‘Squish-to-Condish’: Does it really add moisture to hair?

Squish-to-Condish seems to be THE technique that curly haired girls swear by, in helping them achieve and retain clumps of moisturized curls long after a wash. Something about ‘forcing’ the water into the hair shaft to help it retain more moisture. In an post over at Verge (https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/11/12864726/hair-products-shampoo-conditioner-science) Randy mentions that water swells the hair and messes up the cuticle. My question is, is this technique good for the hair even? The technique seems arduous and involves several rounds of scrunching with at least 3 products, using only a t-shirt to soak up wet hair, and blow drying with a diffuser in a specific way – but it seems to work for plenty of curly haired folk!