10 Dark Blonde Hair Colour Ideas for Every Season

If you love this season's bronde but feel it might be a little too deep, embrace dark blonde hair colour for the dreamiest transitional shade. Because it's a mix of everything – bright yet muted, soft yet radiant – it can take you from summer to fall and winter to spring with the sweep of a tint brush. The question is, what kind of dark blonde shade is going to suit you best? We've got all the inspiration you need right here. Introducing 10 of the most covetable dark blondes around...

But, First – What Colour is Dark Blonde?

Dark blonde features a mix of light brown and rich blonde tones – like a bronde but a shade brighter. And you can wear it any way you like, whether that's in root-to-tip highlights or with a dark root shadow and a lighter balayage. If you want to get technical, dark blonde hair tends to be a level 5, 6 or 7, so if your Wella colourist is showing you swatches, it's likely they'll be highlighting shades in that range.

Is Dark Blonde the Same as Dirty Blonde?

Dirty blonde is just one of many dark blonde hair colours. It's a look that sits within the same family of shades, so if you get a dirty blonde look you're also getting a dark blonde colour. A dirty blonde tends to be cooler in tone, and high on contrasting highlights. Typically, it features a light brown base and bright strokes of lightener in ashy, sandy and earthy tones.

10 Dark Blonde Hair Colour Ideas

1. Dark Blonde Balayage

Image Credit: @poppymarchh

How dreamy is this balayage? Mimicking the highs and lows of a natural blonde in summer, it features brown tones at the root and light-reflective, warm blonde hues through the mid-lengths and ends. The healthy shine completes it; a glow that comes courtesy of ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue for intense care, followed by ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum for that mirror-like, glass hair finish.

2. Dark Honey Blonde Hair

Image Credit: @beclavell_hair

Give dark blonde hair a drop of honey to reach this beautifully decadent look. While the honey shades on the ends are light with golden undertones, a bronde hue appears through the roots and mid-lengths. The result: a majorly multitonal mane that's made even glossier with a colour glaze. Want this level of glow? Ask your colourist to tone your highlights with SHINEFINITY for a zero damage, zero lift, translucent veil of colour. Not only will it leave your hair up to 50% smoother and softer¹, but it also makes it up to 250% shinier². Who wouldn't want that?!

3. Dark Ash Blonde Hair

Image Credit: @nikkiclifford_hair

If you like your blonde cool, clean and ashy, discover this season's suede blonde trend. Suede isn't just a fall wardrobe staple; it's a soft and smooth colour that can also be worn through lengths for a muted glow. BlondorPlex is the ideal lightener for this look, as it gives you up to nine levels of lift, up to 97% less breakage³, and it features an anti-yellow complex to ensure your ash blonde is free of yellow and orange brassy tones.

4. Dark Golden Blonde Hair

Image Credit: @nicolerevish

This glimmering, glittering, golden blonde is the epitome of goddess hair, with a mix of chocolate brown, dark blonde and medium blonde hair tones. SHINEFINITY is your toner of choice when you want a hair colour this glossy. Ask your colourist to turn up the richness and radiance with gilded shades of this iconic colour glaze.

5. Dark Blonde Sun-Kissed Highlights

Image Credit: @dereqc

This is blondish hair, a shade so effortlessly cool and stunningly sun-kissed that it looks like it's fresh off a California beach. BlondorPlex was used to lighten the brown base, and for that hint of caramel blonde, you can ask your Wella colourist to use Color Touch as your toner. It's a demi-permanent, vegan colour that harnesses Metal Purifier technology, so you enjoy true-tone-vibrancy, no matter your hair's condition. It also gives you up to 70% gray coverage⁴, so if you want to blend away a few silver strays, it's ideal for a root touch-up.

6. Dark Blonde Reverse Balayage

Image Credit: @sevensens_coiffure

A traditional balayage is dark at the roots and lighter through the lengths, but dark blonde presents the perfect opportunity to give a reverse balayage a go. The lightness is focused through the top layer of the hair, starting at the roots, while all the depth in the lower layers takes center stage through the lengths and ends. For colours this rich, Color Touch is the ideal toner. Its uncompromised vibrancy and shine makes deeper tones appear extra dimensional.

