Did you know that 12%-14% of your hair is supposed to be made up of water? When this moisture level is maintained, your hair is at it's best with the shine and smoothness of every woman's dreams. On the flip side, your hair gets coarse and rugged when that moisture level goes down to 6%-8%. It may seem like a small difference in the numbers, but you won't believe the amount of impact it has on your hair.

We've done a whole entire blog post on this in the past, but it's so important we're going to say it again. Yes, there's a correct way of washing your hair. It's important for you to focus on washing your scalp instead of your hair strands because the scalp is the root of all of your hair problems. When you let dirt build up in your scalp, it not only welcomes bacteria, but it causes inflammation and dehydration to your entire hair. 

If you're the type of person who rubs and scrubs your hair strands, you're creating too much friction for your hair causing even more dehydration. For step-by-step details on the correct way to wash your hair, read our past blog post: The #1 most important step in hair care most women ignore.

Recommended shampoo for hydration: RENE FURTERER CARTHAME

There's also a correct way of applying hair treatment. Once you've washed your hair with shampoo, make sure you dry it with a towel before applying your treatment. It's harder for the treatment to actually get deep down into the core of your hair when your hair is still soaking wet. Once you've applied your treatment, don't rinse it off right away. You need to give it time (Read specific instructions on product packaging) for all the nutrients to sink in for perfect hydration. After you've waited, make sure you rinse off every bit of the treatment. Some people only mildly rinse thinking it's better to leave some treatment in your hair, but in fact, once the nutrients have sunk in, there's no need to leave it in. Rinse thoroughly to prevent unnecessary build up in your hair. 

What does drying have to do with moisture? Isn't it the complete opposite of hydration? Some people leave their hair wet and let it air dry because it seems like the most natural option. But in fact, leaving your hair wet for a considerable amount of time leaves your hair cuticles open, which causes dehydration. Heat will actually help close those cuticles, closing in all the nutrients and moisture you applied from your treatment. 

You guessed it. There's a proper way of drying your hair as well. 

1) Once you've come out of the shower, press your hair with a towel and gently remove excess water. Blow-drying completely soaked hair is quite damaging. 

2) When your hair is blow-dryer ready, make sure you hold it at least 8" away from your hair. Set it on high heat and start drying your hair from the roots. Concentrate on your roots and try not to apply your dryer directly to your ends. A lot of times, the heat coming in from your roots is enough to dry the ends. Don't use combs or brushes yet because they can cause damage when used on wet hair. Just use your hands to comb through.

3) Once your roots are completely dry, you can switch to low heat or cold air for the rest of your hair. Too much heat on your hair will damage it. The change in temperature from hot to cold will actually tighten up your hair cuticles, giving your hair a healthy shine.

So now you know the secret to maintaining moisturized hair! Master these 3 steps for perfect hydration and get glowing hair all the ladies will be jealous of.