Nowadays, there are so many products launching, it can be hard to know what’s worth investing in. So, when I come across a new brand, I tend to look at three things: the ingredients, the packaging and its story. And when Gisou popped up on my packed Instagram feed a few years ago, it instantly cut through the noise.

The haircare brand, which is based in the Netherlands, manages to tick all of three of those boxes. For starters, every one of Gisou’s hair formulations contains a star ingredient: honey. You may already know that honey is favoured in skincare for its soothing and antimicrobial benefits. In fact, the Ancient Egyptians supposedly relied on honey for its skin-healing properties. But Gisou aims to bring the benefits of this liquid gold to haircare, too.

To truly appreciate Gisou, you really need to know its story. Charmingly, the inspiration for the brand came to founder Negin Mirsalehi from her parents. Growing up, Mirsalehi spent a lot of time in her beekeeper father’s bee garden.

Here, Mirsalehi became a sixth-generation beekeeper herself, helping her father care for the bees, minimise intrusion to their colony and only extract surpluses of honey if and when appropriate in a cruelty-free manner.

At the time, Mirsalehi’s mother, a hairdresser, found herself unsatisfied with the beauty offering available in the Netherlands. So, she began mixing homemade beauty formulas, which always included honey collected by her husband.

These homemade remedies led to the creation of a honey infused hair oil, which quickly became a staple for the Mirsalehi family to keeping their hair nourished and healthy. The honey contains vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants, all of which help to nourish, repair and restore dry hair.

Years later, Mirsalehi was splitting her time between beekeeping and being a fashion and beauty influencer (today, she has 6.3 million followers on Instagram alone). Her platform was constantly inundated with questions about her hair – and we understand why; just look at her gorgeous hair.

So, in 2013, Mirsalehi decided to share the family secret. Hair brand Gisou (meaning women’s hair in Persian, paying homage to the family’s heritage) was born and yes, the Honey Infused Hair Oil created with the Mirsalehi family’s honey was the first product to hit shelves.

Over the years, I’ve seen Gisou all over my Instagram feed. In fact, it’d be hard to miss it – the glass bottles (which perfectly showcase the brand’s golden formulas) and white, pink and floral packaging are all very aesthetically-pleasing. And on Mirsalehi’s personal page, you’ll find she often shares updates on her father’s incredible bee garden. But being desperate to try the brand for years, it’s always been difficult to get your hands on it in the UK – well, until now.

From today, Gisou is finally available at Selfridges. I was lucky enough to get my hands on some of its popular products: its bestselling Honey Infused Hair Oil, Honey Infused Hair Perfume and Honey Infused Hair Mask to trial ahead of its launch. The brand also sells a Honey Infused Hair Wash and Conditioner. Here, I run through my thoughts.

Main image: Gisou