Brushing and Understanding Tangling
Curly extensions go through a lot before they ever reach your head. Just like many straight extensions are dyed from a donor’s natural color into lighter shades, curly extensions are treated to create and hold a curl pattern. That processing makes curly extension hair more delicate than straight hair, but with the right care it can still last months and stay beautiful.
If you’re dealing with tangling, it’s usually coming from one (or more) of five causes: dryness, the cuticle staying too open, buildup, friction from clothing or sweat, or your natural hair needing extra support while it heals. Extensions will always tangle faster when they’re dry because they’re no longer connected to genetics or your scalp oils. They can only receive hydration from what you apply. Over-washing and skipping hydration dries them out quickly, and dry hair is more likely to split. Split ends create friction, and friction turns into tangles.
Cuticles matter more than most people realize. Curly hair naturally has a more open cuticle, which is why it can feel dry—moisture goes in and out easily. But when the cuticle stays open, the hair stays rough, becomes more likely to get damaged, and tangles easier. Warm water, shampooing, sweat, hair color, aggressive brushing, air drying, and straighteners can all contribute to opening the cuticle and leaving it rough. To help close the cuticle and reduce friction, condition consistently, use products that support a healthy pH range, rinse with cool water when possible, use a lightweight serum on the mid-lengths and ends, and fully dry the hair—especially diffusing thoroughly so the hair isn’t staying swollen and rough for hours.
Buildup is another huge cause of tangling and matting, especially for curly extension wearers who use leave-ins, creams, gels, and sometimes oils. Over time, shampoo, conditioner, and styling residue can build up on the hair, leaving it coated and heavy. Regular shampoo doesn’t always remove that completely, and coated hair tangles faster. That’s why clarifying around once every three washes is recommended. Clarifying should not be used every time you shampoo. Clarifying hair that doesn’t have buildup can dry your extensions out and make tangling worse, so whenever you clarify, it should always be followed by bond repair and deep conditioning.
Friction from clothing and sweat contributes more than people expect. In colder months, jackets, scarves, and textured sweaters rub the mid-lengths and ends and create tangles quickly. In warmer months or at the gym, sweat can leave residue when extensions sit against your neck and shoulders. If you can’t pull your hair away, focus on detangling afterward and consider a conditioner-only rinse from mid-lengths to ends, then fully dry so the cuticle can close back down.
Finally, your natural hair condition matters. If your hair is healing from bleach, heat, thinning, or if it needs a trim, tangling is more likely while it recovers. Healing damaged hair can take months, and during that transition your hair can be dry, split, frizzy, and more prone to tangles—making extensions feel higher maintenance, especially wefts. This is when aftercare matters most, and in some cases clip-ins can be a better option while your natural hair returns to a healthier place.
All of that is why brushing is the first step in caring for extensions—but it can also be the first step to damaging them if it’s done with too much tension, the wrong tools, or at the wrong time. The goal is gentle, controlled detangling that protects your install and prevents small tangles from turning into matting.
Brushing and Maintaining Your Extensions (The Safe Way)
Brushing and detangling is the biggest key to preventing tangling and matting, but the way you do it matters just as much as how often you do it. Plan to detangle at least twice a day—once in the morning and once at night—and always detangle before washing. If you’ve been wearing hoodies, scarves, heavy jackets, you’ve worked out, or it’s windy outside, expect to do a quick extra detangle, because friction is one of the biggest reasons extensions start to tangle near the base.
The least damaging way to start detangling is always finger combing first. Your fingers can “feel” a knot before you force it, which helps you loosen tangles without snapping hair or stressing the attachment points. Start by gently separating the hair where you feel resistance, especially around the base and between rows. Once you’ve loosened the tangles with your fingers, follow with a brush so you can cover a larger section evenly and keep everything smooth.
To detangle the safest way, begin by separating your hair into four sections: two in the back and one on each side. Work one section at a time so you’re not mixing tangles from different areas. Take the first section and hold it with one hand starting low, closer to the ends. Begin detangling below your hand first, starting at the ends and working upward. Holding the hair while you detangle underneath it controls how much tension reaches your install. It keeps you from accidentally yanking on your wefts or bonds and helps prevent slipping over time. As the section becomes smooth, move your hand up a few inches and detangle beneath your hand again. Continue working upward like this until you reach the top of the section, then repeat for all four sections.
Once all four sections are detangled, do a second pass that follows the install itself. For wefts, create horizontal sections that follow your rows so you can brush above and below each row intentionally. For bonded methods like I-tips or keratin, create three to four horizontal sections—lower, middle, and upper—so you can gently separate and detangle through the attachment area without pulling or twisting. This step is what prevents matting at the top of the extensions, because most matting begins near the scalp from friction, sweat, and daily movement. Brushing the top area correctly is what keeps small tangles from turning into a bigger problem.
If you have curly extensions, brushing is a little different because we’re protecting curl clumps while still preventing matting. You don’t want to aggressively brush through dry curls like you’re trying to make them fluffy, because that can create frizz, break curl clumps, and increase tangling later. Most days, start with finger detangling where friction happens most—especially between rows and near the base—then follow with a gentle brush to smooth and blend. If the hair feels resistant, spray a lightweight leave-in conditioner first to add slip. One of my favorites for this is Innersense Sweet Spirit Leave-In Conditioner, because it helps soften and detangle without making the hair feel heavy. The goal is for the hair to glide, not fight you.
One of the biggest rules is to never brush soaking-wet extensions. Wet hair is more elastic and fragile, and brushing wet extensions increases breakage, can weaken attachment points over time, and can turn small tangles into bigger ones. If you absolutely must detangle when the hair is damp, do it only with slip, in small sections, and always support above the attachment points with your hand so tension stays off your install. Also avoid vigorous towel drying. Rubbing and twisting the hair with a towel creates tangles fast; instead, gently squeeze out water and move into your drying routine.
Tools matter because the wrong brush can create damage even if your technique is good. Extension-friendly tools include a wide-tooth comb for gentle detangling and an extension-safe brush that glides without snagging. One option many clients like is the UNbrush, which is a lightweight detangling brush designed to let hair move through the bristles without catching and snapping, helping reduce breakage and tension while detangling wet or dry hair. A loop brush can also be a safe choice for many extension wearers because it reduces snagging at attachment points, but loop brushes designed for wigs can snag on certain extension types, so I always recommend choosing the correct style for your method.
It’s also helpful to understand why certain common brushes are risky. Paddle brushes with ball tips can catch and snag at attachment points, and that snagging can create repeated micro-tugging that leads to shedding or slipping over time. Hard plastic bristles can be too stiff, which increases breakage and can pull on the install instead of gliding through tangles. Traditional “regular bristle” brushes can also be too aggressive for extension hair because they tend to grab, yank, and drag through knots rather than gently separating them. None of these tools are “bad” for everyone—but with extensions, they increase the chance of snagging and tension, and that’s what we’re trying to avoid.
The same idea applies to hair ties and accessories. Avoid elastics with metal clasps, because metal snags extension hair and causes breakage fast. Avoid rubber bands, because they grip too tightly and can tear hair when removed. Be mindful of tight ponytails, tight buns, and clips that pinch directly at attachment points, because tension over time can cause soreness, breakage, and even traction issues. A soft, snag-free elastic or satin scrunchie is always the safest option, especially when you’re sleeping or wearing your hair up for long periods.
If you ever feel like your tangles are getting worse quickly, returning immediately after detangling, forming near the base no matter what you do, or you’re tempted to “rip through it,” that’s the moment to stop and reach out. Tangling is easiest to fix early. Matting is what happens when we push past the warning signs.