Detangle braids one at a time with a wide-tooth comb, conditioner, and patience. Work from the ends to the roots, never rip, and deep-condition before re-washing.
Takedown done badly is where most breakage happens. Give yourself 2 to 4 hours and follow the protocol.
**Step-by-step takedown**
1. **Cut just below the natural-hair line** of each braid (about an inch below where your natural hair ends inside the braid). This removes most of the extension weight.
2. **Unravel each braid** by hand from the bottom up. Synthetic hair will slide out as you go.
3. **Saturate with detangling conditioner** mixed with water in a spray bottle. Aim for slip — a generous amount of cheap conditioner beats a stingy amount of expensive one.
4. **Finger-detangle first**, gently pulling apart shed hair at the root with your fingers before any comb touches it. This is the most important step.
5. **Wide-tooth comb from ends to roots**, never the other direction. Hold the section above where you''re combing to absorb tension.
6. **Section as you go** into 6 to 8 twisted sections so the freshly detangled hair doesn''t re-tangle with the rest.
7. **Wash and deep-condition** the same day. Two clarifying-shampoo lathers, then a 30-minute deep condition with heat.
8. **Trim split ends** before any new style.
**Give your hair 1 to 2 weeks** of rest between styles. Back-to-back installs are the fastest path to thinning edges.