What is honey brown hair?
Honey brown hair is a warm brunette hair color with golden blonde highlights mixed throughout. It gets its name from the golden honey tones that come through, giving an overall soft and warm effect. Honey brown hair tends to look natural, multidimensional, and glossy.
The honey brown hair color lives between the spectrum of light brown to dark blonde hair. It is often seen as a perfect balance, bringing out the best of both cool and warm tones. Honey brown hair flatters most complexions and can complement different eye colors nicely.
The characteristics of honey brown hair
Here are some of the main characteristics of honey brown hair:
- Warm golden undertones – Honey brown hair contains warm golden blonde tones mixed with brown.
- Multidimensional color – There is a lot of variation in the color, with highlights and lowlights.
- Medium to light brown base – The base is a medium to light brown, not too dark or light.
- Soft and natural-looking – Honey brown has a very soft and natural-looking effect.
- Works for most complexions – The warm golden tones tend to complement most skin tones well.
- Subtle blonde highlights – Fine highlights in a golden blonde shade are distributed through the hair.
- Glossy finish – Honey brown hair often has a shiny, glossy look to it.
- Easy maintenance – Doesn’t require frequent toning compared to platinum or ash blonde colors.
- Suitable for most hair types – Suits straight, wavy, curly, thick and thin hair nicely.
The combination of brown and golden blonde tones is what sets honey brown hair apart from other brunette shades. This blend of colors gives it a beautiful luminosity and multidimensional effect.
How to get honey brown hair
There are a few different ways you can achieve a honey brown hair color:
Go to a salon – Visiting a professional hair colorist at a salon is the best way to get a tailored honey brown color. The colorist will customize the tone and highlights to complement your skin tone and hair type perfectly. This option also minimizes the damage to your hair.
Use an at-home hair dye kit – There are some great drugstore box dyes in honey brown and caramel brown shades. L’Oreal, Garnier, Clairol, and Revlon all make good options. Be sure to do a strand test first.
Get balayage or highlights – Ask your stylist for fine golden blonde highlights on brown hair to create a honey brown balayage effect. This looks natural and requires lower maintenance.
Use semi-permanent gloss – A semi-permanent clear gloss can add warmer tones to brown hair to bring out golden highlights. This fades gradually and is less damaging than permanent dye.
Transition from blonde – Going from light blonde to a honey blonde then honey brown can make the subtle color change gradual and easy to maintain at home.
No matter which method you choose, it’s best to start the process with properly conditioned hair for the most even results. Give your hair some TLC before dyeing it.
What skin tones does honey brown hair suit?
One of the best things about honey brown hair is that it tends to suit most complexions nicely. Here is a breakdown of what skin tones it flatters the most:
| Skin Tone | Suitability |
|---|---|
| Fair skin | Very suitable |
| Light skin | Very suitable |
| Medium skin | Very suitable |
| Olive skin | Complementary |
| Tan skin | Complementary |
| Dark skin | Unsuitable |
As shown in the table, honey brown hair tends to complement fair, light, and medium complexions extremely well. The warm golden tones flatter these skin tones perfectly.
Olive and tan skin tones can also pull off honey brown beautifully, as the tan skin helps ground the light warmth. It creates a harmonious balance.
However, the color contrast may be too high with very dark skin tones, so opt for a color with ashier tones instead of golden ones.
No matter your complexion, go for a honey brown shade that has enough depth at the roots and lowlights to prevent the color from washing you out. Having some contrast in the highlights and base will create dimension.
How to maintain honey brown hair
Here are some tips for keeping honey brown hair looking its best:
Use shampoo for brunettes – Use a color-safe shampoo made for brunette hair rather than regular shampoo. This will help retain the brown tones and keep brassiness at bay.
Use purple shampoo sparingly – A little bit of purple shampoo can tone down unwanted warmth, but don’t overdo it as you want to keep the golden tones.
Deep condition regularly – Brunette hair needs regular conditioning to keep it from drying out. Treat it to weekly masks.
Protect from sun – Too much sun exposure can cause the highlights to become brassy. Wear a hat outside and use protection spray.
Get trims – Book trims every 8-12 weeks to keep the honey brown ends looking fresh.
Use gloss treatments – An occasional semi-permanent clear gloss can revive the warm tones in between coloring services.
Use anti-fade products – There are shampoos, conditioners, and styling products formulated to reduce color fade that help maximize time between dye jobs.
With the proper maintenance regimen, you can keep honey brown hair looking gorgeously glossy and vibrant.
Honey brown hair ideas
Here are some pretty honey brown hair ideas and styles:
Honey brown balayage – Blend fine golden blonde streaks through medium brown hair for a sun-kissed honey brown balayage. Keep the roots darker for depth.
Wavy honey brown bob – Shoulder-length honey brown hair with loose waves is a universally flattering look. Add bangs for a playful touch.
Honey brown highlights on black hair – Soft golden brown highlights on jet black hair creates an eye-catching contrast and glow.
Honey brown ombre – Transition from a deeper brown at the roots to light honey brown ends. This ombre brightens up dark hair.
Honey brown with blonde money piece – Frame the face with light honey blonde streaks at the front for a modern money piece look.
Honey brown braids – Incorporate honey brown extensions when braiding to create color-melted braids with golden tones throughout.
Rich honey brown curls – Enhance big voluminous curls with a rich honey brown shade. The curls show off the color beautifully.
Whether you want to go for a bold look or prefer soft subtle highlights, there are endless ways to rock honey brown hair. Consult a stylist to create a customized color that flatters you perfectly.
Famous celebrities with honey brown hair
Many gorgeous celebrities have rocked honey brown hair at one point or another. Here are a few famous ladies who have pulled off the color beautifully:
- Jessica Alba
- Jennifer Lopez
- Kim Kardashian
- Beyonce
- Megan Fox
- Blake Lively
- Mila Kunis
- Khloe Kardashian
- Chrissy Teigen
- Kate Hudson
These celebrities showcase how versatile and flattering honey brown hair can be on different complexions and hair textures. The warm golden color seems to complement and enhance most people’s natural features gorgeously.
Whether worn as an all-over shade or with subtle blonde highlights, honey brown hair has that special glow that flatters camera lenses and paparazzi flashes alike!
Conclusion
In summary, honey brown is a beautiful warm brunette hair color with golden blonde tones mixed throughout. It has lots of dimension thanks to highlights and lowlights interwoven through a medium brown base. The color looks glossy, natural, and complements most complexions.
To achieve honey brown hair, you can go to a salon for a professional dye job with customized highlights and lowlights. At-home dyes, balayage, and gloss treatments are also great options. Maintain the color by using brunette shampoo, purple shampoo sparingly, moisturizing deeply, and getting regular trims.
The possibilities are endless for styling honey brown hair in gorgeous ways, from sleek and straight to big voluminous curls. Look to celebrities like Jessica Alba and Jennifer Lopez for inspiration on how to rock this color beautifully. With its warm, multidimensional effect, honey brown hair is sure to make you shine!
