10 Types of Sew-Ins (2024)

by Gloria Kelley

Believe it or not, there are multiple sew in methods and techniques, here are 10 different sew-in methods that will help you better decide which type of sew-in will work best for your hair type, lifestyle and overall desired look.

Read below and check out pictures to help you visualize the best sew-in method and style for you.

Traditional Sew-in: a traditional sew-in is a long established method of doing a sew-in, where your natural hair is braided and then the weft hair will be sewn unto your braids. A partial or full sew-in can fall under the term “traditional sew-in”.
Full Sew-in: another name for this sew-in will include “no leave-out sew-in” where all of your natural hair is put away. All of your natualr hair will be braided and undetected once the sew-in is complete. The wefts or tracks of the extension hair will be sewn on to your braids, the track or wefts will then be covered by either a special weaving technique to conceal the wefts.
Partial Sew-in: the partial sew-in is a sew-in that is considered to be “traditional” where hair is left out typically at the crown, front and around the edges to conceal the weft to give off a natural appearing weave. As the name suggest, the hair is partially braided typically in the back, and then the wefts are sewn on to the braids.
Versatile Sew-in: the versatile sew-in is a sew-in technique that enables you to have more versatility with your weave than a traditional sew-in (partial or full sew-in.) The sew-in becomes “versatile” when you’re able to wear your sew-in weave in multiple ways or styles, such as aponytail, bun, updo or down do.
Closure Sew-in: a closure sew-in is a hair weaving technique where the majority of the natural hair is braided down. This sew-in is similar to a full sew-in becausenone of your natural hair is left out unless, you opt for your edges/ or hairline to be left out of the sewin, in this case it will be called a "Versatile Closure Sewin." This particularsew-in is topped with a lace or silk closure sewn on to the crown of the head or the top front of the head taking the place of the "leave-out" portion of the sew-in. Find out more about this technique, how to achieve a very natual and realistic closure sewin.
Frontal Sew-in: a frontal sew-in is also a full sew-in with a frontal added to the top front of the head. All of your natural hair will be braided down, wefts are sewn to the back of the hair and then the frontal piece will be placed on the top of the hair. The frontal piece will cover your whole hairline reaching from ear to ear. This method is popular amongst those with alopecia.
Versatile Closure Sew-in: a versatile closure sew-in is a weaving method that includes a lace or silk closure along with versatility to pull your hair up into a ponytail or high bun. Learn more about this technique and check out pictures of my versatile closure sew-ins here.
Vixen Sew-in: a vixen sew-in allows you to wear your hair in many different ways such as, half up half down, in addition to different partings.
Microlink Sew-in: a microlink sew-in is a weft-by weft or track by track method using microbeads to attach the weft on to small beads or links. The beads are attached to the natural hair with a loop-tool and tightened with a hair extension plier. This can also be termed as a "braid-less sew-in" because this sew-in does not require any braids. Instead the base of the sew-in becomes the beads and not the braids.
Track by track Sew-in (weft by weft sew-in): this type of sew-in incorporates 1-6 tracks sewn onto a single horizontal cornrow. Somepeople will opt for this method if they want to add more density and fullness to their natural hair, normally the individual tracks will be placed in the fringe or bang area, the middle or the nape/back just to add fulness to a specific area instead of the entire head. This method may take under 1 hour and only involve 1 pack of hair or less than 3 ounces of weft hair.