The vixen sew in made waves a few years back, when a video of someone getting it done by a stylist got shared and re-shared on Facebook. Cut to today, there’s not as much talk about the vixen sew in but it still has a steady place among Black hairstyles because it’s great on all textures and allows you to switch up your hair more than you normally would with a sew in.
What is a Vixen Sew In?
A vixen sew in is a method of installing sew-in extensions that allows you to have more styling options. What differentiates this method from standard weave installs is the braid pattern used. Instead of braiding all of your hair all back or into one beehive pattern, your hair is parted into four quadrants and each quadrant is braided into a beehive, while some hair around each quadrant is left out, allowing you to create parts in between quadrants. Here’s a nifty diagram from Outre Hair.
Here’s what it looks like on a person:
Pros and Cons of a Vixen Weave
The key pro of a vixen weave is that it gives you more styling flexibility. With a normal weave your stuck with the hairstyle that’s sewn in, unless you don’t mind your tracks showing. But with a vixen weave, your able to create parts in different sections of your hair without any tracks showing, allowing you to create more looks. If you’re someone who likes to switch things up a lot, a vixen weave might be good for you.
There are a few cons when it comes to a vixen weave.
- You have to cut your wefts when using the vixen method. If you’ve paid a lot of money for your hair, you may not want to do that as it causes shedding. However, cutting can be avoided if you fold over a track once you get to the edge of a braid.
- You leave more of your hair out than you would with a normal weave. To be able to part more of your hair, you need to leave more of it out. So unlike with a standard weave you’ve got hair all around the perimeter out as well as down the vertical and horizontal middle. The more hair that’s out the more potential damage you can do to it simply through manipulation or with it being exposed to the elements.
- Some people have also said that there’s added tension to your hair with a vixen. Some stylists braid their client’s hair tightly so that it can endure the styling that they might do with the sew in. On top of that, putting your hair into up-dos applies even more tension to your hair.
You can address the above cons by simply not putting too much tension on your hair and making sure your braids aren’t done too tightly, as well as taking care of your leave out. Just keep in mind that with more hair out, your hair will require more maintenance and care.
Braid Patterns for a Vixen Sew In
As mentioned, what sets a vixen sew in apart is the braiding pattern. The pattern shown above is the typical pattern. But there are a few variations (again Outre Hair has a nifty diagram).
The kind of pattern you use depends on how much versatility you want with your weave and the types of styles you want to create. For example, the four quadrant pattern is good for anyone thinking of rocking high or low pigtails or buns, but those styles aren’t for everyone. A two part vixen would be good if you’re thinking about rocking two long french braids, like this.
Vlogger Natural Jess the Dragoness did a version of the three part vixen shown in the diagram above. She does a few rows of an S-pattern in the back half of her hair, then braids the front half all back. She takes out three braids in the front half of her hair, allowing her to create a middle part and side part on either side.
How to Do a Vixen Sew In
Oh boy, if you’ve got the guts to try a vixen sew in yourself, Natural Jess the Dragoness’s tutorial is a good one because she also shows you how to use the flip-over method. Otherwise, we HIGHLY recommend you go to your local salon to get this done. As versatile as a vixen sew in can be, if it’s not done right, it can end up looking BUUUUUULKY!
A Few Other Things You Should Know
- The vixen weave is best done on hair that’s healthy and full and that’s roughly pony tail length for easy blending.
- Like a normal weave install, it can be done on all kinds of textures–relaxed, natural, curly, kinky. Just be sure you find hair that blends well with your hair.
- You’ll need about 3 – 4 packs of hair for a vixen.
- The style lasts 8 – 10 weeks.
Hairstyles You Can Do With a Vixen Sew In
Finally, with all the talk about styling versatility, here are a few of the hairstyles you can do with a vixen sew in.
