Everything to Know About the Mixie Haircut

What is a mixie haircut?

The mixie haircut is a combination of a pixie cut and a mullet. The mixie blends the longer back of a mullet with the shorter front of a pixie, creating a unique and stylish look. This cool cut has surged in popularity in recent years, thanks in large part to celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Florence Pugh, who showcase various takes on the trend and elevate its fashionable appeal. The mixie cut is a universally flattering style that complements a variety of hair textures, including curly hair. This haircut embraces a delightfully rebellious, retro vibe with its rough-edged, slightly '70s-inspired aesthetic—a refreshingly unique look that still feels familiar.

Asking Your Stylist for a Mixie Haircut

Ask your stylist for a mullet-pixie combo. Explain that the style you’re looking for features a short, choppy front like a pixie, and a long, piecey back like a mullet. When getting a mixie haircut, it's important to work closely with your stylist to ensure the cut flatters your face shape and features. Additionally, determine with your stylist how short the layers should be and discuss their plan for creating texture and movement throughout the style. Provide your stylist with photos of the haircut you want, featuring people with similar hair types and textures to your own. If your stylist is familiar with the mixie haircut, simply request that style. If not, provide reference photos so they can replicate the look. You’ll also want to consider the type of bangs you’d like to pair with the mixie. Options include micro, side-swept, wispy, or curtain bangs—each of which will add a distinct element to the overall look. Once you've settled on the cut and bang details, be sure to ask the stylist how much daily styling time you can expect based on your hair texture. People with square, angular face shapes may benefit from a mixie cut with longer sides and front to soften their features. Conversely, those with narrower faces may opt for a shorter pixie cut at the temples to add width and balance the face. When opting for an edgy, short hairstyle, it's crucial to choose your stylist carefully. Seek out a stylist who's known for cutting-edge looks and go for someone who not only understands the desired aesthetic, but also knows how to tailor it to your face shape and hair texture.

Styling and Maintaining the Mixie

Styling and maintenance vary depending on your hair type. Before getting a short haircut, consider your natural hair texture and the styling time required for the look you desire. A straight or wavy cut can be a time-saver, but if you need extra weight for a polished look, you may end up spending more time styling than expected. On the other hand, if you desire a voluminous, fluffy, short style, this could be the ideal option for you. People with thin hair will likely need to spend some extra time adding volume into their hair. This involves using volumizing or clarifying shampoos and conditioners, thickening mousse, and hairspray to keep the look in place. For those with normal to thick hair, you may not need to do any styling at all. Thankfully, this cut is very low-maintenance and often styles itself since it really embraces the messy, disheveled look. If you desire some extra volume or choppiness, you can add product for the look you’re going for. Talk to your stylist about which options are best for your type of texture and the style you’d like to achieve.

Use a clarifying shampoo. Clarifying shampoo helps promote voluminous, healthy hair by removing impurities and dead skin from the scalp. Since the mixie cut is all about choppy, textured volume, you’ll want to have a clean slate to work with, and clarifying shampoo is a great way to achieve that.

Reach for texturizing products. Texturizing products like pomades, gels, and waxes are great for adding definition to those piecey layers. Scrunching mousses and texturizing sprays, such as salt sprays, into damp hair can add body and enhance your hair's natural texture.

Schedule trims every 4-6 weeks. The "mixie" haircut requires regular trims every 4-6 weeks to maintain its style, depending on your individual hair growth. Alternatively, you can let your hair grow out for a shaggy look, which would require salon visits every 8-12 weeks.

Why is the mixie haircut so popular?

The mixie cut embodies the modern desire for a unique, eye-catching hairstyle. The mixie is extremely versatile and encourages individuality. With its fierce silhouette and bold contrast between short and long layers, the mixie cut has an edgy, indie-inspired aesthetic that feels both trendy and rebellious. Simply put, this dynamic style is impossible to ignore.

The mixie cut offers numerous practical benefits. Its low-maintenance design requires less daily styling, ideal for those with hectic schedules. The textured top layers create volume and movement, enabling a range of styling options—from casual tousles to sleek, straight looks. Additionally, the mixie cut is highly adaptable, making it suitable for a variety of occasions, from casual outings to formal events.

The mixie cut is surprisingly low-maintenance. In fact, the style evolves into a lovely, shaggier look as it grows out. Not into heat styling? Simply spritz on a sea salt spray for extra texture, or apply a matte pomade/wax to the top section for movement and definition—no heated tools required.

Other Combination Haircuts

Combination haircuts combine two cuts in one. This is a trend that has taken social media by storm in recent years, and new ones continue to emerge. Aside from the mixie cut, you’ll also see: The Bixie: The bixie haircut strikes a balance, blending the short, chic length of a pixie with the volume and layers of a bob. This low-maintenance style dominated as the must-have look for trendsetting women throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and even into the early 2000s. The Wolf Cut: The wolf haircut blends elements of the vintage '70s shag and the '80s mullet into a modern, hybrid style. It's as if the distinct looks of those two bygone eras were combined to create a fresh, contemporary hairstyle. The Butterfly Haircut: The butterfly haircut features a captivating blend of short, wispy layers around the chin and longer layers that fall below the shoulders. The short layers frame the face, highlighting your features and contouring a round face shape, while the longer layers maintain the look of a full, flowing hairstyle. This dynamic combination creates dimension, movement, and body throughout the hair. The Lob: A lob, which is a hairstyle longer than a bob, is typically cut to fall between the chin and collarbone. This versatile length allows the hair to be pulled back into a ponytail. Lobs are often styled with a textured or blunt edge to create visual interest and movement. The Octopus Haircut: The octopus haircut's name refers to its resemblance to the silhouette of the fabulous sea creature. Similar to a mullet, the style features more volume and body at the crown (the "head" of the octopus) with longer, thinner, shag-like layers from the mid-shaft to the ends (the "tentacles").