MASHED banana whisked up into a light froth with 2 oz of organic milk and chopped avocado blitzed in a blender with honey may sound like a recipe of some kind.

But these ingredients are not for internal consumption.

Instead, the suggestion from Sarah Jane Hancock was that my colleague Lorelei and I should have them smeared on our heads.

And why not?

Sarah Jane is one of the partners at Sweeny, the hair salon at the Salisbury station end of Fisherton Street, and bananas and avocados are two of the key ingredients for vitamin and protein enriched smoothies - just the thing to give our tired out tresses a pre-Christmas treat.

It was up to Lorelei and me to discover whether they would be a recipe for disaster or just the job to revitalise our stressed-out strands.

Sweeny uses all-organic hair treatments from a company called Mop (modern organic products).

The smoothie is literally whipped up in a blender, following the recipe best suited to your hair type.

Sarah Jane had decided that Lorelei's sleek dark bob would benefit from an organic protein smoothie, which repairs and detoxifies.

Junior hairdresser Lauren Payne set to work in the salon's tiny 'kitchen', mixing up a roughly chopped organic banana with organic milk, 4oz of something called extreme protein and a single teaspoon of glisten shine drops (oatstraw for shine and softness, horsetail for sheen, and aloe for moisture).

The bowl of creamy froth that resulted was painted virtually strand by strand on to Lorelei's freshly washed hair ("that's lovely - really cool", she murmured), followed by a gentle head massage as the mixture was worked into the hair and scalp.

While Lorelei was popped under a heater for ten minutes to help speed up the development time, it was my turn at the sink.

My hair is much drier than Lorelei's (it's an age thing) so Lauren emerged from the kitchen bearing a bowl of green gunk, its colour largely courtesy of half an organic avocado, which is the prime ingredient of a moisture-rich smoothie.

This had been blended with honey, more glisten shine drops and 4oz of extreme moisture (banana, apple juice and other moisture-replenishing goodies).

Ten minutes under the heater and my locks had begun to bake into something smelling vaguely reminiscent of an exotic hors d'ouevre.

Thorough rinsing is needed to ensure that the odd bit of rotting fruit doesn't emerge from your crowning glory at an inopportune moment later in the day, before hair is blow dried into your usual style.

Lorelei was delighted with the result, pronouncing her hair much softer and feeling fuller than usual, and the shine was immediately obvious.

I must confess to disappointment - initially.

My hair looked great but felt slightly stiffer than I had expected.

But as the day wore on and the immediate effects of the blow-drying wore off, it got softer and softer.

By evening, it felt in the best condition it had been in for some time.

We left the salon with small doggie bags containing the left-overs from the smoothies (these will keep refrigerated for up to three days so you can give your hair a second helping), plus instructions on what to do at home.

As well as the two that we tried, there is a toning shampoo smoothie (apple cider vinegar, half an organic orange plus peel, basil mint shampoo and a small squirt of leave-in conditioner).

You will need to allow an hour or so for the smoothie, which can be used as a stand-alone treatment or in conjunction with your usual wash, cut and blow dry.

Time to let Christmas go to your head.

The smoothie costs £15 and appointments can be made at Sweeny on 01722 324420.