Gifts for your best friend: 21 ideas for birthdays and Christmas

A gift for your best friend seems like the easiest thing in the world, because you’ve known each other for years. And yet it’s exactly when it comes to her that I most often hear: “she has everything” or “I don’t want to give her just anything”. You can’t give your best friend a random gift, because she’ll know right away that it was bought in a rush.

I’ve gathered ideas that work for my friends and for you, in five budgets: from a little something for her name day to a gift that several friends chip in for. In a few places I recommend our devices, because I founded the SkinVibe brand and I know which of them most often end up under the Christmas tree. Next to them you’ll find plenty of ideas that have nothing to do with hair.

How do you choose a gift for your best friend that really hits the mark?

A good gift for your best friend answers one of three questions: what you share, what she uses every day and what she’s been talking about lately. A nod to your shared history works best, because nobody else can give a gift like that. In second place comes something she uses every day, but in a better version than she would buy herself.

Before you go shopping, think back to your recent conversations. Has she been complaining about flat hair, a hair dryer that roars, no time for herself? That’s your hint. If nothing comes to mind, ask her partner or another friend whether she’s been looking for something lately. That one message saves you from gifts that end up in a drawer.

How much should you spend on a gift for your best friend?

For a gift for your best friend, €10-35 is usually enough for a name day, St. Nicholas Day and small occasions, €25-75 for a birthday or Christmas, and for a milestone birthday or a wedding a group gift from several people works well. The amount matters less than getting it right, but with a best friend it’s worth staying at roughly the level she spends on you.

For comparison: according to a survey by the Polish Bank Association, people in Poland planned to spend an average of PLN 677 (roughly €150) on all their Christmas gifts. That’s the budget for the whole family and friends, so a gift for your best friend is usually one of several items on the list. If you want to give something more expensive, it’s easier to do it together with other friends than on your own. If your sister and mother-in-law are on your list too, take a look at the separate guides: gifts for your sister by budget and age and gifts for your mother-in-law for birthdays and Christmas.

Occasion	Typical budget	What works best
Name day, St. Nicholas Day	up to €25	a little something with a personal touch, something for every day
Birthday, Christmas	€25-75	something she mentioned, an outing together, a small device
Milestone birthday	€75-150 or a group gift	a device that lasts for years, a weekend away, engraved jewelry
Wedding, bachelorette party	a group gift from several friends	an experience or one big thing instead of several small ones

Gifts for your best friend under €25

Under €25, small things with something personal about them work best, and so do everyday items in a better version. It’s a good budget for a name day, St. Nicholas Day, Galentine’s Day or a gift for no reason at all, simply “because I thought of you”. What counts is the idea, and that it’s clear you chose it with her in mind.

1. PonyGadget for ponytails and buns (ours). A small insert made of antistatic nylon that goes under the hair tie, so a ponytail or bun is lifted at the roots and looks fuller. For a friend who ties her hair up every day and complains that it looks flat. PonyGadget comes in two sizes and three colors, and we show how it works in our guide to ponytail volume. A fun idea: buy two and wear them in the same color.

2. A photo book or album of your years together. A dozen or so photos from different stages of your friendship, from school to your most recent vacation, with short captions. It’s a gift she’ll look through for years and come back to every time she moves.

3. A mug or T-shirt with your inside joke. A line that only the two of you understand will bring more joy than the most expensive gadget. Go for good print quality and something she will actually use.

4. A beauty product she already uses, in a bigger size. Safer than a new cream bought blind. Check her bathroom to see what she uses and buy the same thing in a version she wouldn’t treat herself to.

5. Tickets to something she loves. A concert, a stand-up show, a play or a movie with dinner. Ideally two tickets, so the two of you can go together.

Gifts for your best friend under €75

Under €75 you can already buy a small device that will last for years, or organize an experience together. It’s the most common budget for birthdays and Christmas. What works best here are things that make her everyday life easier, and vouchers for something you do only for yourself but rarely find the time for.

6. A small plasma hair dryer (our Nova PlasmaGo). For a friend who travels a lot, goes swimming or goes to the gym. Nova PlasmaGo weighs 310 g and has a brushless motor running at 110,000 rpm. Plasma, a billion positive and negative ions per cubic centimeter, keeps hair from getting static after drying, and at 59 dB the dryer won’t wake the neighbor on the other side of the hotel wall. It comes in Blue Fog, Eggplant and Graphite, so it’s easy to match the color to her style. Whether she needs a separate hair dryer for trips at all, you can check in the post about travel hair dryers.

7. A small cordless straightener (our Luna MiniWireless). For a friend who touches up her bangs and ends on the go, at work or after a workout. Luna MiniWireless is 22 cm long, weighs 220 g and runs for about 50 minutes on a single charge, so it fits in her purse. It has three temperatures, 165, 185 and 210°C, and floating plates with a comb. I describe what it’s good for, and what it isn’t, in my post about the mini straightener.

