How To Remove Hair Extensions
It’s no secret that we all adore hair extensions. Whether it be because of the gorgeous volume they offer us, the length, or even just the change of look that gives us that extra boost of confidence. We’re all obsessed, and trust us, we have good reason.
But while hair extensions can be beautiful and make you feel beautiful inside and out, sometimes they can be a bit confusing when it comes to removing them properly. And obviously, if we fail to remove them properly, we can damage our natural hair or ruin our extensions, which we definitely don't want! So to avoid the horrible pain of ruining expensive hair extensions, we’ve put together a step by step tutorial of how you can safely and properly remove your extensions without worry. Let’s get started!
Removing Hair Extensions
Sewn-in extensions:
- Gather all your hair in a ponytail (and separate the extension half of your hair into a separate pony tail if you can).
- Find the end of the thread and very carefully snip the thread. You can trace your fingers along the line of your scalp to find where the sewing took place. Go as slow as possible while you snip, as it is very easy to cut your natural hair on accident! (In fact, we highly recommend having a friend or professional help with this.)
- Next, unravel the remainder of thread from your scalp. Use one hand to hold your natural hair to avoid any uncomfortable tugging or breaking, while the other lightly undoes the remaining thread. If you need extra help, you can also buy special product solutions that help to dissolve and break down threads to make your removing process much easier.
- Repeat the process until you feel you have unraveled all the thread in your hair. Next, comb out your hair to help detangling and to ensure that you have gotten all the artificial material out. And you’re done!
Glued or taped extensions:
- Separate your hair into workable sections.
- Find the extensions in your hair and apply oil, letting it sit for 15 mins. Oil helps to breakdown the chemical bonds of glue or tape, making it much easier to remove. You can apply coconut, almond, olive, or baby oil — basically just whichever one you prefer!
- After you rinse your hair of the oil, apply conditioner and wrap your hair up in a towel to remove the remaining oil.
- Lather, rinse, and repeat until all the glue is removed.
Clip in extensions:
Removing clip-in extensions is definitely the easiest removing process by far! Here’s how you do it:
- Start by sectioning your natural hair at the crown away from the first section of extensions on the back of the head, and above the ears.
- Go slow and remove one clip at a time. Hold your natural hair against your scalp to avoid any stress or breakage.
- Work in sections to help you keep track of each extension and ensure you are not putting to much pressure on your natural hair, or getting the clips tangled.
- Spray leave-in conditioner to help remove a clip in if you're having trouble. If your natural hair is somewhat tangled or stuck to the extension, lightly dampening it and combing it through slowly will help to remove it painlessly. And after that, you’re done!
