By the time Christmas rolls around, most of us are ready to drop. There are the parties, the runaround to get everything ready for the big day, and the toll that the cold weather takes on our health and wellness.

So, if you’re planning to treat your loved ones, a gift that will help them feel well and pampered is always a win, especially if you have a beauty junkie on your gift list. From affordable luxuries to truly indulgent gifts, these are my favourite self-care buys.

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The best self-care gifts

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Stylish sleepwear

TBCo cotton pyjamas

£99 at TBCo

In thick, soft cotton with a rounded collar and buttoned cuffs, TBCo’s PJs are comfy but also smart enough for lounging around in front of family over Christmas. I like the green and blue stripe set, which can be monogrammed with your recipient’s initials. The brand really excels on fit, as they’re the perfect amount of oversized without being too loose, and come in dress sizes up to triple XL.

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The perfect hot chocolate

Knoops 43% milk chocolate flakes

£13.50 at Knoops £14 at Amazon

Knoops makes single-origin chocolate flakes that combine perfectly with milk to create a creamy and rich take on hot chocolate. The 43% variety has a hazelnut flavour close to Nutella that will delight those with a sweet tooth.

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Tress relief

Davines Nounou hair mask, 250ml

£28.50 at Cult Beauty £28.50 at Sephora

Icy winter temperatures are a cruel time for locks as well as skin, but this vegan, shine and moisture boosting mask with olive butter and jojoba oil, from environmentally conscious hair care brand Davines, can help. I love its indulgent, creamy consistency, which leaves hair soft to the touch.

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Cosy slippers

Yoko wool Siberian slippers

£26 at Elm

There’s an abundance of slippers out there, but finding a stylish, comfortable pair is harder than you think. Made from warm yet breathable wool pile, these two-tone grey slippers deliver on all counts – and they’re cute and affordable to boot.

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Festive fragrance oils

Cosy Night In oil set

£13.99 at Nikura £9.99 at Amazon

Nikura’s long-lasting fragrance oils can be used in an oil burner or diffuser, for massage, in the bath, and even to make soaps and candles. This festive edition blends cinnamon, mulled wine and crackling fire scents.

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A seriously luxurious cleanser

HealthyGlow cleanser, 150ml

£50 at Loya

If your friend is a skincare geek, then one of Loya’s brilliant Swiss-made potions will impress. Not cheap, but I can testify it’s a daily pick-me-up, with energising Japanese ume extract and rejuvenating shikimic acid.

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Ultra-luxurious pillowcase

Monogram silk pillowcase

£115 at Cult Beauty £115 at Selfridges

Is there anything more luxe than a personalised pillowcase? A silk one, that’s what. Consumer tests by silk brand Slip suggested that sleeping on the fabric improves the appearance of skin texture and sleep lines, and it’s also been found to reduce hair frizz and bedhead.

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Sleep-inducing drink

Ancient + Brave True Nightcap

£25.60 at Ancient + Brave £32 at Amazon

This citrussy vegan night-time drink is genuinely sleep-inducing. It contains magnesium to send you off, choline that is said to help circadian rhythm (our sleep-awake system) function and essential nutrients to improve sleep quality. It’s like a bedtime hug. Each jar contains about 30 servings.

See our guide for more sleep-inducing ideas

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Eye massager

Heated eye wand

£75 at Peep Club

This nifty eye wand is perfect for the screen addict in your life. It has four settings that use a mix of light massage, warmth and LED red light to soothe, de-puff and improve comfort and hydration.

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Roll-on aromatherapy oil

Ede burnout roll-on therapist

£26 at the Chuffed Store

This blend of oils, including geranium, petitgrain, lavender and clary sage, is considerably cheaper than a weekly session with a professional. Roll over pulse points when life gets a bit much.

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Scent for your home

Evermore Smoke incense

£30 at the Roost

As well as being beautifully minimalist, these calming incense sticks are made with a charcoal base, so they produce as little smoke as possible. I like the Smoke scent best, with notes of cardamom and cedar.

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G-spot vibrator

Smile Makers the Tennis Pro vibrator

£49.95 at Cult Beauty £49.95 at Beauty Bay

Smile Makers’ vibrators are named after sexual fantasies, such as the Poet and the French Lover. They’re also ergonomic, waterproof and vegan. They look cute, too.