8. A voucher for a treatment “just for her”. A massage, a manicure, a facial or an hour in the sauna. Choose a place close to her home or work, so that using it doesn’t become one more thing she has to plan.

9. A workshop for two. Pottery, Italian cooking, wine tasting or a dance class. It’s a gift and time together in one, and for friends who rarely see each other it’s often worth more than an object.

10. A pretty travel toiletry bag with a set of minis. For a friend who always packs at the last minute. A good toiletry bag with compartments and a few of her favorite beauty products in small sizes.

Gifts for your best friend under €150

Between €75 and €150 is where devices that last for years and milestone birthday gifts begin. In this budget it pays most to buy one really good thing instead of several average ones. If the gift is from two or three of you, you’ll reach this level without any effort, and your friend will get something she would never buy herself.

11. Her first really good hair dryer (our Libra AirLoom). For a friend who still dries her hair with the dryer from her student days. Libra AirLoom weighs 420 g and has a 110,000 rpm brushless motor and ionization, 200 million negative ions per cubic centimeter, which helps hair frizz less. It has four temperature ranges, three speeds, a touch screen and three magnetic nozzles, including a diffuser for waves and curls. In practice, long hair dries in four to five minutes. In black or white.

12. A steam straightener that also curls (our Astra SteamPlasma). For a friend who straightens her hair every day or loves waves. Astra SteamPlasma has ceramic plates and five temperature levels starting at 140°C, steam that you can switch off, and plasma, over a million positive and negative ions per cubic centimeter. It heats up in 28 seconds and switches itself off after 30 minutes. I show how to curl with it in my guide how to curl your hair with a straightener.

13. A weekend for the two of you. Two days in a place you’ve been talking about for years, without partners and without kids. Book the accommodation and the travel, so your friend doesn’t have to organize anything.

14. Engraved jewelry. For a 30th, 40th or 50th birthday, a delicate bracelet or pendant engraved with the date you met stays with her for life. Go for a classic design and check whether she wears gold or silver.

A gift from several friends: a group gift over €150

Chipping in with several friends is the best way to give a gift that no one would buy on her own, and that the birthday girl won’t buy herself either, because it’s “a waste of money on myself”. It works for milestone birthdays, weddings and bachelorette parties. Agree on one person who collects the money and places the order, and on one card that everyone signs.

15. A hair dryer for years to come (our Aurea Family x Plasma). Our flagship model and the gift friends most often chip in for. Aurea Family x Plasma weighs 410 g and runs at a maximum of 59 dB, the level of a quiet conversation. Plasma, a billion positive and negative ions per cubic centimeter, leaves hair smooth and frizz-free after drying. It has seven modes, including a children’s mode with a lower temperature, three magnetic nozzles with a wavy diffuser, and a touch sensor that stops the airflow when you put the dryer down. In practice, short hair dries in 29 seconds and long hair in five to seven minutes. You can also add a PonyGadget for her ponytails and buns.

New: hair dryer, curling iron and brush in one (our Nuvia AirPlasma). For a friend who starts every night out with a hair dryer, a curling iron and a brush. Nuvia AirPlasma combines them in one body with seven attachments: the 32 and 40 mm curling barrels curl with air of up to 90°C, and the rotating tip changes the direction of the curl, so the curls fall away from the face on both sides of the head. Plasma reduces frizz, and holding a button gives a cold shot that sets the curl. It’s a good candidate for a gift from several friends for a milestone birthday. I also explain how a hot air styler works.

16. A trip with the whole group. A few days by the sea or in the mountains, paid for by everyone except the birthday girl. Ideally with one part of the program prepared especially for her, such as a dinner or a photo shoot.

17. A photo shoot for the friends. Professional photos of your whole group are a keepsake that grows more valuable every year. Book a photographer outdoors or in a studio and agree on one color for your outfits.

18. A watch or jewelry in precious metal. For a 50th birthday or a wedding, one piece of real gold or silver from the whole group of friends will outlast every trend. Add a note signed by each of you.

What to get a best friend who has everything?

For a friend who has everything, the best gift is an experience, time, or a better version of something she uses every day. Another object “for the collection” usually ends up in the closet, while an evening together, a class she would never sign up for herself or a really good device in place of an old one bring joy for a long time. It also helps to ask yourself what she’s been putting off lately.

19. An experience she hasn’t had yet. A hot-air balloon ride, a boat trip on a lake, a diving course, dinner at a restaurant she’s read about. What counts is the novelty, not the price.

