Advanced Hydration or Renew: which system suits your hair?
8 min read Care know-how Updated 5 October 2026 By Anna Sophie Schulenburg
Advanced Hydration suits fine to medium hair; Renew™ suits medium to thick, very dry hair. Both MONAT hydration systems care for dry lengths, and what sets them apart is weight. Before you choose, roll a shed hair between thumb and forefinger and decide by its diameter; how dry your lengths feel comes second. After four weeks on the same line you'll know whether the weight is right: if your roots still have lift on the evening of wash day and a comb glides through the ends without snagging, you've chosen well.
Plenty of people with very dry hair automatically reach for the richer line. That only works if each strand is thick enough to carry the weight. Under a rich conditioner, fine hair lies flat against the head and gets greasy sooner, however dry the ends are. Where the other lines sit is set out in the comparison of all MONAT systems.
The difference between Advanced Hydration and Renew™
| Advanced Hydration | Renew™ | |
|---|---|---|
| Hair thickness | fine to medium | medium to thick |
| Weight of the care | light, the roots stay airy | richer, wraps the lengths more densely |
| Typical starting point | dull lengths that snag when combed, roots that go flat fast | rough, straw-like lengths, even straight after conditioning |
| Rinsing | briskly, until the lengths feel smooth | half a minute longer, especially at the nape |
| Mask once a week | Super Moisture Masque | Super Moisture Masque, or the Replenish™ Masque for coloured or stressed hair |
| Signs the line doesn't suit you | on thick hair, the ends stay rough even after weeks | roots lie flat by the evening of wash day and get greasy a day sooner |
| Not for | coarse, very dry hair | fine hair that flattens quickly |
Both lines also sell shampoo and conditioner separately. Which products are currently bundled as a system can change.
Fine, medium or thick: the single-hair test
Hair thickness means the diameter of one strand. How many hairs you have is a separate question. A lot of fine hair looks dense and is still fine, and Renew™ can weigh it down just as much as a little fine hair.
Take a shed hair from your brush and roll it between thumb and forefinger. If you can barely feel it, it's fine. If you feel a thin thread, it's medium. If it feels almost like wire, it's thick. Unsure? Lay it next to a sewing thread: clearly thinner means fine, about the same means medium, thicker means thick.
| What you notice | Points to |
|---|---|
| A single hair is barely perceptible between your fingers | Advanced Hydration |
| After a rich conditioner, your roots are flat by that same evening | Advanced Hydration |
| Two drops of hair oil on the ends already look stringy | Advanced Hydration |
| A single hair feels almost wiry | Renew™ |
| Straight after conditioning, the lengths are still rough and snag when combed | Renew™ |
| After a mask your hair feels soft and still has movement | Renew™ |
Do rows for both lines apply to you? The free hair analysis asks about thickness, the condition of your lengths and your scalp separately and suggests a base for you.
Advanced Hydration or Renew? Five questions to decide
Work through the questions in order and stop at the first yes. The first two come first because a hydration system alone won't be enough there.
- Does your hair snap when you comb it, do you see white dots on the ends, or is it bleached? Then the fibre needs support, and more moisture mainly makes it softer. How to tell the two apart is set out in balancing protein and moisture.
- Do your roots get greasy by day two while the ends are dry? Then choose the shampoo for your scalp and the conditioner for your lengths, as described for oily roots and dry ends.
- Is a single hair fine? Then Advanced Hydration, even if your lengths feel very dry.
- Is it thick? Then Renew™ if the lengths are still rough after conditioning, and Advanced Hydration if they already feel supple by then.
- Somewhere in between? Start with Advanced Hydration and check after four weeks. If the ends are still straw-like while your roots hold up well, switch to Renew™.
When Advanced Hydration, when Renew™, when neither
Advanced Hydration is your line if your hair is fine to medium, loses volume quickly and still feels dry. Typical signs are dull lengths, a comb that catches from chin height down, and roots that go flat from a slightly too generous dollop of conditioner. The lighter conditioner cares for the lengths without weighing down the roots. Very thick, coarse hair often stays rough at the ends with it.
Renew™ is your line if your hair is medium to thick and the lengths stay rough even straight after washing. Thick hair can take more care without getting heavy. Long, thick hair that needs over an hour to air-dry and then feels like straw usually does better with the richer conditioner.
You need neither if your real issue lies elsewhere. If your scalp itches, flakes or feels tight, no lengths treatment will help; work out first whether you're dealing with dry scalp or dandruff. If your fine hair just lacks lift while the lengths are healthy, the topic is volume for fine hair, and Revive™ is the better fit. If your hair gets on well with your current care, combs easily and doesn't get greasy sooner, there's no reason to switch.
How to use them: amounts and timing by hair length
Both lines follow the same routine and the same amounts, because those depend on the length and density of your hair. The only difference is how thoroughly you rinse.
Step 1 — Wash. For chin-length hair, a hazelnut-sized amount of shampoo; for shoulder-length, a walnut-sized one. Lather it between your palms and work it over your wet scalp with your fingertips. Chest-length hair needs the same amount as shoulder-length, because shampoo belongs on the scalp and the lather cleans the lengths as you rinse.
