The Sweetest Honey Blonde Hair Color Ideas & Formulas
Sweet and sun-kissed, honey blonde hair is trending just in time for summer. As the seasons change, expect an influx of requests for this rich and radiant shade of blonde. It sees golden tones mix with amber browns for a burst of sun-dappled, dreamy warmth. And, best of all, it suits everyone – adding brightness to brunettes and depth to lighter blondes.
Getting this luminous look on lock requires just the right balance of warm-toned blondes, plus a care regimen that prevents the color from turning brassy. Here, we break down five techniques that can be used to create the look, plus five color formulas you can try in the salon. Honey hues, coming through...
What is Honey Blonde Hair?
Honey blonde is a rich, warm tone. On the blonde hair spectrum, it falls somewhere between a caramel shade and a buttery hue, but it can also be worked as a bronde (brown blonde). Just think, quite simply, of the color of honey, and you’ve got this trend in one. It’s glossy, gleaming, glowy and golden. No wonder we’re obsessed.
5 Techniques for Honey Blonde Hair
There are so many ways to add honey blonde hues to your client’s ‘do, from foilyage to twilighting. Let’s look at the top techniques for a soft, smooth and oh-so-sweet finish.

1. Honey Blonde Babylights
Image Credit: @lucyfrisorkinga
These aren’t just caramel honey highlights; these are caramel honey babylights, which means that micro-fine strands have been lightened to create a more natural-looking effect. You can merge babylights with your balayage technique for a truly sun-kissed finish, giving you a little root stretch and ultra-seamless lengths that blend together beautifully.

2. Honey Blonde Foilyage
Image Credit: @pablofriseure
You know what blonde balayage is, but let’s recap: it’s a freehand painting technique that sees highlights swept through mid-lengths and ends to add brightness and dimension to the hair. Foilyage follows the same process except, instead of leaving ‘lights to develop in the open air, you wrap them in foils to increase the intensity of the lift. By toning the highlights in warm blonde shades – like Koleston Perfect 9/03 or Color Touch 8/3 – you then reveal honey blonde foilyage with beautiful contrasts.

3. Honey Bronde Twilighting
Image Credit: @fredyhair
Twilighting is one of the newest highlighting techniques on the block. It sees golden ribbons applied to brunette hair for a soft, moonlit effect. It won’t give your client a full head of honey hair, but it will add delicate, deep accents of the shade. Apply to dark locks in thin slices, aiming for a lift one to three shades lighter than the base. The subtle hints of honey bronde above were toned using Illumina Color 8/69 + 7/43 + 8/37. Flawless.

4. Honey Blonde with a Root Shadow
Image Credit: @stilefriseur
Honey blonde hair teams perfectly with a soft and subtle root shadow. Opt for dark blonde or light brown shades through the crown to create a gentle contrast that makes the lengths stand out. You can do this with a range of color products, choosing from demi-permanentColor Touch, semi-permanent Color Fresh or permanent Illumina Color. If your client wants a full-bodied gray root touch-up, Koleston Perfect is your go-to, combining pure, balanced pigment with up to 100% coverage.

5. Honey Blonde Sombre
Image Credit: @salvobinetti
Like ombre hair, sombre hair sees color graduate from dark roots to lighter ends. However, it’s a subtler take, which means the shades shift only one or two levels brighter. This is a flawless demonstration of the trend, with honey tones intertwined through the mid-lengths. Try toning your clients’ locks in Illumina Color for a look this light-reflective.
1. Honey Ombre

Color Formulas:
Blondor, Welloxon Perfect, Wellaplex, Koleston Perfect
Lighten
A: Multi-Blonde Powder + 6% + Wellaplex No1
Tone
B [roots]: 30g 6/0 + 5g 0/11 + 35g 6%
C [lengths and ends]: 20g 9/16 + 5g 9/73 + 50g 1.9%
2. Golden Honey Blonde

Color Formulas:
Lighten
Blondor, Welloxon Perfect
A: Multi-Blonde Powder + 1.9%
Tone
Color Touch, Color Touch Emulsion
B: 10/73 + 8/43 + 1.9%
3. Curly Honey Blonde

Color Formulas:
Lighten
Blondor Freelights, Wellaplex
A: 30g Blondor Freelights + 45g Freelights Developer 6% + 3g Wellaplex No1
Tone
Illumina Color, Welloxon Perfect
B [darker areas]: 20g 5/43 + 10g 8/05 + 60g 1.9%
C [lighter areas]: 20g 7/43 + 10g 8/05 + 60g 1.9%
4. Honey Blonde Balayage

Color Formulas:
Blondor, Welloxon Perfect, Illumina Color
Lighten with Foils
A: Multi-Blonde Powder + 9%
Tone
B [roots]: 5/ + 6/16 + 1.9%
C [mid-lengths]: 7/31 + 10/69 + 1.9%
5. Dark Honey Hair

Color Formulas:
Balayage
Blondor, Welloxon Perfect
A: Multi-Blonde Powder + 9%
Tone
Color Touch and Color Touch Emulsion
B [roots]: 6/0 + 1.9%
C: 8/71 + 9/0 + 1.9%