Classic Dark Blonde

“The universal rule is that any shade is most flattering when you stay within two shades of your natural color,” Papanikolas says. “Going any lighter can look brassy, any darker can look harsh. Dark blonde sits on the lighter side of the hair color spectrum, so the result can look completely different if you are starting from a darker shade versus a lighter shade.”

Honey Blonde

Beyoncé is no stranger to honey blonde hair and routinely wears it when she is on tour. When transitioning to her signature locks, the star trusts celebrity hairstylist Rita Hazan. We’re fans of this 2017 iteration, where Queen B wore her long layers in a warm blonde tone with tons of definition.

“Dark blonde should lean in the neutral and or neutral-cool tonal world, or it can read brassy to the eye,” says Rez. “It can work for almost anyone if the tones are right and the natural or starting base color is preserved throughout.”

Dark Roots

“The closer dark blonde is to your natural color, the less maintenance it will require,” says Papanikolas. “If you are naturally very dark or very light, then it will need to be touched up and refreshed about every 4-8 weeks. If it’s close to your natural color, then the upkeep is minimal.” 

Papanikolas also mentions that if you have previously bleached or highlighted hair, it can be porous, affecting the color. “It’s important to even out the porosity first with a protein spray, which fills in the gaps and allows the color to adhere evenly,” he says.

Golden Curls

Tyla’s hairstyle at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards is the perfect dark blonde hair inspo for those with curly hair. Here, she rocks golden blonde curls and a braided scalp.

Dark Blonde Roots

A star who never strays off the blonde path is Margot Robbie. We cannot help but fall head-over-heels in love with how the actress wore her locks at the Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood premiere in London. With effortless waves and a single ear tuck, the seamless blend of tones in her hair really shine through.

Iced Latte Blonde

This creamy shade of blonde looks amazing on a close-cropped style. This is proof you can experiment with color no matter how short you go.

Dark Blonde Highlights

Sarah Jessica Parker’s dark blonde highlights have left us awe-inspired for over two decades (with no end date in sight). Here, she styled her signature color in loose tendrils and a center part that emphasizes her oval-shaped face perfectly.

Caramel Blonde

Gigi Hadid is yet another celebrity who has vacillated between a bright, cool-toned blonde and a darker, warmer version. Here, her color leans more caramel and works beautifully with her fluffy brows and subtle smoky eyes.

Deep Ash Blonde

A cool-toned, ash blonde like Suni Lee’s can look amazing on natural brunettes with dark roots to help the grow-out process go seamlessly. While choosing an ash shade can help neutralize warmth in the hair, expect the overall look to be on the warmer side, says Papanikolas. “If you want it to be a cooler dark blonde, then you need to lift the hair to a yellow shade first, then apply the dark blonde shade over it to have a cooler dark blonde effect.”

Relaxed Dark Blonde

Like SJP, Drew Barrymore has championed the dark blonde look for quite some time. She managed to make her darker roots look quite chic here alongside some impressive natural wave.

Smoky Blonde Highlights

Blonde highlights, as demonstrated in this smoky look by Nine Zero One colorist Lisa Torn, can be a great way to lighten up the overall appearance of brunette strands without committing to a full single process. It’s less damaging to the hair and oh-so-cool.

Blonde Balayage

When Ciara hit the CFDA red carpet in 2016, our jaws dropped. Her dark blonde highlights, mixed with her caramel-colored hair, make for the perfect winter balayage. The color doesn’t make her strands look dry or damaged the way a platinum shade could.

Classic Dark Blonde

Jennifer Aniston has been working with the same colorist to create different variations of her iconic hair for decades. We cannot help but wonder if the reigning queen of ’90s pop culture has ever considered changing her signature hue. Fingers crossed, she never does.

Dimensional Blonde Spirals

Bold, chunky highlights pair well with ringlets. Subtle streaks can easily get lost, but these striking lighter blonde pieces add a whole lot of dimension and even more texture.

Low-Maintenance Blonde

Candice Swanepoel is another woman who never strays too far from the dirty blonde hair trend. Here, the model rocked a brighter shade of blonde on the ends of her hair but kept her roots quite dark. This is a great option for those of us who want a brighter blonde but cannot handle the constant salon appointments to keep up with the roots.

