Honey brown hair color is the midpoint between golden blonde and warm chestnut, made with amber and gold pigments rather than red or ash. It reads sun-kissed in Dubai daylight and just as glowy indoors. The colour flatters more skin tones and hair bases than most warm brunettes, even black hair, with proper placement, and it grows out effortlessly.
What Is Honey Brown Hair Colour?
Honey brown hair colour is considered a warm shade of brunette with tones of gold and amber. It falls around a 5-7 on the colour scale and can also be referred to as honey hair colour. There are many variations of honey hair colour, such as honey blonde and honey caramel.
Honey Brown vs Honey Blonde Hair
The blonde colour takes you above level 7, so it needs more lightening and maintenance. Honey brown is the alternative if you want that golden look without losing your brunette roots, which is why colourists in the 75+ countries that carry GK Hair love it: it keeps roots looking natural and grows out softly.
| Honey Brown | Honey Blonde | Honey Caramel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base level | 5-7 | 8-10 | 6-8 |
| Pigment | Gold over brown | Gold over lifted blonde | Amber and gold over light brown |
| Upkeep | Low to moderate | High | Moderate |
8 Best Honey Brown Hair Shades to Try
Honey brown hair can be anything from a subtle golden tint to a very dark, rich brunette hue. This will depend on your base colour.
1. Light Honey Brown Hair Colour
This is the lightest of the eight colours and almost resembles a dark blonde colour. It can be used as an all-over colour on light to medium base colours, or lifts a medium brown base by 1-2 levels; darker bases need pre-lightening first. Ideal for light-medium skin tones that have a warm or neutral tone.
2. Medium Honey Brown
Medium honey brown sits around level 6: warm enough to read golden, deep enough to suit most natural bases.
3. Dark Honey Brown Hair
The deepest shade holds onto more of its true colour, adding gold just through the mid-lengths and ends. It's the best honey brown for very dark or black hair, since it needs the least lightening.
4. Golden Brown Hair
A golden option layers gold tones over a brown base for a warmer look that suits medium to dark skin tones. Have your stylist use GK Hair Juvexin Cream Color Goldens.
5. Honey Caramel Hair Colour
You can find this colour somewhere between honey and caramel brown, suiting medium to dark skin with warm undertones and looking great on wavy or curly hair. It's usually done as a balayage colour.
6. Chestnut Honey Brown Hair Colour
This chestnut-toned colour runs darker and redder, since honey's gold shifts toward chestnut's red. The red warmth in this shade suits warm and neutral undertones best. It also hides grey well.
7. Ashy Honey Brown
A beige-toned option that keeps things away from gold, good for cool skin tones wanting some depth without too much golden colour. A weekly purple-based shampoo keeps it from turning warm again.
8. Honey Beige
A combination of beige and honey gives subtle, barely-there tones, whether used all-over or as lowlights on brunette hair. It looks like natural highlights rather than a dye job.
If none of these eight colours suit your base colour, GK Hair also offers chestnut, chocolate, and ash brown shades.
Who Honey Brown Hair Suits
Best Skin Tones and Undertones
Warm undertones suit honey brown best, since it's built from warm gold tones. Cool undertones can wear it too when the colourist shifts it towards ashy honey brown or honey beige. Look at your veins in natural light.
Green veins mean you're warm, blue or purple veins mean you're cool, and veins that blend into your skin mean you're neutral. Healthline also says golden dyes usually flatter warm undertones best, so the same test works for all brunette colours, honey included.
On Black and Dark Brown Base Hair
Permanent colour alone lifts a natural base by 1-2 levels, so a medium brown can reach light honey brown without any bleach. Black and dark brown bases need pre-lightening first, which is why highlights, balayage, or a face-framing money piece are the easiest routes to take.
How to Get Honey Brown Hair
At Home With Honey Brown Hair Dye
For all-over honey brown on a natural base, go for a gold shade from GK Hair's Juvexin Cream Color Goldens: 5.3 Light Golden Brown works for medium honey brown, and 6.3 Dark Golden Blonde gives you the lighter version.
If your base is more neutral, Juvexin Cream Color Naturals has you covered instead. Both use Juvexin V2, a plant-based protein from quinoa and pea.