7. Bronzed Dark Blonde

Image Credit: @rickymoica

Hints of honey, caramel brown and metallic bronze give hair a cool, undone vibe while still appearing polished. We're calling this particular look 'old money bronde'. If you want to try it, ask for Illumina Color at your next Wella salon appointment. The permanent colour is luminous in every light, thanks to its innovative Microlight Technology. This glow-boosting breakthrough protects the clarity of the hair cuticle, so light can actually enter each strand and illuminate it from within.

8. Dark Strawberry Blonde Hair

Image Credit: @tuliorodriguees

Redheads, we haven't forgotten about you. If you want to try the dark blonde trend, explore a warmer, deeper version of a strawberry blonde. A scattering of copper tones will enrich your look, and it's easier to maintain than you might think. Simply add the Color Fresh Mask in Peach Blush to your hair care kit, and it will revive your tone at home in just 10 minutes.

9. Dark Blonde Face-Framing Highlights

Image Credit: @danielmbeauty

If you're a brunette who's looking to dip a toe into the dark blonde trend, ease in with just a hint of lightness by asking your colourist for face-framing highlights. Koleston Perfect's palette of Special Blonde shades are ideal for this look, as they lift and tone strands in a single step. This gives you subtle highlights that shimmer through the front layers of your hair. For added shine, finish your style with ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum. The luxurious elixir gives you nourishment in 30 seconds for smoothness that lasts up to 3 days⁵.

10. Extra Dark Blonde Hair

Image Credit: @paintedbydana

Make dark blonde hair even darker by wearing cool tones through a deep brunette base. This ash bronde hue shows that even those with espresso strands can work a subtle hint of brightness. You can achieve the highlights with BlondorPlex, which gives you up to 9 levels of lift. Then, enjoy a shimmery, translucent veil of dark blonde colour by completing your salon appointment with a SHINEFINITY Color Glaze.

How to Maintain Dark Blonde Hair

1. Keep Brassy Tones at Bay with Purple Shampoo

Dark blonde tones can sometimes drift too warm, which dulls that polished finish. A purple shampoo is your secret weapon to keep your colour crisp and fresh. Try INVIGO Blonde Recharge Cool Blonde Shampoo. Its violet pigments neutralize brassiness in under five minutes, while the gentle formula ensures your strands stay soft and cared-for. Massage it into wet hair, let it get to work, and then rinse thoroughly to reveal cleaner, cooler depth in your blonde. Use it only when your colour feels overly warm; on other wash days, switch to ULTIMATE SMOOTH Shampoo for a shine-boosting cleanse that leaves dark blonde hair glossy and light-reflective.

2. Boost Nourishment with Masks and Conditioners

For dark blonde hair, radiance is key. Every wash should be followed by ULTIMATE SMOOTH Conditioner, designed to smooth and soften mid-lengths and ends without weighing them down. Its creamy texture rinses clean, leaving your hair silky and nourished – never heavy. For best results, squeeze excess water from your hair before applying, so the blend of Squalane and Omega-9 can be fully absorbed. Then, once a week, trade your conditioner for ULTIMATE SMOOTH Intense Mask. This concentrated treatment restores bounce and shine, giving your dark blonde hair a lit-from-within glow.

3. Amplify Shine with a Lustrous Hair Oil

Your dark blonde hair will look its best when it's glossy and glowing with health, so make a hair oil part of your daily styling regimen. But not just any hair oil; use ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum for a multitasking formula. It nourishes your hair from the inside out, adding a dose of shine to every step in your hair routine. So, it's not just for hair wash day – it's for every day in between, too.

Here's how to use it:

• Smooth it through your hair before shampooing to protect dry lengths while roots enjoy a thorough clean.
• Add a few drops to the ULTIMATE SMOOTH Intense Mask to amplify its benefits.
• Apply it to damp hair before blow-drying. For an added health boost, layer it over the top of ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue, which repairs hair damage in 90 seconds⁶.
• Use it as a heat protectant before drying, flat ironing or curling your hair.
• Top it up on lengths and ends in between washes whenever you need an injection of shine.

Now you know how to reach a dark blonde hair colour and keep it looking flawless, find your nearest Wella salon and start your journey to the ultimate transeasonal shade...

¹ Instrumental testing versus our regular demi-permanent colour.

² Versus untreated bleached hair.

³ When using Wellaplex N°2 with Blondorplex versus Blondorplex alone.

⁴ Only with Color Touch Plus.

⁵ When using ULTIMATE SMOOTH Miracle Oil Serum, if unwashed for 3 days, vs. untreated.

⁶ When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue.