How to Repair Damaged, Tangled & Dried Hair Extensions (2025)

Chances are you did not come here happy and with perfectly smooth hair. Tangled or damaged extensions are a common issue that buyers often overlook. Hair extensions are trendy in all their forms, from tape-in hair extensions, glue-in, sewn-in or braided, clip-in, and many others. Hair extensions add length, volume, color, and shine to your natural hair, so it’s no wonder they are so popular.

You finally got new, beautiful Remy wefts, and they’ve been holding on pretty well for some time, but now you’ve noticed that your hair extensions look damaged, dry, tangled, and dried out. And you ask yourself, what do you do now? Don’t worry! There are many ways to repair damaged hair extensions and return them to their original shine.

So, before you call it quits and throw newly purchased wefts into a bin, let AiryHair specialists help you! In this article, we will learn all there is to damaged extensions, from hair softening and reviving to extension detangling and preventing such occurrences in the first place.

First, we must talk about hair extension care. It would help if you were sure that the products you apply to your hair are of good quality and designed for hair extensions. This is the most important piece of advice. If you take care of your extensions with high-quality products from the beginning, there is a lot less chance of them getting damaged in the first place.

High-quality products ensure the health of your extensions and your natural hair. That’s why it’s important to use products that will preserve your hair; if you don’t, it will become dry or dull.

• It’s important to avoid using any hot tools on your extensions. If you have to, make sure to use heat protectant spray. However, it’s best not to use hot tools at all.
• When you wash hair extensions, be very careful how you scrub your hair. You don’t want to push hair too hard or scrub hair upside down. Hard scrubbing will cause matting and tangling.
• It is imperative to brush your hair every day, at least twice a day! Using an extension brush, not a regular brush, is also important. Be very careful when brushing to avoid breaking and damaging your extensions. Brushing your hair regularly keeps your extensions in great condition and prevents the matting and tangling of the extensions.

If you missed some of these important steps to care for your extensions, you probably ended up with tangled, dry, and damaged extensions that nobody wants. Since you have paid a lot of money for your extensions, keeping them in perfect condition is in everyone’s best interest. Luckily, there are several tips and methods that you can try to repair your damaged, tangled, and washed-out hair extensions.

In nine out of ten cases, the damage was caused by moisture or a lack of it when fixing damaged hair extensions. The result is skanky hair, which can be avoided.

LOC Method

Many women want to figure out how to keep their hair extensions moisturized for an extended time. You might have seen professional hairstylists use this technique without even thinking. It looks like a casual procedure without any thought process. However, you’d be wrong!

What’s a LOC Method?

The secret is in layering products, from the wateriest consistency products to the thickest. This is called the LOC method. It is an abbreviation for the type of products you use and the order in which it is applied to your hair.

• L stands for liquid, which can also be water or a watery product
• O stands for any type of oil
• C stands for cream and its products

The LOC method is particularly important if you have very curly, wavy, or kinky hair extensions because just a little bit of oil may not do justice to keeping the hair moisturized, healthy, and shiny especially when you’re using curly extensions to add to the look of your hair! There’s no debate; you must incorporate the LOC method to prevent the extensions from becoming dry.

There are a couple of methods you can try to save your dry hair extensions. Dryness causes problems such as tangling, matting, and breaking. Many products are designed specifically for reviving and repairing damaged, dry, and washed-out extensions.

You can also try those, although if you don’t want to spend much money on expensive products, use the alternative methods listed below. All from the comfort of your home.

Use Olive, Coconut, or Argan Oil

The first method is simple and uses ingredients most people already have. Use extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, or argan oil. Be sure that these are pure, unflavored oils.

1. The procedure is straightforward. Just take a bowl, put some extra virgin olive oil in it, and put it in a microwave for about a minute.
2. You want to get it nice and warm, but not too hot so you can’t touch it.
3. Then, put your extensions in the bowl and douse them in olive oil.
4. Afterwards, add hair extensions in a plastic bag, close it, and keep it there for about an hour.
5. Now, simply rinse extensions and brush them through a little bit. Be extremely gentle since strands are wet.
6. Add some conditioner to coat the hair so it doesn’t smell of oil, which will also help to smooth out the locks.
7. Lastly, place hair extensions on a towel and let them dry overnight.

Timeframe: 1 to 2 Hours

The Boiling Pot Method

The first method is the easiest, although it requires the highest amounts of oil. If you want to try something different, hear me out. There is a boiling method that is often used to revive dry and/or damaged extensions.

1. Simply boil a small pot of water until it’s hot, just not burning hot.
2. Add ten to twenty drops of olive, coconut, or argan oil and two spoons of hair conditioner.
3. Place dry hair extensions and leave them in for about 10 minutes.
4. It’s important to let the hair cool down before you take extensions out.
5. Again, place the wet extensions on a towel and let them dry overnight.

Timeframe: 15 Minutes

If you’re adding oil to your extensions, stick with the extra virgin, coconut, or argan oil. Other substances are known to cause breakage or fat build-up.

Did it work? If not, don’t despair! There are more ways to bring back their old shine. Follow the next guide, and your extensions will be almost brand new.

Advanced Hot Water Method

This one uses principles similar to the previous method, pushing things further. Regardless of whether you have clip-ins, tape-ins, fusion or micro links, you should remove your ruined extensions. You will need a sink or a tub, shampoo, conditioner, and natural oil.

1. Pour hot water in the sink or pot and place your extensions inside.
2. Add natural shampoo, gently squeeze, and massage the hair. Do this for a couple of minutes until the hair is thoroughly washed.
3. Rinse and make sure that there is no shampoo on the strands.
4. Now, pour hot water again and add the hair. This time, add a leave-in conditioner and a few drops of natural oils.
5. Use your hands to mix it all. Don’t be shy with that conditioner; you want to coat all the strands.
6. If you want, add some treatment for damaged hair inside.
7. Leave hair overnight, or even longer if you have the time.
8. While the extensions are still wet and covered in conditioner, brush them gently. Begin at the ends and work your way up towards the roots. Be very patient here because it will take quite some time, depending on how bad the state of the extensions is.
9. After thoroughly brushing every weft, ensure there are no knots or tangles.
10. Rinse out the hair with warm water.
11. Place brushed extensions on a dry towel and leave to air dry.
12. When the extensions are completely dry, brush them again, and they’re ready to wear.

Timeframe: 60 Minutes

Your hair should now be completely revived, shiny, and tangle-free!

Upon purchase, your hair extensions look perfect, but many of us don’t always take proper care, and that’s when some problems may appear. Sometimes, your extensions might get a little bit tangled, and that’s not a good look. Fortunately, there are many ways you can try to detangle your hair extensions and things to do to prevent it from happening again.

Your hair extensions shouldn’t get badly tangled if you use them properly. Nonetheless, if you’re wearing a lot of hair spray or it’s particularly windy, you might run into this problem. Of course, nobody wants tangled and messy extensions, so you should try to get your extensions back into perfect condition and keep them that way.

Tangled hair extensions look like a rat’s nest, an experience no one wants. However, with millions of extensions washed daily, you can sometimes get unlucky. But whether tangled hair results from poor maintenance or low-quality extensions, there are ways to salvage the mess.

The thing you don’t want to do is yank the tangles out with a brush or a really fine tooth. Instead get the antistatic comb or extremely wide comb. These will not damage extensions.

1. Start with your hair extensions towel-dried, not completely wet or dry.
2. Use a detangler to work out the knots with a wide-tooth comb.
3. Afterwards, condition them. It’s important to be gentle with your hair extensions and be patient.
4. The leave-in conditioner will help you eliminate the tangles, so you don’t have to apply much force.
5. If you have a particularly big knot, using a tail comb and gently working through the knots is a good idea. This way, you’re ripping out less hair.

Timeframe: 30 to 45 Minutes

Infusium 23 Leave-in Treatment

This is an inexpensive leave-in conditioner available in many places. It’s safe to use on hair and extensions. It works well and gets the tangles out.

Price: $12.73

Johnson’s No More Tangles

Another option is Johnson’s detangling spray. It’s made for children but is another very inexpensive option that works great. It’s entirely safe for use on extensions and has benefits for your natural hair.

