Everything to Know About the Mixie Haircut, Including How to Try It Yourself

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Learn about this hot hair trend and how to ask for it at the salon

Co-authored by Annie Johnston Reviewed by Jasmin Todd

Last Updated: August 5, 2024 Fact Checked

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What is a mixie haircut?

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What to Tell Your Stylist

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Styling and Maintenance

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Benefits

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Ways to Wear

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Other Combination Haircuts

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Video

Looking for a style with a touch of attitude? The mixie haircut, a look that combines the classic mullet with a pixie cut, may be right up your alley. Styles combining two cuts in one are majorly trending on TikTok, so it’s no wonder we’re seeing the mixie everywhere from the grocery store to the red carpet. In this article, we’ll cover what the mixie cut is, how to ask your stylist for it, and everything you need to know about styling and maintenance.

The Mixie Cut: Quick Overview

The mixie haircut is a style that combines a pixie cut and a mullet. Like a regular mullet, the back is longer than the front, but the top of this cut features the short, choppy style of the pixie.

Section 1 of 6:

What is a mixie haircut?

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The mixie haircut is a mullet-pixie combo. Like the name suggests, the mixie haircut is a fun blend of two very retro and classic styles. The short pixie cut on the top of the head tapers into longer pieces in the back.^{[1]
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- Somewhat inspired by the 1970s, the mixie is a bit rebellious, which is why you’ll see celebs like Miley Cyrus, Florence Pugh, and Zendaya rocking the edgy style.
- The cool thing about the mixie is that virtually anybody can pull it off. Whether your hair is straight, curly, textured, long, or short, you can definitely don a mixie and customize it to your liking. Even if you have very fine hair, the pixie elements come in and add some much-needed volume.

Section 2 of 6:

How to Ask Your Stylist for a Mixie Haircut

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Bring in a picture of a mixie for your stylist. Pictures speak a thousand words, so the best thing you can do when asking your hairdresser for a mixie is to provide them with a photo reference. This allows them to see exactly how long or short you’d like your style to be, how much layering and texturizing you want, and how dramatic you want the cut look.
- If possible, find photos of people with a similar hair texture to your own. The closer the hair type is to your own, the better your results will turn out.
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Ask for a combination of a mullet and a pixie if your stylist isn't familiar with the cut. If your stylist is up-to-date with all of the latest trends, they should have a pretty good idea of what a mixie is. If not, explain that it’s a combination of a mullet and a pixie, and that you’d like the back to feature the long length of the mullet, while you want the top to be short, texturized, and choppy.
- When choosing a stylist, keep in mind that those who specialize in edgy, dramatic, trendy haircuts are going to be more familiar with the mixie. While your regular stylist may do a wonderful job with this cut, consider finding someone who isn’t afraid to be bold.
If you have a defined jaw or square face shape, keeping the sides a bit longer around your face can incorporate a bit of added softness. On the other hand, if your face is on the longer side, keeping those sides shorter can draw attention upward and create balance to your features.^{[2]
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Section 3 of 6:

Styling and Maintaining the Mixie

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If you’re someone who likes the defined, funky layers of the mixie, schedule regular trims to make sure the hair doesn’t grow out and lose all of that definition, which might result in a look that’s not so much like the mixie anymore.^{[3]
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Over time, product, dirt, and oil can build up in our hair and weigh it down. With a mixie cut, definition and volume is a main part of the look, so flatness is something you want to avoid. When you use a clarifying shampoo, it goes in to clear out all of that gunky stuff and provide your scalp and hair with a fresh slate. Think of it as a deep cleaning for your hair.^{[4]
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Let’s face it—the mixie is all about the drama, so really playing up that funky, choppy, texturized look is ideal here. The best way to do that is with products that define your hair and give it a piecey look. Try things like sea salt spray, texture powder, and defining pomades.^{[5]
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Section 4 of 6:

Benefits of the Mixie Haircut

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In other words, the mixie haircut steps in and allows you to be yourself. It can be worn in many different ways, and depending on your hair type and texture, you can customize it to your own preferences. You can wear it shaggy, long, short, wavy, curly—the choice is yours!
Have a busy schedule and the last thing you want to worry about is your hair? The mixie is your new best friend. In fact, it often embraces a messy, unkempt look, so if it’s your dream to roll out of bed in the morning and go, that’s totally an option with this style. As it grows out, it gets a bit shaggy, which is still a really great look!
This is especially important for those with damaged hair or just want to avoid heat styling in general. Using heat on your tresses daily is definitely not the best for maintaining healthy locks, and the nice thing about a mixie is that you can achieve the look you want with just a few styling products—no heat necessary.^{[6]
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Section 5 of 6:

Ways to Wear the Mixie Cut

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Thanks to singers like Miley Cyrus, the wavy mixie has become a big trend. These waves can be easily achieved by using a sea salt spray and letting the hair naturally air dry.
A short and choppy mixie features a more cropped look, with the sides, top, and edges cut closer to the head and the mullet portion in the back kept at a subtle, short length.
Coiffed hair usually involves a lot of volume that’s neatly combed into place.^{[7]
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There are a million variations of bangs you can wear with a mixie. You can go for anything from short micro bangs to long, side-sweeping fringes.
A rounded mixie really brings out those retro vibes. Here, instead of angular layers, the ends of the hair are curved out to give off a softer, more elegant feel.
If you thought the mixie was only for people with short hair, think again! A curly mixie can be worn long or short. Add curl defining cream to really play up your locks and make those ringlets stand out.
Arguably the most dramatic way to wear a mixie, a short pixie on top that bluntly tapers down into a long mullet perfect for those who crave edginess. In fact, the back can be as long as you’d like it to be!

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Other Combination Haircuts

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Combination haircuts combine two cuts in one. Aside from the mixie, TikTok has shown us that merging two cuts into one really is a thing. If you’re curious about which other haircuts offer two for the price of one, take a look:
- The Bixie: The bixie is somewhat like a mixie, but instead of a mullet in the back, the ends are cut into a bob (bixie means bob and pixie). Here, the top of the hair is cut into a pixie, while the ends go straight around the head for a classic bob look.^{[8]
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- The Wolf Cut: The wolf haircut blends elements of the vintage '70s shag and the '80s mullet to create an entirely new look. It can be worn in a million variations, and you’ll see the wolf cut being rocked in every style from short and grungy, to long and glam.^{[9]
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- The Butterfly Haircut: The butterfly haircut is a look that offers short, wispy layers around the chin and longer layers that fall below the shoulders. The goal of combining longer layers with shorter ones is to give your hair a boost of volume, body, and movement—a bit of oomph that we all love to see.^{[10]
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- The Lob: Though the lob is nothing new, it still deserves an honorable mention. Combining the words “long” and “bob,” a lob is basically, well, a long bob.^{[11]
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- The Octopus Haircut: The octopus haircut is the baby of a shag and a mullet. It has heavy layers on top that eventually blend into long, shaggy, bottom layers. The result? It has the silhouette of an octopus. If aquatic creatures are your vibe, this could totally be the look for you.^{[12]
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