There’s always going to be a place for those crisp, cool platinum shades and ashy hair colors, but lately we’ve been seeing more and more people eager to warm things up. If you’ve been dreaming of a rich, warm color, honey highlights might just be what you’re looking for.
From barely-there sun kissed honey highlights to bold honey highlights on dark hair, there are many ways you can dabble in this trend. If you’re keen on trying honey highlights for yourself, keep scrolling for 35 ways to wear the look.
Good hair day by @thathairmagic.
What are honey highlights?
Inspired by the sugary substance you love to mix into your morning cup of tea, honey highlights can range from golden yellow to rich amber. This means they’re ultra-versatile and that they’re flattering on so many skin tones. When in doubt, defer to your colorist’s opinion for what shade and boldness will work best on your tresses.
Best Honey Highlight Ideas And Inspiration
Dreaming up ways to incorporate the rich, warm-toned honey highlights into your tresses? Look through our list below for 35 inspiration ideas.
Subtle Honey Highlights
If you’re an experienced salon blonde, all you’ll need is a little bit of honey to warm you up for the season. This look is subtle and oh-so-gorgeous.
Honey Balayage Highlights
For the low-maintenance girls out there, we recommend a honey balayage. Your colorist will hand-paint highlights onto your hair to create a blended, natural-looking color that grows out gracefully in between salon appointments.
Cinnamon And Honey Highlights
This gorgeous combination of cinnamon and honey highlights painted onto a rich brown base reminds us of a perfectly blended seasonal latte.
Honey Money Piece
If you’re looking to edge into a full head of honey highlights gracefully, you’ll strike gold with the money piece technique. Your colorist will apply foil highlights to the strands framing your face to add a pop of color to your mane and accentuate your facial features.
Chocolate Brown With Honey Highlights
There’s nothing we love more than warm, chocolate cake—except maybe a hair color that’s equally as rich and delicious as the delectable dessert. Ask your colorist for honey highlights over a chocolate brown base to satisfy your craving for sweets while giving your strands depth and dimension.
Light Brown With Honey Highlights
If you’ve been toying with the idea of brightening your naturally light brown hair, honey highlights are the perfect way to go a bit lighter without completely abandoning your dark roots. In order to keep your lightened brunette hair brass-free, you’ll need a toning shampoo and conditioner like the Matrix Total Results Brass Off Shampoo and Conditioner system. This system neutralizes brassy tones, while moisturizing hair and protecting it from breakage.
Light Copper With Honey Blonde Highlights
Copper is a color we come back to every single year—and can you blame us? This warm, gingery hue screams fall. Put a twist on your light copper hair with honey highlights. If you have a fair complexion, this look is made for you!
Curly Honey Highlights
There’s something special about highlights on curly hair. While all over color might make ringlets appear flat, honey highlights can enhance your natural texture with a pop of brightness and dimension.
Auburn With Honey Highlights
Take your red-brown auburn hue to new heights with subtle, honey highlights.
Golden Honey Highlights
Lean into those glow golden vibes via honey highlights. Golden highlights look best when they’re shiny and reflective, so invest in a shine-enhancing hair oil like the Redken Diamond Oil Glow Dry Blow Dry Shine Oil. This hair oil formula delivers diamond-like shine with ultra lightweight control.
Good hair day by @faizas.salon.
Honey Caramel Highlights
Take your honey strands slightly darker into a sweet caramel shade. For an extra faceted look, have your stylist weave in baby strands of honey, too. Just look at how rich, warm, and gorgeous this color is.
Good hair day by @hairbykatierose.
Bronde Hair with Honey Highlights
Bronde is the perfect mix between blonde and brown, hence its name! We love the added ombre effect here, which really embraces honey highlights in the lower half.
Good hair day by @jaye_edwards.
Honey Highlights on Black Hair
Even the darkest shades of hair look absolutely beautiful with strategically placed honey highlights. The texture here further adds to the dimension.
Good hair day by @artistrybyabby_.
Neutral Blonde with Honey Highlights
A neutral blonde marries cool and warm tones for a more natural look. This look has the perfect amount of honey highlights added for balanced, beautiful color.
Good hair day by @hairbyamybee.
Neutral Honey Brown Highlights
These honey brown highlights strike the perfect balance between warm and cool for a neutral brunette that shimmers everywhere you wander.
Good hair day by @morellosalvatore.
Dark Honey Brown Balayage
Stay true to your darker roots with rich honey brown balayage. For that extra warm richness, have your stylist place a warm-leaning toner on top. It'll add some glorious shine, too.
Good hair day by @hairbykatied.
Copper Honey Highlights
If you don’t want to go too light but still like the idea of adding warmth to your locks, opt for copper-honey highlights instead of the lighter, blonder version.
Good hair day by @brunodviana.
Honey Blonde Babylights
Ask your colorist for baby fine honey blonde highlights or strandlights for a final look that adds depth and brightens your complexion.
Good hair day by @avhair_.
Caramel Highlights on Chocolate Brown
How about this subtly caramel-infused brunette? You can see the colorist focused on adding that warmth to the ends while adding fine strands of honey highlights from the top, as well.
Good hair day by @taylorhardeehair.
Dirty Blonde with Honey Highlights
Dirty blonde hair with a mix of honey highlights, lowlights, and cool highlights is a great way to maximize dimension.
Good hair day by @hairbybritny.
Chestnut With Fiery Honey Highlights
Warm up your brunette with fiery shades of honey blonde. For even more dimension and a face-framing pop, ask your colorist to go ahead and add that money piece.
Good hair day by @hairbykatierose.
