From Toasted Caramel to Sand: 12 Dark-Blonde Hair Colors the Fashion Set Is Lining Up For

I have a few overarching predictions regarding 2025 hair trends: bobs will reign supreme (duh), bangs of all kinds (curtain, micro, blunt, et al.) will take center stage, and beauty fans will continue to line up for lived-in color. The latter has never really been "out," for what it's worth, but it's no secret that low-maintenance hair has become more popular than ever (call it a recession indicator). Despite the unfussy upkeep, lived-in hues often look even more expensive than a full, glossy dye job. Case in point? Dark-blonde hair.

A cross between blonde and light brunette, this rich, vibrant hue is multidimensional with tons of stunning depth, yet it's easy to care for with a very natural-looking grow-out phase, requiring fewer trips to the salon. Although dark-blonde hair is not a monolith, you can find various tones, shades, and techniques within the color category, which is why we've included 12 ideas below to show your colorist. Keep scrolling—screenshot fodder ahead.

12 Dark-Blonde Hair Colors to Try in 2025

Bambi Blonde

Bambi blonde refers to a blend of tones, including deep honey, vanilla, and fawn (hence the name!). It was coined by Zoë Irwin, the creative director at John Frieda salons. The hue has a rich, warm finish perfect for existing blondes or brunettes craving something a bit brighter. "It’s a layering technique which does away with painstaking highlights in favour of thicker slices of honey, caramel, beige and gold tones that blend seamlessly," she once shared with WWW.

Honey Blonde

Of course, we can't forget about Bella Hadid's recent hair transformation. The model ditched her signature espresso lengths for a rich honey blonde, and we've seen beauty fans following suit ever since.

Sunflower Blonde

"Golden tones, when you dye them in, make hair look really glossy and expensive," says hairstylist Tom Smith regarding this sunny trend. You can achieve sunflower blonde in one of two ways: either opt for a monochromatic gold all the way through, or ask for a darker, bronzy gold with a bit more contrast and dimension.

Bronde

Bronde (or a blend of blonde and brunette) is perfect "for people who want to be blonde but are looking for something that's a little lower maintenance and less damaging to the hair," celebrity colorist Dimitris Giannetos told WWW about hair trends.

Bronde Balayage

The balayage hype will never wane, IMO. "It can be tailored to suit your skin tone and work with natural hair color, allowing even the darkest hair to go ‘blonde’ with flattering results," colorist and Matrix brand ambassador George Papanikolas once told us about the trend.

Rustic Blonde

Rustic blonde is quite earthy and rich, incorporating just a subtle kiss of warmth.

Toasted Caramel

Caramel hair typically skews brunette, but a few toasted highlights on honey hair will always look rich.

Sandy Dark Blonde

Beachy and slightly cool-toned sandy blonde hair is a fabulous option for summer. (Though, I'd also argue it stuns year-round.)

Jam Blonde

True to its name, this blonde hair color comes infused with "jammy" notes—think apricot, orange, and peach. "It’s super fun and full of golden hues with a hint of orange zest, but it can be made sweeter and brighter by adding more yellow," color specialist and Stil Founder Christel Barron-Hough, told Who What Wear UK about the on-trend hue.

Blonde With Dark Roots

Embrace the grown-out phase! Opting for darker roots at the top makes this low-maintenance color even more of a breeze.

Butterscotch Blonde

What do you get when you combine blonde and caramel tones? You guessed it—butterscotch blonde! According to WWW UK editor Grace Day (who recently opted for the trending color herself), "This shade is great for those of you who have slightly darker hair and want to go lighter, but still want your hair color to look soft and natural."

Mushroom Blonde

A cool-toned bronde, mushroom blonde features earthy, ashy tones (like the ones you'd see on a mushroom) that appear natural yet sophisticated.

What Is Dark-Blonde Hair?

To put it simply, dark-blonde hair refers to strands that are too rich to be considered true blonde yet not quite deep enough to fall into brunette territory. The color typically features lots of dimension—you might see light brown roots or sunny streaks throughout—so the overall effect is a combination of caramel, sun-kissed hues.

Is Dirty Blonde the Same as Dark Blonde?

Not exactly, though the two are pretty similar. Both dirty blonde and dark-blonde hair fall on the blonde spectrum, but the former is usually slightly cooler in tone. Dirty blonde hair tends to have more ashy undertones that appear more lived-in, while dark-blonde hair leans more rich and golden. Now, that being said, cooler dark-blonde hair colors do exist, so it's okay if you interchange the two in casual conversations with your colorist; just know that they aren't technically identical.

How to Determine the Best Dark-Blonde Hair Color for You

As with any hair color, it depends on a few factors—your skin's undertones, first and foremost. Some dark-blonde hair colors read cooler than others (mushroom blonde and sandy blonde, for example), while others are much warmer and vibrant (like sunflower blonde and toasted caramel). If you have pink, red, or blue undertones in your skin, you might fare well with one of the cooler options; on the other hand, if your skin has hints of gold, yellow, or olive, a warmer hair color will suit you best.

Then, of course, there's the maintenance portion to consider. Dark-blonde hair colors are generally pretty lived-in, but some options are more fussy than others. If you don't foresee yourself heading to the salon every few months for a touch-up, you might want to opt for balayage over full highlights, and you'll probably want to steer clear of any red tones (i.e., jam blonde), as red hues fade faster.

Why Trust Us?

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This post was published at an earlier date and has since been updated.