Christmas may be a little way off yet, but that doesn’t stop us getting excited when we spot early festive treats. Plus, popping a few presents to one side as the months go by can be a good way of getting organised well ahead of time. Or, simply offer an excuse to spoil ourselves with beauty advent calendars and Crimbo-themed buys.
Whether you tend to gift fashion, jewellery or beauty bits, or go for food, drink or electrical presents, you can rely on our experts at IndyBest to help with some seasonal shopping inspiration. Which is why news of cult classic haircare brand Philip Kingsley’s Christmas gift sets launching in October piqued our interest.
A tried and tested IndyBest favourite, we’ve included the Philip Kingsley elasticizer in our Gamechangers section, and named the flaky/itchy scalp anti-dandruff shampoo best overall in our best anti-dandruff shampoo guide. So, when we found out this year’s Christmas collection includes both full sized products and stocking fillers, plus elasticizer in every set, it felt only fair to investigate.
It’s also worth knowing that two out of the three boxes offer a £33 saving on the products included, making this a chance to grab a deal too.
With Philip Kingsley being the haircare guru who originally coined the famous term “good hair day”, here’s our review of this aptly named crowning glory collection, so you can get ready for the limited-edition drop well ahead of launch.
How we tested
We reviewed all three Philip Kingsley Christmas gift sets over a few weeks of testing, incorporating the featured products into our daily haircare routine. Our tester looked at the packaging, haircare results achieved, product formulas and value for money. Read on for our full tried and tested take.
Philip Kingsley brilliant body and volume collection: £49.50, Philipkingsley.co.uk – available from 1 October
Presented in a vibrant yellow box, the front of this gift set features a fun, festive design in the shape of a wreath which includes mistletoe and candy canes as well as a comb, crown and hairbrush. Opening the box up, we then pulled out a tray contents using an integral pink ribbon. Instantly, we noticed how recyclable this gift box is, as apart from the removable ribbon, it is 100 per cent cardboard.
Amazing eco-credential aside, we discovered four goodies were included, three of which are full-sized. These are a 250ml bottle of body building shampoo (£21.50, Philipkingsley.co.uk) and a 200ml body building conditioner (£21.50, Philipkingsley.co.uk), plus maximiser strand plumping cream (£22.50, Philipkingsley.co.uk) in a 75ml tube. And finally, the 75ml mini elasticizer deep conditioning treatment (£17.50, Philipkingsley.co.uk) is a very welcome addition.
Usually if we were to buy all four of these products individually it would cost us £83. So, whether buying the set for a loved one or yourself, for a price tag which is just shy of £50, it feels great value for money .
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Our tester has fine hair and for us, the body building range is a firm favourite we return to again and again. The lightweight formula of the body building shampoo lathers up easily and we can see a lift to our locks after use.
Meanwhile, the body building conditioner is a smoothing conditioner which offers hydration but doesn’t make our hair feel flat or limp. Given the hair type described, our tester would go so far as to say this is a staple go-to shampoo and conditioner duo for a satisfyingly clean scalp and noticeably volumised strands.
After washing our hair, we added the maximizer strand plumping cream to our damp, towel-dried ‘do ahead of blow drying it. Designed to make fine hair appear thicker, we were impressed to see a more volumised vibe to our tresses after styling. Clearly, you can’t get a product which instantly transforms fine strands into thick ones, but we’d say this does a good job at making them look a little less limp.
Read more: This hair treatment makes my breakable locks a breeze to manage
Finally, onto our old friend, elasticizer. Being the first ever pre-shampoo treatment, what’s brilliant about this product is you slather it onto wet hair ahead of showering. Created to deeply condition strands and make them less prone to breakage, we either do a quick treatment for ten minutes or leave it on overnight. The secret is wrapping your hair in a towel, so the heat activates the ingredients and that’s what helps it work.
Then afterwards, we wash and style our hair as normal. Our tester’s hair can become dry and feel breakable due to a thryoid condition and this product has become a haircare saviour which does make a strand-softening difference. So much so, that if we don’t use it for a while, our hair feels drier and more brittle again.
Overall, this is a set we would be chuffed to receive, in fact, we might even be tempted to treat ourselves to this as a “surprise” come Christmas.
Available to buy from 1 October
Philip Kingsley diamond shine and hydration collection: £49.50, Philipkingsley.co.uk – available from 1 October
Packaged in a green variation of the brilliant body and volume set box (£49.50, Philipkingsley.co.uk), this collection also includes three full-sized products and one 75ml tube of elasticizer deep conditioning treatment.
The larger products included are the moisture balancing shampoo (£21.50, Philipkingsley.co.uk), and moisture balancing conditioner (£21.50, Philipkingsley.co.uk) – which again come in 250ml and 200ml size bottles respectively – and a 75ml tube of finishing touch polishing serum (£22.50, Philipkingsley.co.uk). And of course, the elasticizer (£17.50, Philipkingsley.co.uk) is also featured here too.
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Much like the body building duo, when using the moisture balancing shampoo and conditioner, our tester saw a satisfying lather which made our scalp feel comfortingly cleansed and our hair seemed hydrated. We also noticed extra shine and softness after using both products. And while you could mix and match the shampoo and conditioner with other options in the Philip Kingsley range, this combo is ideal for dry, textured, medium or long hair types.
On top of the same £33.50 price saving and inlcuded elasticizer, the finishing touch polishing serum is a nice added touch. If you’re unsure what this product is or does, essentially it’s a tube of clear gel to be used on dry, styled hair.
Our tester’s ‘do has obvious flyaway strands and some products which smooth them can add an unwelcome limpness. However, we found smoothing just a tiny bit of this serum onto the frizz not only tames those little hairs but also adds a gentle shine. Plus, as such a small amount is needed to see results (and we were cautious not to weigh down our strands with too much), this tube should last ages too.
Available to buy from 1 October
Philip Kingsley little gems stocking filler: £10, Philipkingsley.co.uk – available to buy from 1 October
You wouldn’t think it to look at it, but this cute little box contains a 40ml tube of the original elasticizer deep-conditioning treatment and a 20ml tube of the more recently launched elasticizer booster restoring conditioner. Both brilliant travel sizes, they’d be ideal for a bit of haircare TLC during trips away over Christmas and also offer a way of trying the elasticizer range before buying a full-sized version. And we think it’d look just charming neatly nestled on a Christmas tree or wrapped up as a surprise in someone’s stocking.
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The elasticizer booster restoring conditioner is – as the name suggests – for use after shampooing. Ingredients include chia seeds and olive fruit oil to help strengthen hair, and we found the formula to be a richly nourishing one. Basically, it’s like an intensive version of a standard conditioner, in that the texture is thicker and could also double up as a hair mask.
When our strands have felt most parched, we’ve swapped our usual conditioner with this, and find that a small amount goes a long way on finer hair. If, however, your hair is prone to feeling a bit flat, we’d recommend using it sparingly, so your hair doesn’t feel weighed down as that would make the hydrating effects counter productive.
We did find our flyaway frizz looked improved after use though, and enjoy having an intensive hair conditioner option to alternative with. As Christmas presents for a tenner go, this is a pampering yet practical find at an affordable price.
Available to buy from 1 October
The verdict: Philip Kingsley crowning glory Christmas gift collection
These Philip Kingsley sets are practical haircare buys, packaged in pretty recyclable boxes which will appeal to lots of different gift recipients. The fact two sets feature full-sized products impressed up, while the smaller one comes in at a more purse-friendly price if you’re shopping on a budget. For a fuss-free Christmas shopping idea, this is a fail-safe gift including cult classic beauty favourites and versatile products to add luxury into an everyday haircare routine.
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