Simply spray it on your extensions and comb them using a wide-tooth comb to remove the knots and tangles. Start combing from the bottom and work the tangles. There is no need to rinse.

Price: $17.19

It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In Product

Yes, a full name does sound like this. This is a great product that controls frizz, helps detangle hair, and adds shine. As with other products, you simply spray it on and start detangling.

Price: $28.49

Argan Oil

Argan Oil has many benefits for hair and hair extensions. There are many brands of argan oil, and you can choose your favorite. Argan oil works great for detangling and removing knots from extensions.

This is also a great product to use with hair extensions in general. It keeps them in great condition, and it is a natural substance that won’t damage your hair extensions.

Price: $19.99

Pick any of these based on reviews and pricing. You can’t go wrong with any.

The first thing you need to incorporate into your routine is brushing. Extensions require combing, the same as your natural hair does. It may sound obvious, but many girls don’t brush regularly, and that’s when the rat’s nest looks appear.

Brush Your Hair Extensions

Even if hair extensions are soft and tangle free. That’s how you want to keep them!

Preventing is much easier than reviving, so brush a couple of times every day. If you have permanent extensions like fusion or tape-in, then you comb everything together, like your natural strands. If you have clip-ins, make sure to brush when you clip them and when you take them out to store them. You must brush your hair before and after every wash.

One thing to remember is to be very gentle with the brushing so as not to damage the hair. It’s a good idea to purchase a brush that detangles hair, which is made especially for extensions. It will get rid of all the knots and matting.

It’s a good idea to sleep with a sleeping cap or a scarf around your head to make your life easier and do less brushing. The goal is to secure and prevent your locks from matting and tangling while you sleep. You can also tie a ponytail or a braid to prevent the hairs from brushing together and creating tangles.

Don’t Wash Hair Extensions Often

Another obvious thing is that girls sometimes skip this step completely. Although it’s not required to wash additional locks as often as you would your hair, that still doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.

How Often Should You Wash Hair Extensions?

For flip-in and clip-in hair extensions, stylists recommend washing hair every 20 or 30 years. For other extension types, wash them no more than once a week.

The products you use to wash are also important. Avoid harsh shampoos and buy something gentle for the hair. The more natural, the better, since chemicals could also ruin your extensions.

Don’t Use Many Hair Products

Other products you use, like hairspray, gels, and oils, also affect the condition of your hair, and you should avoid everything you can. The more product you put on, the more you will need to wash your hair, eventually leading to tangled extensions or knots.

Also, avoid using hot tools as much as possible. The extensions will become dry faster, and the heat could shorten their lifespan.

Okay, you have followed all these steps, and your hair still looks like an awful ball of goo? The other thing to think about, and you probably don’t want to hear this, but there is a possibility that you have poor-quality extensions. The best way to tell if extensions are healthy and are great for sustaining the time that you wish for them to be is if your hair stands up to the test of time.

Natural hair does develop hair splits. If you’re doing everything possible to keep hair healthy, trim away any little splitting hairs; that’s a good indication of quality. Wait, what? Yes, you have real hair extensions if split ends are not excessive.

If your hair is drier, keep it moisturized! Now, if you do all you can to keep your extensions healthy and your hair is still breaking off or is hard to style, your hair could be filled with fillers.

Most fillers appear very silky, with plastic fibers that one can notice. If your hair extensions are not retaining moisture, there is nothing you can do, as the hair was processed with fillers.

The only solution is to get a set of actual hair. If you prefer quality over quantity, then genuine Remy extensions is what we recommend.

Conclusion

Follow all these tips to keep your hair extensions healthy. If procedures fail, you don’t have great-quality hair extensions. The practices above are worth trying because they can work wonders on your old, worn-out extensions. Of course, there are many more methods to research and try out. However, these are the easiest ones to work,

We hope these tips have helped you repair your damaged, tangled, and dried-out hair extensions and keep your locks pristine.

And, of course, if you want to avoid having to repair your damaged hair extensions, make sure to follow all the steps for caring for your extensions. You can read the full extensions care guide here. This article focuses Remy tape-in hair extension, but most of these tips are valid for any type of hair extensions.

So, take good care of your extensions, and good luck in repairing them!