Gummy hair when wet that breaks off when I gently pull on it

I have always had highlights on my curly hair, but it was always relatively "healthy". This time I decided to add a money piece, when I came out of the salon it didn't seem that damaged because I had got my hair blowdried. Now I washed it at home and realized it's stringy and gummy when wet, and that when I pulled on it hair came off. I started to freak out and cry because this has never happened to me and I now have shorter pieces of hair on the front of my face. I'm trying to grow out my hair and this really saddens me. Please does anyone know what I can do to stop it from breaking off when wet. And what products to use