A couple of weeks ago I found myself visiting South Africa with work for a couple of weeks. Being in the southern hemisphere the country was at the height of its summer- quite a contrast to the icy cold weather we've been experiencing in the UK! Whilst stocking up on toiletries for the trip I spotted Original Source Mint and Tea tree shower gel. I have previously used this in the summer in the UK and found it really refreshing and so I opted to take this with me on my trip. The shower gel retails at around £1.95 a bottle, although it can often be found cheaper in the pound shop.

The shower gel itself comes in a distinctive triangular shaped bottle with a flat top and stands on a black flip open lid. The bottle itself is made of clear plastic so that you can see the gel inside. I always find this handy as I know exactly how much product I have left by the weight of the bottle. In this case the gel itself is a bright green colour and really does stand out on the supermarket shelf amongst all the other products.

The front label has a bold and clear design with the brand and product name written in block capital letters. In my opinion as a woman the product packaging and logo does look slightly more on the masculine side, but this didn't put me off using this product. The label states that the gel has 7927 real mint leaves in it (I find that quite impressive!), which makes for skin-tingling stuff! The product also claims to be packed full of essential oils. As such it may not be suitable for all skin types and you are advised to try a little of this product first to see if there are any reactions.

The shower gel is marketed as the ultimate wake up call and when you take a whiff of this it is not surprising why! The shower gel smells extremely minty and very refreshing. Some mint products I find smell a bit like toothpaste but in the case the smell is really realistic as if I'd just picked some mint leaves from the bottom of my garden.

When using this in the shower the design of the bottle means that it is really easy to grip. The shower gel is squeezed out through the base and comes out easily. It has quite a runny consistency but not so runny that it gets everywhere or that you squeeze too much out at a time. As you squeeze this out the first thing that hits you is the cool refreshing scent of mint leaves. Just this in itself wakes me up! Rubbing this on my skin I find that it lathers up quite nicely - it doesn't produce copious amounts of bubbles but there is enough to get a nice lather going. It rinses off easily which for me is important as often I find shower gels leave a slight residue on my skin which makes me wonder whether I have got all the product off. As it is washed away my skin feels quite tingly and really cool (almost icy) as the air from the surroundings hits my skin too. It really is a great gel to use on a hot summers day!

I usually use a gel with added moisturiser and in this case I do notice the difference. Whilst the gel does a great job of cleaning my skin, waking me up and leaving me really refreshed, it doesn't leave my skin feeling pampered or moisturised. To be fair though, there is no claim on the bottle that the gel has moisturising properties and it didn't leave my skin feeling dry either. Once out of the shower the scent lingers for a while but then fades away within half an hour or so. I found this a little disappointing at first but now think this is not necessarily a bad thing as it then doesn't clash with any fragrance that I wear.

Looking at the label in a bit more detail I was pleased to note that this product is not tested on animals and that it is produced in the UK so as to reduce the products miles. The product is also suitable for vegans. I was also surprised to note that both the bottle AND the lid are recyclable. This is quite rare as most lids have to be removed and thrown out with the normal household waste - I find removing the lids can be quite difficult and a real pain so for me this is great!

Overall, this shower gel is brilliant to use on a hot summers day. It really is extremely refreshing and does a good job of waking you up first thing in the morning too! The scent is amazing and I am always left feeling refreshed and ready to face the day. Now being back in the UK with the weather as cold as it is, this isn't a gel I'll be using as it's too cold and my skin doesn't really want to feel any more icy than it already does! I'll be saving this for the summer (if we get one!)