Our hair may be nothing more than dead bundles of a protein called keratin, but it still wants to be treated right. Here are 7 important tips from the pros about how to handle your hair with care:

1.  In the shower, spend 2 minutes massaging shampoo into your scalp. “Working from the nape to the crown, put both hands on your scalp and move the pads of your fingertips in a circular motion,” says Jessica Galvan, the Beverly Hills, Calif., hairstylist who gave Victoria Beckham her signature bob. The jury is still out on the claim that scalp massage promotes hair growth by stimulating blood circulation, but massage will help the scalp shed dead skin cells-cutting down on dandruff-and, hey, it feels good.

2.  Using a wide-tooth comb, distribute conditioner through your hair for three to five minutes while you’re still in the shower.  “You want to make sure that you get conditioner on every single strand,” says Galvan.  First apply the conditioner to your ends, which is the oldest, most damaged hair, then to the midshaft.  What’s left on the comb can then be applied to the roots.

3. After shampooing and conditioning, wrap a towel around your head and wait 5 minutes before putting on leave-in conditioner, straightening balm or other pre-styling products. Your hair’s cuticle is like a sponge, points out Christyn Nawrot, national training director for Phyto haircare products. If it’s already saturated with water, it won’t be able to drink in any added products.

4.  Don’t put a tool-a brush, a comb or, especially, a blow dryer-to your hair until it is 70 percent dry, says Nawrot, making it less vulnerable to damage.  In a hurry?  Hold your blow dryer 3 to 4 inches over the crown of your head, and wave it back and forth for 3 to 5 minutes, while ruffling your hair with your fingers. Then, start styling.

5. Style your hair completely dry not 90 or 95 percent dry. “It’s essential to get your hair absolutely bone dry,” says Nawrot.  “Or within an hour your hair will droop, lose volume or frizz up.” When you think your hair is dry, don’t stop. “Instead, put your dryer on a cool setting,” advises Nawrot, “hold it a couple of inches from your head, and, for 3 to 5 minutes, run your fingers through your hair, smoothing out the strands.”

6.  Don’t use a flat iron or curling iron until your hair is 100 percent dry. If it’s still damp, a telltale sizzle will let you know you’re frying your hair. But what you can’t hear, says Nawrot, is that you’re creating stress fractures in your locks that will lead to breakage, sometimes midway down the hair shaft.

7.  As a final touch, add shine and control with two drops of a smoothing serum or a spritz of a weightless, non-tacky spray or definition and texture with a pea- to hazelnut-sized dab of pomade or wax.