What hair color is honey blonde?

Honey blonde is a warm hue that combines golden yellow with amber-brown tones to create a variety of pale and dark blonde shades.

Which is darker honey blonde or caramel blonde?

Caramel blonde is a deeper shade than honey blonde. Where honey blonde has predominantly gold undertones, caramel blonde has a darker warmth comprised of richer browns or auburn tones.

What skin tone does honey blonde look good on?

Honey-blonde hair can complement a variety of skin tones. Paler iterations can brighten fair skin beautifully, while more golden undertones look great on olive or dark skin. For added depth around the face, a root smudge can blend in a more natural base color.

16 Honey Blonde Hair Colors We're Currently Crushing On

If blondes have more fun, it's our professional responsibility to inquire as to which type of blonde that is. Blonde is not a single hair color, but a spectrum of possibilities from platinum and bronde to butter and beige. While we may never actually get the answer to our question, one thing is for certain: The sweetest shade of blonde is honey. A delicious hue that mixes golden yellow with amber-brown tones, to look strikingly similar to that gooey stuff we all know and love.

While we diplomatically love all shades of blonde hair, we're currently crushing on this specific golden iteration. Here are 16 celebs that totally sold us on the honey-blonde hair.

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

01 of 16

Honey Money-Piece

Rosie Huntington-Whitely with honey blonde hair and money-piece — @rosiehw / Instagram

Forgive us if we're biased, but Rosie Huntington-Whiteley might be the reigning queen of honey hair. This warm, golden perfection with the most well-blended money-piece we've ever seen is the exact inspo pic we take with us to the salon.

02 of 16

Toasted Honey

Zendaya may typically experiment with darker hues, but she just as easily stuns as a blonde. Her bouncy lob is the perfect blend of toasted yellow highlights and golden brown lowlights that meld together to create a soft honey shade.

03 of 16

Deep Honey Blonde

Rita Ora Curly honey blonde Hair — @ritaora / Instagram

Rita Ora's spirals are out of this world. Seriously, could those textured ringlets be any more beautiful? We don't think so, especially when they're dyed this deep honey blonde. It's basically the hair equivalent of golden hour.

04 of 16

Bombshell Honey

Gigi Hadid with honey blonde hair in bombshell blowout — @gigihadid / Instagram

Natural golden girl, Gigi Hadid never disappoints on the blonde hair inspo. Here, she veers on the paler side of honey blonde, edging towards a buttery beige hue.

05 of 16

Honey Blonde With Shadowed Roots

Chloe Bailey with honey blonde hair and shadowed roots — @chloebailey / Instagram

Fact: Chloe Bailey's hair is the exact color of spun gold. But it's the shadowed roots that really ground the look. Ask your colorist for a root smudge close to your natural base for a similar effect.

06 of 16

Honey Blonde Highlights

Jennifer Lopez with highlighted, feathered layers in honey blonde hair and sunglasses — @jlo / Instagram

If you're hesitant to go fully blonde, do as J.Lo does (as always) and opt for honey blonde highlights in a base of golden-brown hair. The lightly tousled layers look relaxed yet elevated, showing off the dimension beautifully.

07 of 16

Warm Honey Blend

Storm Reid with honey blonde long pixie cut attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion — Arturo Holmes / MG21 / Getty

Storm Reid's honey crop showcases just how stunning the color can be on shorter lengths. The gradient from warm honey roots to pale ends is absolutely seamless.

08 of 16

Cinnamon Honey

Ciara with honey-blonde updo — Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty

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. How could we get over such rich, golden locks?

09 of 16

Honey-Spiked Spirals

Megan Thee Stallion with golden brown curls and honey blonde highlights — @theestallion / Instagram

If you're currently sporting dark hair but still want in on the "I just returned from a month-long vacation on the Italian coast" highlights, take pointers from Megan Thee Stallion. For this look, she brightened the ends of her spirals with spikes of honey blonde.

10 of 16

Honeyed Lowlights

Jasmine Sanders with Honey Blonde Hair with Lowlights — @goldenbarbie / Instagram

Jasmine Sanders wears her honey blonde hair in that distinct model-off-duty way that never seems to be possible when you give it lots of effort. Consider this the '90s way to do summer blonde—natural with a modern twist that looks stylish all year long.

11 of 16

Chestnut Honey

Chestnut honey has a signature auburn tint that is as rich as it is sweet. Beyoncé's dimensional blend of chestnut brown, honey blonde, and a hint of auburn all meld together for a perfect honey blonde result.

12 of 16

Acacia Honey

Shakira with honey blonde beach waves at The 2024 Met Gala Celebrating "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" — Aliah Anderson / Getty

Across the honey blonde spectrum, Shakira's particular shade edges toward bronde territory highlighting just how wide this hair color range can be. We especially love how the hue complements the matte, lived-in texture here.

13 of 16

High-Shine Honey

Lauren Conrad with honey blonde hair — Getty

Lauren Conrad's honey blonde hair color is the closest thing we've ever seen to a real-life version of Rapunzel's golden hair. Seriously, it sparkles in every photo. Aside from the color, the key to mastering this look is the high-shine finish.

14 of 16

Honey Glow

Jessica Alba with honey blonde hair — Getty

Jessica Alba's hair verges on golden brown (a perfect example of bronde, which counts in our book). Her honey-blonde highlights glint in the light and catch our eye, acting as a delightfully subtle detail.

15 of 16

Cool Honey

Olivia Palermo with honey blonde hair — Getty

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

16 of 16

Autumnal Honey

Kate Bosworth's honey-blonde shade reminds us of all things autumnal. In fact, it complements her skin tone so well, it's even better than the first day of fall.

FAQ

What hair color is honey blonde?

Honey blonde is a warm hue that combines golden yellow with amber-brown tones to create a variety of pale and dark blonde shades.
Which is darker honey blonde or caramel blonde?

Caramel blonde is a deeper shade than honey blonde. Where honey blonde has predominantly gold undertones, caramel blonde has a darker warmth comprised of richer browns or auburn tones.
What skin tone does honey blonde look good on?

Honey-blonde hair can complement a variety of skin tones. Paler iterations can brighten fair skin beautifully, while more golden undertones look great on olive or dark skin. For added depth around the face, a root smudge can blend in a more natural base color.