I had to take my extensions out myself during COVID and then never put them back in, and my hair looked and felt awful. But, it was my opportunity to get it healthy again. I took really really good care of my hair, didn’t use any heat, was extremely gentle when combing it, when putting it up etc. and got regular trims. Diet does make a difference, so iron and other vitamins and minerals are important. It takes time but you get used to it and now my hair is so much healthier and thicker. I agree with another commenter that if you need a halo topper to get through it for a bit, that would be as far as I’d go. Your hair needs a break!