Hair Gift Sets

What is a hair gift set?

A hair gift set brings together two to four products from the same range in a box ready to give. Most often it contains a shampoo, a conditioner or a mask, and sometimes a leave-in product. The products are designed to work together, from washing to styling.

Buying a set lets you discover a complete routine in one go, without choosing each product one by one. Some sets add a useful item, such as a wash bag or a pouch. A set is also a way to try a brand before adopting it. If you like a product, you can buy it again on its own, in a full size. The boxes are sturdy and decorated, and many people keep them afterwards to store hair accessories.

The advent calendar is a format of its own, with one door per day until Christmas. Each door hides a care product in a small size. It is a good way to try several products over a month, without buying large bottles.

The best-represented brand is Kérastase, with one set per range. Nutritive is aimed at dry hair, Genesis at fragile hair that tends to break, and Gloss Absolu at dull hair that lacks shine. The Night Routine set brings together products to use in the evening. We add an Energie Fruit set for curls, with coconut, and the Cottage advent calendar, which hides a little care surprise behind every door.

How do you choose a hair gift set to suit the hair type?

Look at the person’s hair before choosing. Dry, rough lengths or hair worn by the sun need a nourishing set, such as Kérastase Nutritive. Fine hair that breaks when brushed is better suited to Genesis.

Curly or frizzy hair needs moisture to keep well-defined curls. The Energie Fruit coconut set suits them, and our curly and coily hair section offers other products made for them.

Then compare the sizes printed on the back of the box. A set of full-size products lasts several months, whereas a travel-size set mainly serves to discover a brand. Take hair colour into account too. Coloured or highlighted hair copes better with sulphate-free products, which strip the shade less. For a sensitive scalp, choose a set with lightly scented formulas.

For a man with short hair, a shampoo and scalp-care duo is more useful than a mask for the lengths. Sets with three products remain the easiest to use every day. For someone passionate about hairstyling, pair the set with one of our hair books, which show braids and buns step by step.

How do you use and give a hair gift set?

Follow the order of the routine. The shampoo is massaged into the scalp, not the lengths. The mask or conditioner is then applied to the lengths and ends, on towel-dried hair, and rinsed out. The leave-in product, oil or serum, goes on last, on damp or dry hair. Two or three drops are enough for mid-length hair: any more and it looks greasy.

When giving one, think about the calendar. The advent calendar should be given before 1 December, the day of the first door. Christmas sets arrive in shops from the autumn and the most popular ranges go quickly.

Store the products away from heat and light, far from the bathroom radiator. Once opened, a product keeps for several months: the little open-jar symbol drawn on the packaging shows its period after opening, for example 12M for twelve months.

More gift ideas, including hairstyling books, await you in our gift sets and books section.