The Best Hair Products for Pixie Hairstyles

I’ve compiled the best styling products for pixie cuts for my readers. In this list, you’ll find everything the typical pixie wearer could need, including molding pastes, flat irons, serums, and volumizers. These products are beloved for various reasons and will help take your pixie from ho-hum to “Hallelujah! I’m having another great hair day.”

How a pixie looks depends so much, not only on the haircut but your hair’s texture. Curly, wavy, fine, and thick hair will all fall differently when cut and air-dried.

The best styling products for pixie cut

Pixie cuts are a classic, bold, and chic hairstyle that requires maintenance to keep smooth and well-behaved. Here are some of the best styling products for pixie cuts:

1. Texturizers: Texture is key for keeping a pixie cut from falling flat. Sea salt sprays like Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray are perfect if you want no fuss. Just spritz it on, and you’ve got instant volume and lift.
2. Molding Wax or Paste: A decent molding paste or wax can mean the difference between awesome hair and “meh” hair. Without it, your hairstyle could fall flat on your head or look like puffy frizz. Oribe Rough Luxury Molding Wax is a great option.
3. Argan Oil: Argan oil is a great product for adding shine and taming frizz. Apply a small amount to your hair after washing and before styling.
4. Flat Iron: A decent flat iron is essential for keeping your pixie cut looking sleek and polished. If you have long bangs, aim for a 1-inch flat iron. Shorter pixies look best ironed with a 1/2-inch iron, but these can be hard to find. Consider a mini iron, which has small plates and works well with short hair.
5. Heat Protectant: Protecting your hair from damage is important when using heat-styling tools. Use a heat protectant spray like Tresemmé Protective Spray Heat Tamer.
6. Volumizer: If you have fine hair, a volumizer can help add body and fullness to your pixie cut. Look for a lightweight formula that won’t weigh your hair down.
7. Soothing Scalp Oil: Short haircuts like pixies can expose more of your scalp, which can be prone to dryness and irritation. B. Well 100mg CBD + Arnica Flower Soothing Skin & Scalp Oil is a great product to nourish and soothe your scalp.

Remember to choose products that work best for your hair type and texture.

More on pixies:

• Pixie Hair: The Best Pixies Right Now
• The Best Pixies for Older Women

A Molding Paste or Wax

For pixie styles, a decent molding paste or wax can mean the difference between awesome hair and “meh” hair. Without it, your hairstyle could fall flat to your head or look like puffs of frizz.

Molding products (look for the words “paste,” “putty,” or “wax” on the label) allow you to create texture and volume if you have fine hair and tame and control if you have unruly hair.

Here’s how to use it: put a dime-sized amount on your palm, warm it up between your hands and palm it over your hair. Use your fingers to style your hair, creating the look you want.

When shopping for a molding paste, you want something that won’t leave your hair crunchy. I’ve read amazing things about these ORIBE (pronounced “Or-i-bay”) products:

• ORIBE Hair Care Fiber Groom
• ORIBE Hair Care Rough Luxury Soft Molding Paste
• ORIBE Airstyler Flexible Styling Cream

For a drugstore brand, this gets great reviews:

• L’Oreal Paris Advanced Hairstyle Txt It 01 Deconstructing Gum

And don’t rule out products formulated for men. These get great reviews:

• American Crew Fiber Pliable Molding Creme For Men
• Lush Dirty Hair Cream

A Decent Flat Iron

If your hair is wavy, curly, or tends to frizz, a flat iron will be a necessity in your beauty arsenal. But not just any flat iron will do; you’ll need to invest in a 1/2-inch iron or, at most, a 1-inch iron to best style your hair. Anything larger will be hard to work with.

If you have long bangs, aim for the 1-inch. Shorter pixies look best ironed with a 1/2 inch, but these can be hard to find. Consider a mini iron, which has small plates and works well with short hair.

I recommend my favorite flat irons on my list of The Best Flat Irons and Hair Straighteners. I include several 1-inch models.

My pick for pixies: The BaBylissPro Nano Titanium 1/2″ Mini Iron Blue.

A Heat Protectant

If you use a flat iron on a regular basis, a heat protectant cream or spray applied on damp hair will protect it from heat. 

I recommend TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray.

A Volumizer if You Have Fine Hair

The great thing about pixies and fine hair is that it’s easier to add body to short hair than longer hair.

You just need the right product. Fine hair can fall flat to the head if you don’t use a volumizing product. Volumizers typically come in the form of sprays or mousse. I like a mousse, which had a reputation for a decade or so for being so 1985. Today’s mousses are much nicer on hair, leaving them soft and pliable while still adding body.

I include my favorite volumizers in The Best Products for Fine, Flat Hair, but for pixies, I recommend:

• Agadir Argan Oil Volumizing Styling Mousse
• Living Proof Amp Texture Volumizer

A Serum for Extremely Coarse or Dry Hair

If you have extremely dry or coarse hair, a serum is going to be your best friend. Apply to sections of hair before flat-ironing for a sleek, smooth finish.

I recommend Sassoon Salon Diamond Polish or John Frieda Frizz-Ease Extra Strength 6 Effects Serum.

A Deep and/or Leave-in Conditioner for Frizzy Hair

If you suffer from frizzy hair or dry, coarse, and unruly hair, a deep conditioner, and a leave-in conditioner will help tame hair. Use the deep conditioners once a week or more and the leave-in conditioners as needed.

I recommend these deep conditioners:

• L’Oreal Total Repair 5 Damage Erasing Balm
• Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask

And I recommend these leave-in conditioners:

• Caju Leave-in Conditioner
• Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream

Beach Spray

Some women forgo the molding pastes altogether and use beach spray to add texture to their hair. A beach spray gives hair volume and lifts at the roots.

You can make your own using my salt spray recipe. Otherwise, I recommend Fekkai Soleil Beach Waves Spray and Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray.

A Decent Shampoo Formulated for Your Hair Texture and Type

If you are the type who goes days between hair shampoos, that may change with your pixie. Not many women wake up with a gorgeous pixie bedhead. The pixie tends to be a high-maintenance hairstyle, and this means frequent shampoos.

I recommend buying a good shampoo that won’t wash out your color (if it’s fake) or turn your hair dry.

See my list of the Best Shampoos and Conditioners for All Hair Types, and sulfate-free shampoos are a great bet. See my favorites in Sulfate-Free Shampoos: The Top 10 List.