Mahogany and Honey Ombre
Mahogany roots pair brilliantly with a warm, honey blonde base. To tie the two shades together, ask your colorist to do a bit of balayage work.
Good hair day by @hairbykatierose.
Honey Copper
Give your copper hue a pop of honey with gorgeous warm-toned highlights.
Good hair day by @boudi_creativeheadz.
Dimensional Neutral Blonde Balayage
Keep the balance between cool and warm via a balayage on medium to dark blonde hair. Ask your colorist to incorporate a pale honey blonde from the high-mid section and then really focus it at the bottoms.
Good hair day by @ccatherinee.g.
Amber-Honey Melt
For an extra burst of golden goodness, lean more toward an amber-honey hue for your highlights. Here, the colorist added those bright, sunkissed panels around the face and then melted the color into brown hair for a seamless blend.
Good hair day by @alisa__levchenko.
Sandy Blonde with Honey and Butter Highlights
Brighten up your sandy blonde with a mix of honey and buttery blonde highlights.
Good hair day by @colorbymattrez.
Honey Brown Midlights
Adding honey brown midlights to a darker base allows for minimal lift while still being intentional about adding warmth to your base. It also blends beautifully.
Good hair day by @_merakiforhair.
Face-Framing Honey Highlights
For a low-key play on honey highlights, focus on adding those lightened pieces around the face.
Good hair day by @hairbymeganperez.
Walnut Brown and Soft Toffee Highlights
If you’re seeking an ultra subtle way to incorporate warmth into your dark, walnut brown hair, ask for fine, soft toffee highlights. This instantly creates a sense of warmth and sparkle.
Good hair day by @hairbykatierose.
Horchata Blonde with Honey Highlights and Lowlights
Add a burst of brilliant dimension to your mane via a blend of honey-hued highlights and lowlights.
Good hair day by @hannahjeanbeauty.
Pearl Blonde with Honey Highlights
Alternatively, opt for more of a pearl-blonde color that combines mostly cool tones with subtle hints of honey throughout.
Good hair day by @foiledbycarlee.
Pink, Brunette, And Honey Highlights
Who says you have to stick to a traditional hue? These bubblegum pink money pieces perfectly complement dark blonde roots bedazzled with honey highlights.
Good hair day by @mannie_mak.
Honey Highlights On Dark Brown Hair
We love the way honey strands pop against dark brown hair color.
Good hair day by @alfajaesalon.
Face-Framing Honey Highlights On Dark Brown Hair
To minimize upkeep while brightening your dark brown strands, focus the honey highlights around your face.
Good hair day by @adina_pignatare.
Chocolate With Dark Honey Highlights
We love the silky and sparkling dimensional chocolate brunette look here. It incorporates ribbons of dark honey and warm chestnut.
Good hair day by @bohohair_bybelle.
Butterscotch Blonde With Honey Highlights
Talk about a sweet ‘do. Start with a creamy and warm butterscotch blonde, then add honey highlights on top. To cool it down slightly, consider baby-find threads of sandy blonde and platinum ice.
Color Extend Magnetics Sulfate-Free Shampoo for Color-Treated Hair
A gentle cleansing shampoo to care for colored hair.
Color Extend Magnetics Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair
A moisturizing conditioner for colored hair.
All Soft Heavy Cream Deep Conditioning Treatment Mask
An anti-frizz moisturizing hair mask for dry and brittle hair.
Color Last Deep Treatment Pack Multi Use Hair Mask
A deep treatment hair mask for colored, dull, or damaged hair.
Redken Color Extend Blondage Color Depositing Honey Beige Mask
Add a golden honey beige tint in just 5 minutes with this temporary color depositing mask.
How To Care For And Maintain Your Honey Highlights
You’ll want to care for your honey colored highlights by adding products intended for color-treated hair to your routine. Doing so helps lock in the vibrancy of your color for longer. For example, Redken Color Extend Magnetics Sulfate-Free Shampoo and its matching Conditioner boast gentle formulations that strengthen hair without stripping your strands of that expensive color.
Routinely using a leave-in conditioner or conditioning mask will also help keep your mane healthy and strong. We recommend Redken All Soft Heavy Cream Deep Conditioning Treatment Mask and Biolage ColorLast Deep Treatment Pack Multi Use Hair Mask. Anytime you’re dyeing your hair—and especially if you’re lightening or bleaching it— you’ll want to go above and beyond to nourish and strengthen your tresses to keep them looking and feeling healthy, shiny, and gorgeous.
Another way you can maintain your honey highlights is to see your colorist every four to six weeks for a toning treatment. This is a semi-permanent wash of color that helps create dimension, vibrancy, and shine. You can also use color-depositing masks like Redken’s Color Extend Blondage Color Depositing Honey Beige Mask. This formula adds a golden honey beige tint to enhance your hue in just five minutes.
Interested in getting honey highlights? Use our salon locator to book an appointment at a salon near you.
Total Results Brass Off Shampoo
A color-depositing shampoo that banishes brass in lightened hair.
Total Results Brass Off Conditioner
A nourishing conditioner for color treated dry, brittle or damaged hair.
Color Extend Magnetics Sulfate-Free Shampoo for Color-Treated Hair
A gentle cleansing shampoo to care for colored hair.
Color Extend Magnetics Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair
A moisturizing conditioner for colored hair.
All Soft Heavy Cream Deep Conditioning Treatment Mask
An anti-frizz moisturizing hair mask for dry and brittle hair.
Color Last Deep Treatment Pack Multi Use Hair Mask
A deep treatment hair mask for colored, dull, or damaged hair.
Redken Color Extend Blondage Color Depositing Honey Beige Mask
Add a golden honey beige tint in just 5 minutes with this temporary color depositing mask.
