I have to say: haircare does not make the ideal Christmas present. There’s something distinctly unglamorous about even the most lush and effective hair products – I suppose it’s just hard to package them up in a sexy way! I have, however, done a little rummaging through the coffrets on offer this year and found some little gems. Or BIG gems, in some cases. See what you think – and let me know, please, in the comments, whether or not you’d be happy with haircare in your Christmas stocking.

1) Joico K-Pak duo, chosen for its sheer brilliance and not for the packaging. Though the packaging isn’t bad, it’s just not that festive. I love that the copy on the box means business, though: The Ultimate in Hair Repair. Go Joico! I used K-Pak on my hair when it had been bleached five times in one week (don’t ask) and I have a feeling it helped some way in stopping me from going bald. Good stuff. This set is actually a nice saving, if you usually use K-Pak products – on FeelUnique it’s £18.65 and the value is around £30. Get it here with free delivery.

2) Mammoth Philip Kingsley Flaky Itchy shampoo. No, not glamorous, but it’s HUGE! I know, I know, quality not quantity and all that, but this actually happens to be one of the best and gentlest itchy scalp shampoos that I’ve tried and I repurchase on a regular basis. Won’t need to do that again for at least….ooooh….ten years?! It’s £42 for a litre and at that quantity, the price-per-ml is less than half of what it is bought in 100ml quantities. Again, good value if this is your usual shampoo – it’s £42.45 at Escentual.com

3) Not a shampoo, but they do huge shampoos in this size as well: Aveda’s Rosemary Mint body wash. £45 for one litre, or £16 for 250ml. Go figure! Looks great in the bathroom and I do find that regular usage of Aveda products builds up this kind of “ambient” Aveda smell – it’s like a very subtle bathroom fragrance! Find it at LookFantastic.com and your local Aveda stockist.

4) If you’re looking for cool packaging then Giles Deacon’s designs for Label.M are brilliant! I particularly love the toiletries pouch on the left hand side of the picture above. It’s currently free with any two purchases on the Label.M website, but a site called Bellazo seem to have a better range of gifts and stocking fillers. (Please note: I haven’t ever ordered from them so can’t vouch for speed of delivery and so on!)

5) The Trevor Sorbie Beautiful Volume mini kit contains four travel-sized products for – well, you can probably guess. The shampoo and conditioner are very good, actually – I have these little travel sizes and sometimes take them with me if I’m on a shoot abroad, just to give my hair a little bit of extra oomph when I wash it. Hint, though: the full-sized products are a fiver each and they’re on 3-for-2 at the moment in Boots, so… If it’s not a gift, it’s a no-brainer, really – go for the big ones! Boots.com

6) Chic, glossy black packaging and four full-sized products inside, this Awapuhi set from Paul Mitchell is something of a winner! The Awapuhi shampoo (this version, not the one in the white bottle) is my favourite of the moment and I love the styling oil too. The conditioner in this set isn’t a rich, heavy treatment, it’s more along the lines of The Detangler from their classic range. A light rinse that can be used root to tip. I really like it, though it’s not heavy duty enough for the ends of my hair. Those with natural, un-treated, soft hair will find it a dream for simply detangling and leaving a bit of a sheen. This set is the deluxe set, but there are others at a lower price point – the “care” set has the shampoo, conditioner and keratin treatment and is £40. You can browse the Paul Mitchell sets on their website.