Mix one part colour with 1.5 parts GK Hair Cream Developer, about 60ml of colour to 90ml of developer. Go with 20 volume for permanent colour, or 8-10 volume if you just want to deposit tone. Leave it on for 30-45 minutes, and always patch test 48 hours beforehand.
In the Salon
Book a colourist if you need lightening, toning or placed highlights, if your base is black or very dark, or if you want grey coverage with a soft grow-out. Layering several formulas in one visit is hard to do evenly at home.
Honey Highlights, Balayage and Money Pieces
Placement decides how much lightening you need and how the colour grows out:
- Foiled sections: most natural-looking grow-out; works with nearly any brown base colour
- Hand-painted balayage: softest regrowth line; best for black or dark base colours
- Money piece: two or three face-framing sections only; least commitment
- All-over colour: most even result; most maintenance with darker base colours
Honey Highlights on Brown Hair
Fine foils from your mid-lengths to your ends look the most natural, while heavier foils up front brighten your face more. It's also the least-committal way to dip into honey brown, since it fades out without a stark line. Want something cooler and less golden? GK Hair has you covered with subtle brown hair highlights that don't have any honey warmth.
Honey Highlights and Balayage on Black Hair
As with all honey on black, you need to lift first. Once lifted to a six or seven, a colourist tones those pieces gold and melts them into your base colour for warmth without touching your depth. Hand-painted balayage, done in sections rather than a full foil, gives the softest regrowth line on black hair.
How to Keep Honey Brown Hair Bright
Colour-Safe Wash Routine
A sulphate-free, colour-safe shampoo and conditioner will prolong your colour, since sulphates strip colour along with everyday build-up. If the gold starts turning orange, add a blue-toned shampoo to your routine once a week to neutralise it. Save purple shampoo for the lightest shades, level 7 and up, if they start turning yellow instead.
Glossing and Colour Masque
A gloss every 2-3 weeks reseals the cuticle and keeps your tone between appointments. GK Hair's Lock Me Color Masque is a good choice, thanks to its Juvexin protein blend and UV/UVA protection. Wear gloves and apply it evenly to clean, damp hair, leave it on for 20-30 minutes, then rinse out.
Heat Protection
Too much heat styling will fade your honey brown faster, so keep heat below 180°C on coloured hair. Use GK Hair ThermalStyleHer Cream, which is best for protecting colour-treated hair from heat damage.
Stylist's Corner
Ask your colourist to write down your exact formula, the shade numbers, developer volume, and timing, and keep it on file. Mixed colour starts oxidising within minutes and can't be saved, so every root touch-up should be mixed fresh from that same formula.
From Shade Chart to Salon Chair
A honey brown hair colour comes down to the right shade, the right placement, and keeping the colour up afterwards. GK Hair Juvexin Cream Color makes that easy every time. Check out our Color & Blonde Care collection, and bring a picture of the colour you love to your colourist.
FAQs
Is honey hair blonde or brown?
It can be both because it's a family of colours. There's honey blonde, which is a level 8-10 blonde with gold tones. Honey brown would be a brunette base with some golden tones throughout the lengths. So tell your hairdresser which one you'd like.
What colour level is honey brown?
Honey brown ranges from level 5 to 7, similar to medium-light brown, but with gold and amber tones running through it, whether highlighted, balayage, or all-over.
Can you get honey brown without bleach?
Yes, you can get to honey brown with just a permanent colour if your base is at least a medium brown to dark blonde. Most other bases will require lightening as permanent colour only goes 1-2 levels lighter on its own, including black hair.
How long does honey brown last before it fades?
It lasts about 6-8 weeks depending on your porosity and sun exposure. The gold fades first, so a regular gloss keeps it from looking faded or orange.
Does honey brown turn brassy?
The gold will fade to a brassy, orange tone if you have hard water and use heat often. A colour-safe, sulphate-free shampoo helps, and a blue-toned shampoo once a week will neutralise the orange. Save purple shampoo for the lightest shades if they turn yellow instead.
What makeup and clothing colours go with honey brown hair?
Terracotta, bronze, and soft coral complement honey brown by reflecting its golden hue. For clothing, think camel, olive, rust, and warm ivory; black and cold, pale colours can wash you out.
