Your not supposed to pull the bands out. They sell special scissors to snip them out of the hair.
toplinepet.com
You just slip that curved part of the scissor under the band and snip. They are not regular rubber. They are latex free and don't get caught in the fine hair like rubber would. Most groomers use them and they are much like what is used on the metal braces some kids wear.
They sell them in bags of 500 for next to nothing so they last at least a year or more.