but this braided twist hairstyle has streaks of warm blonde running through it.

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Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba's hair is a perfect example of bronde, with honey blonde highlights that glint in the light and catch our eye.

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Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox is another celebrity known for her honey blonde hair. Though the exact shade changes, this is a perfect example of a warm blonde ombré that runs the full spectrum.

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Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley sports the hair equivalent of a golden hour sunset. "In order to keep your color looking bright and shiny," Wahler recommends switching between Tressa Watercolor Shampoo in Gold ($20) and your regular shampoo.

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Jewllianna Palencia

Honey Blonde Hair Jewelliana Palencia — @jewejewebee

YouTuber Jewellianna Palencia demonstrates how honey blonde highlights can add a serious eye-catching dimension to brunette curls.

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Shay Mitchell

Shay Mitchell proves that honey blonde fits any occasion by giving it the red-carpet treatment. This typically laid-back shade feels dramatic and glamorous.

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Jasmine Sanders

Jasmine Sanders wears her honey blonde hair in that distinct model-off-duty way. Consider this the '90s way to do summer blonde—with a modern twist that looks stylish all year long.

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Emma Roberts

Emma Roberts shows off a fairer take on honey with this swept-under lob. We love it paired with a peachy natural lip.

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Sofia Richie

We love the contrast between Sofia Richie's dark roots and blonde streaks, especially paired with a slicked-back bun.

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Julia Roberts

The OG Roberts rocks highlighted Old Hollywood waves. The lightest pieces frame her face, accenting her bone structure.

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Amandla Stenberg

Amandla Stenberg's curly 'do is a cross between honey and strawberry blonde. "In order to keep your gold tones looking fresh," Wahler recommends Shu Uemura products. The brand's Color Lustre Brilliant Glaze Conditioner ($59) and Color Lustre Shades Reviving Balm in Golden Blonde ($58) are great picks for "re-nourishing the hair but [keeping] the tone much more consistent."

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Olivia Holt

This soft bob with choppy pieces is firmly on the honey blonde color's cooler side, with ashy pieces at the roots.

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Tyra Banks

We love this example of how multiple tones can come together to make a cohesive, eye-catching shade of blonde. Banks' curls encompass everything from the lightest to darkest takes on honey.

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Margot Robbie

Platinum queen Margot Robbie goes darker with this blonde ombré that looks sharp paired with a crisp white suit.

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Chriselle Lim

Fashion influencer Chriselle Lim has honey blonde highlights that trim the edges of her dark hair.

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Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has been every shade of blonde under the sun. We love this softer honey shade accompanied by face-framing bangs.

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Shakira

Shakira has something of a signature hair look, and "honey blonde" sums it up neatly.

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Taraji P. Henson

We love Taraji P. Henson's blunt, blonde pieces at the ends of her dark, honey-colored strands that start with a dark root. What a journey from top to bottom!

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Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence has a unique, slightly edgy take on honey blonde with dark roots and pale waves. A rooty appearance will make going lighter a lower-maintenance affair for those with darker natural locks.

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Mary J. Blige

Honey-blonde hair has been a Mary J Blige signature for ages. We love how the slightly darker root is soft around her face. No hateration here.

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Erin Andrews

Colorist Justin Anderson is a master of honey blonde, with a client list that includes Margot Robbie, Jennifer Aniston, and Kristin Cavallari. For Erin Andrews, he created this grown-out ombré.

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Leona Lewis

The British songstress' pale honey locks have us eyeing some purple shampoo, hoping for curls as angelic as hers. The color makes her eyes look dazzlingly blue.

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Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande of the miles-long brunette ponytail has played with blonde a few times in her career. At the 2020 Grammys, she rocked a sleek platinum version while letting her dark roots peek through.

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Halle Berry

Sure, there's daylight on Halle Berry's hair in this picture, but that sun-kissed, glowing blonde in her hair stands out all on its own.

Check out the 20 tips you need to know before going blonde.