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Sud’s law

Commune Seymour bath salts, 750g

£75 at Liberty

Sustainable beauty lovers will appreciate these gorgeously packaged Commune bath salts. Consider them as much of a fragrance experience as a bath soak, as the three types of salts are infused with grapefruit, geranium and cypress aromas. They make the bathroom shelf look pretty too.

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Rehydrating mask

Espa IsoTonic mask, 55ml

£24 at Lookfantastic £25.43 at Amazon

One of my favourite skincare rituals is a 10-minute session on a Sunday in front of the telly with this hydrating treatment smoothed over my face and neck. It contains electrolytes and minerals to help revive and revitalise the complexion. If you’re feeling extra generous, get the brand’s Isotonic Hydra Gel eye masks, too.

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Face massager

Gua-Shroom

£35 at Ssense

Few things are cuter than this little shroom, and it’ll fit nicely into most facial massage routines. Gua sha is a Chinese medicine practice that encourages lymphatic drainage. All you need is some lovely face oil and this tiny tool to help relieve tension and promote circulation.

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The eyes have it

Foile Angel Eye jellies

£23 at Fwrd

Eye patches are great for helping creams penetrate the dermis, but they’re not great for waste if you reach for a fresh pair each time. These reusable silicone patches by new-to-the-UK Aussie brand Foile can be used over any eye cream. They come in cute fluoro shades and are the perfect shape to sit comfortably under the lash line.

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Yoga strap

Yoga Design Lab Celestial yoga strap

£15 at Yoga Matters £16 at Amazon

If you know a yogi who wants to take their practice further, this eco-printed, recycled fabric strap will help them to achieve more challenging poses.

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Relaxing pillow spray

This Works Deep Sleep pillow spray, 75ml

£20 at Lookfantastic £20 at Amazon

This is a fail-safe and does what it says on the bottle. It’s calming, vegan and smells divine, with a lavender, chamomile and vetivert scent.

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Pucker up

Wondergloss Collagen Lip Oil +, 4ml

£20 at Beauty Pie

I’m a big fan of an oil over a balm in the daytime because it feels nourishing but gives a glossy finish without stickiness. I’m never without Beauty Pie’s collagen-boosting version in my handbag, which comes in cute colours to suit all complexions.

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Acupressure mat

LevelWellbeing acupressure mat, pillow and carry bag

£45 at Smug £44.99 at Amazon

A bed of nails might sound like a torture device, but it’s an affordable way to give someone the gift of acupressure at home. Stressed-out or achy family members will thank you. This premium linen and coconut mat is best used for 20 minutes a day, so they’ll get plenty of use out of it.

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Multi-use hair oil

Larry King Spoilt For Choice hair oil, 30ml

£19.55 at Beauty Bay £28 at Cult Beauty

This soothing oil from cult hair salon Larry King will help revive dry, heat-damaged ends.

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Glow-up face balm

Pelegrims facial balm, 10ml

£15 at Pelegrims

Central heating and cold blasts aren’t anyone’s friend, so self-care fans will be thrilled with this rich, nutrient-filled, hydrating balm. The brand uses natural vineyard by-products – hence the pinot noir vintage written on the packaging.

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Scalp stimulator

Aveda scalp massager

£20.25 at John Lewis £27 at Cult Beauty

This ergonomic hair and scalp brush will help exfoliate while gently massaging.

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Light up your life

LED red light therapy mask

£399.99 at CurrentBody £399.99 at Amazon

LED masks have become a mainstay in the beauty world as they’re one of the few anti-ageing techniques backed by clinical trials (although research on at-home devices is still in its infancy). As well as boosting collagen production and reducing the appearance of fine lines over time, red light therapy can also help calm the skin.

If you’re pushing the boat out with a Christmas gift, the latest CurrentBody mask is the one to know: I love its clever, flexible silicone design, which ensures comfortable full-face coverage. It’s also simple to use with just one setting, and it has a high strength of three types of wavelengths: red, near-infrared and deep near-infrared. I’ve noticed my skin is visibly more radiant after consistent use.

Your lucky recipient will probably want to put it on *immediately* – so be prepared to watch It’s A Wonderful Life with someone looking like Robocop.

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Hayley Spencer is a journalist and editor with 15 years’ experience writing on topics spanning style, beauty and wellness.