20. A better version of what she uses every day. If she’s been drying her hair with the same loud dryer for years, or straightening it with a straightener that pulls, she’ll feel the new device every time she uses it. Not sure which model suits her hair? Our device-matching quiz will tell you in a minute, and if you don’t get it right, you have 30 days from receiving the parcel to return it. We’ve gathered our hair dryers, straighteners and PonyGadget on one page: gifts for her.

21. Time you’ve planned for her. A voucher for “a day with no obligations”: breakfast out, a walk, the movies, dinner, everything booked and paid for. For a mom of small children or a friend who works a lot, it’s a gift you can’t buy in a store.

Gifts for your best friend for her birthday, Christmas, St. Nicholas Day and Galentine’s Day

The occasion suggests the budget and the kind of gift. For a birthday, something personal counts; for Christmas, something that brings joy in winter; for St. Nicholas Day, a little something with a sense of humor; and for Galentine’s Day, the celebration of female friendship on 13 February, an outing together. Milestone birthdays and weddings are the best moment for a gift from several friends.

For her birthday choose something that refers to your history or to what she’s been into lately. For a 30th, 40th or 50th it’s worth raising the bar: engraved jewelry, a weekend away or a device that lasts for years, from several of you. For Christmas things for the home that are “for her” rather than “for the house” work well: a blanket, good tea with a pretty cup, beauty products for long evenings. For St. Nicholas Day go for a little something for €10-25, and for Galentine’s Day for an evening for the two of you or with the whole group.

A gift for a coworker

A gift for a female coworker should be nice, but not too personal. Desk accessories, good coffee or tea, a beauty product in a universal version or a voucher for the café next to the office work best. For birthdays in the team, several people usually chip in, so even small amounts add up to a decent gift.

When a coworker leaves the job, something that reminds her of the team works well: an album with photos from company outings or a card with wishes from everyone. Avoid gifts that are too intimate, like lingerie or perfume, and jokes that only part of the team understands.

What not to buy your best friend?

Don’t buy your best friend perfume, clothes, yet another bath set or appliances “for the home” without knowing exactly what she wants. Perfume is very personal, clothes require knowing her size and style, and bath sets she gets from everyone. Household appliances, such as an iron or a food processor, are a gift for the house, not for her.

If you really want to buy perfume or clothes, choose exactly the scent or item she wears, or give a gift card for her favorite store together with a note. With hair tools, it helps that they can be returned: in our store you have 30 days from receiving the parcel, with no reason needed.

Frequently asked questions about gifts for your best friend

How much should you spend on a gift for your best friend?

For a name day or St. Nicholas Day, up to €25 is usually enough; for a birthday or Christmas, €25-75. For a milestone birthday, a wedding or a bachelorette party, a group gift from several friends works best, and then a device that lasts for years or a trip together is within reach. The amount matters less than getting it right, so a smaller gift that says “I remember” is the better choice.

What to get your best friend for her 30th birthday?

For a 30th birthday, gifts that last for years work well: engraved jewelry, a weekend for the two of you or a device she would never buy herself, such as a really good hair dryer or straightener. It’s good if the gift comes from several friends, because then you can give one big thing instead of several small ones.

What to get your best friend for her 40th birthday?

For a 40th birthday, the best gift is one “for herself” that she has neither the time nor an excuse for: a spa weekend, a course she has been dreaming of, or a better version of a device she uses every day. If she’s been drying her hair with the same dryer for years, a new one that is quieter and lighter will make her happy every time she washes her hair.

What Christmas gift should you get your best friend?

For Christmas, gifts that bring joy in winter work well: a good hair dryer, because during the heating season the dry air indoors makes hair more prone to static, a warm blanket, tea with a pretty cup or tickets to an outing together in January. Order the gift with time to spare, because couriers have the most work before Christmas. We deliver to Germany, Czechia and Slovakia, usually within 2-4 working days. Orders placed from 15 November to 24 December can be returned until 15 January.

Is a hair dryer a good gift for your best friend?

Yes, if your friend dries her hair every day and complains about her current dryer: the noise, the weight or the frizz after drying. It’s a gift she’ll use several times a week for years. If you don’t know which model to choose, the matching quiz will help, and 30 days to return it from receiving the parcel gives you peace of mind in case it isn’t right after all.

What to get a coworker for under €15?

For under €15, good coffee or tea, a desk plant, a mug with a funny slogan, a beauty product in a universal version, such as hand cream, or a PonyGadget for a coworker who ties her hair up will all work. For gifts at work, it’s better to go for things that are nice and practical than for anything too personal.

Finally, the most important thing: your friend won’t remember the amount, only that the gift was chosen with her in mind. One small, well-chosen gift means more than an expensive one bought in a rush.

Anna Nowak-Ibisz, co-founder of SkinVibe