Step 2 — Condition. Squeeze the water out of your lengths first, or the conditioner gets diluted. Then spread the conditioner through lengths and ends from ear height down: hazelnut-sized for chin-length hair, walnut-sized for shoulder-length, two walnut-sized portions for chest-length. Leave it on for one to three minutes, fine hair at the shorter end, very rough lengths at the longer. Detangle meanwhile with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb.
Step 3 — Rinse. Rinse with lukewarm water until the lengths feel smooth without any slippery film. With Renew™, rinse half a minute longer at the nape and behind the ears, where residue clings most easily. If your roots get greasy fast, rinse upside down so the conditioner doesn't run over your scalp.
Once a week a mask can replace the conditioner: the Super Moisture Masque, left on for five to ten minutes, suits both lines, and thick, coloured hair can also take the Replenish™ Masque. Fine hair is easily weighed down by the Replenish™ Masque.
Combining: one line as your base, one product on top
Stick to one line for shampoo and conditioner. If you add anything, make it a single product for the secondary issue. That way, after four weeks, you know what made the difference.
| Your situation | Base | Add |
|---|---|---|
| Medium hair, ends drier than the rest | Advanced Hydration | Super Moisture Masque once a week, only on the last ten centimetres |
| Fine hair, straw-like ends | Advanced Hydration | one or two drops of REJUVENIQE® Oil on towel-dried ends |
| Thick, coloured, very dry hair | Renew™ | Replenish™ Masque once a week instead of the conditioner |
| Medium hair, rough in winter, flat in summer | Advanced Hydration from spring to autumn | Renew™ during the heating season |
| Medium hair, flat roots, ends rough despite the mask | Advanced Hydration Shampoo | Renew™ Conditioner instead of the Advanced Hydration Conditioner, from chin height down only |
Switching with the seasons suits medium hair, because dry, heated indoor air dries the lengths out more in winter. Switch when the heating goes on and stay with it until spring. The last row is the exception: try shampoo and conditioner from two lines only once one line on its own hasn't been enough for four weeks.
How to tell you've chosen right
The first wash shows whether the amount is right. The comb should glide more easily through wet lengths, and by evening the ends should be soft without looking stringy. Whether the line suits you only shows after four weeks. Single washes vary with weather, central heating and styling; only over eight to twelve washes, at two to three a week, does a pattern appear. Take a photo of your roots on the evening of the first wash and compare it after four weeks in the same light.
Common mistakes and how to correct them:
- Chose Renew™ because fine hair is very dry → Advanced Hydration plus a mask once a week.
- Roots lie flat by the evening of wash day and get greasy sooner → switch to Advanced Hydration or apply conditioner only from chin height down.
- Ends limp and stringy instead of soft → halve the amount of conditioner and rinse longer.
- Lengths rough despite conditioner → leave it on a minute longer, and only then consider Renew™.
- Switched after two washes → stay with one line for four weeks, or you're only seeing day-to-day variation.
| Situation | Core system | Optional | Avoid or limit | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine to medium hair, dry | ADVANCED HYDRATING SYSTEM | SUPER MOISTURE MASQUE | Heavy oils or masks daily | Adds light moisture without weighing fine hair down. |
| Medium to thick, very dry hair | RENEW™ HYDRATING SYSTEM | SUPER MOISTURE MASQUE | — | A richer base for thicker hair that stays rough otherwise. |
| Also breakage or bleaching | Monat Bond IQ Fortifying Shampoo | RESTORE LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER | Heat without heat protection | With damage, targeted damage care matters; moisture alone isn't enough then. |
Fine to medium hair → Advanced Hydration
Core routine
- ADVANCED HYDRATING SYSTEM
Optional
- SUPER MOISTURE MASQUE
Medium to thick hair → Renew
Core routine
- RENEW™ HYDRATING SYSTEM
Optional
- SUPER MOISTURE MASQUE
Right away
Right after washing, hair feels smoother and softer with both systems.
With continued use
With regular use, the lengths look suppler and less straw-like over a few weeks; cared for lightly or richly depending on hair thickness.
What it can't do
Moisture doesn't replace damage care: ends that are already broken or split aren't repaired.
Quick questions
Is Renew™ automatically the better choice for curls?
No. With curls too, the diameter decides. Fine waves get heavy with Renew™ and drop out quickly, while thick, coily curls handle the richer line well.
How much conditioner do I need for short hair?
A pea-sized amount, on the ends only. With a short cut almost all your hair sits close to the scalp, so Advanced Hydration is usually the better base here, even if each strand is medium.
Do I need the mask, or are shampoo and conditioner enough?
Shampoo and conditioner are enough as a base. If the ends are still rough after four weeks, use the mask instead of the conditioner once a week.
Does either system help with hair loss?
No. Both care for the hair you have and change how it feels and combs. If your hair falls out suddenly or in clumps, see a dermatologist, because iron deficiency, hormones or a skin condition can be behind it.
If your hair is still a borderline case after the thread test, the free hair analysis looks at thickness and lengths together and suggests one of the two lines to start with.