Curls and highlights

Here’s another gorgeous example of rich curls enhanced with well-placed blonde highlights. To keep brass at bay between color appointments, use a purple shampoo or in-shower gloss weekly.

Sun-Kissed Highlights

Jemima Kirke—my personal hair inspiration—may not be this luscious shade of dark blonde anymore, but we’ll always think of her as this long-haired, dark-blonde goddess.

Rez suggests asking your colorist to leave your base color in between highlights or adding lowlights for best results. “Once the right level of lift is achieved via highlights, doing a root shadow will blend the highlights in with your starting color, and an all-over gloss will get the right shade of dark blonde,” says Rez. “This way, your base color will run through the lengths of hair and preserve depth throughout the dark blonde so the end color isn’t hollow.”

Toasted Coconut

Pale blonde ringlets and a darker blonde base combine to create a toasted coconut style.

Wheat Blonde

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley may be busy, but the model seems to never let her hair go to the wayside. We’ve loved seeing her rock a flaxen shade of blonde that looks natural and polished. Ask your colorist for a neutral toner to get a color close to Huntington-Whiteley’s.

Root Beer Blonde

This gorgeous root beer shade is the perfect creamy blonde for Rihanna’s deep tan skin tone and hazel eyes. She can do it all.

Dark Dirty Blonde

“Dirty blonde” is sort of a catch-all phrase for a ton of different colors. This smooth, even-toned take is mostly one shade. Rez says that clients can typically expect to go three to four months between touchups with this coloring method.

Cool-Toned Balayage

Looking for a way to lighten brown hair a bit without looking brassy or needing monthly maintenance? The way these highlights are weaved in subtly at the roots and get gradually brighter toward the ends allows for more time between appointments without a harsh regrowth line. They also blend in perfectly with an ashy-brown base.

Face-Framing Blonde

Warm honey-blonde tones and buttery highlights around the face give a summery look year-round. The different tones pop nicely here on loose, undone beach waves.

Rez says the best way for lighter blondes to go deeper is to use a lowlight shade and that it’s important to use an acidic demi-permanent product to avoid patchiness. “I suggest a lowlight shade that is closest to your starting base color when adding depth back in for a dark blonde result,” says Rez. “A root shadow may also be in order after lowlights are put in for a flawless blend root to tip.”

Chocolate Roots

Rita Ora has mastered the brown-to-blonde fade over the years, and it’s been her signature look for years. As seen above, the musician usually leaves her roots chocolate brown. They gradually blend in with her golden blonde ends.

Platinum—But Not Quite

Serena Williams has also made blonde hers. She’s experimented with all sorts of blonde hues, but this cool-toned one fits her the best. It blends near-platinum blonde highlights with subtle hints of ashy brown and dark roots.

2010s Ombré

Nothing beats the good ‘ole ombré hairstyle. In 2013, Kelly Rowland rocked straight brown hair with copper blonde ends. We think that with a modern makeover, this would make for the perfect dark blonde look.

Bob Balayage

You don’t need lots of length to go balayage. Here, Demi Lovato rocks a curly brown-blonde lob. Rez notes that if you want to lighten a dark brown base to dark blonde through highlights, you can use what’s called a midlight. “The midlight should be the second color incorporated in the foiling technique [and] no lighter than two levels of your base color,” Rez says. “Your highlights should not have to be any lighter than two to three levels of the midlight. With a root shadow at the end, your color will be seamless from root to tip, and a dark-based client can get a dark blonde look without reading brassy.”

Streaky Blonde

Ditch well-blended highlights for obvious streaks. This look above shows how effortless it looks when intentionally placed throughout.

Dark Ash

Taylor Swift’s ashy blonde hair was styled to perfection with this The Tortured Poets Department-coded outfit. Here, she rocked a full head of the cool-tone colorway complete with deep side-swept bangs.

Pop Star Dark Blonde

When deciding whether to get highlights or use a single process technique to go dark blonde, it really depends on the tones you’re looking for. “I don’t believe in lightening your base color unless you’re going for a warmer look with very warm gold or red undertones,” Rez says. “Anytime you lift your entire base using a permanent hair color, you will run into potential unwanted warm tones.” If you’re looking for a cool or neutral shade of blonde, highlights can be a good way to achieve this.