Getting braid extensions make life so easy. Many of my clients get hooked on it because of the ease of getting ready in the morning and maintaining a regular work out routine without having to deal with hair each time they workout. Once your hair is completely hidden away inside braids, daily maintenance is a breeze and only takes minutes. Of course, there comes a time when the extensions have to come out. You need to remove braids carefully and slowly to avoid damaging your own hair.

Extensions removal is a service that I provide because it's a time-consuming process, especially if your braids were very small, so patience is a necessity that everyone does not have. People get frustrated and it sometimes take some of my clients a whole week to finish. FYI: it takes me an hour or two to take down micro braids! I promise it will be money well spent and you get to keep your edges and hair.
But, if you choose to DIY, here are some tried and true advise:

1. Cut the extension about 1-2 inches past your hair. If I'm not the one who installed your braids, I usually take one braid down to see how long your hair is. This helps me not to cut your real hair.
2. In a spray bottle, mix water and conditioner together. I usually use Design Essentials HCO liquid leave-in conditioner, (I sell the full line of Design Essentials). Spray the root of your braids. Then unravel the braids gently.

Now to the hard part... The build up gunk at the base of your extensions!
Warning: don't EVER shampoo your hair without detangling first! 
3. Start detangling the hair one section at a time with your fingers. Try separating the matted part. The conditioner will help soften the build-up. After separation, use a comb to get the gunk out starting from the ends of the hair to the root.
4. Once the hair has been detangled, you can shampoo it. I recommend using a clarifying shampoo first. Clarifying shampoo has targeted clarifying formula that will cut through stubborn gunk and strips your hair of all oil and product build up.
Because clarifying shampoo strips, you have to follow with a moisturizing shampoo to balance the removal of oil and buildup by adding conditioning and moisturizing agents.
After rinsing, apply conditioner and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Longer with heat for deep conditioning. Let it air dry.

Side note: The average rate of hair shedding is about 50-150 strands per day. Chances are you've had extensions in for at least a couple of weeks. The hair you normally would have shed had no place to go, but now it does. You'll see a lot of shedding, but don't be alarmed! Just because your hair is in braids doesn't mean it's not shedding every day.

Hope this helps.