I recently received the "Asda Essentials Reviving Thyme Handwash" as a substitute item from Asda when another hand wash item I had ordered online was out of stock.

The bottle is a fairly generous 500ml in size which makes the 55 pence price tag seem to be fantastic value, particularly when I consider that I regularly pay around £1 for much smaller-sized bottles of handwash - being only 300ml - from a variety of different brands. I was certainly intrigued to see if the Asda Handwash would fare as well as any of my regular purchases.

The packaging of the Asda product is fairly attractive, consisting of a slightly oval-shaped plastic bottle which has a lightly 'frosted' appearance to it, through which I can see the gorgeous lilac/purple colour of the liquid hand wash shining through. The branding and product name have all been printed onto the bottle in purple and pink tones which correspond perfectly with the colour of the liquid hand wash itself and gives the product an extremely attractive, albeit fairly feminine appearance overall.

The packaging is fairly robust, and I find that the pump dispenser used on the bottle is of a fairly high quality, being able to dispense just the right amount of liquid soap into my open palm each time that I press down on the top. The plastic bottle can be recycled after use.

The Asda Thyme Handwash has a fairly thick consistency which I think was a bit of a surprise to me, given the extremely low price of the product; indeed, I think I had been expecting the product to be fairly runny and slightly thinner than I would like it to be, but I needn't have worried. Being of a fairly thick gel-like consistency, this liquid soap actually reminds me of a shower gel product or something similar. It is certainly a lot thinner than some of the thick 'cream' hand wash products that I have used before, but I don't find it runs all over the place or is excessively messy or anything.

The Asda Handwash lathers quite nicely, soaping into a gentle foam which can be achieved very easily with just a little water being added to the gel-like soap. I find that the foamy lather is quite soft and feels pleasant when I am massaging it into my hands. I find too that the product works well at removing grease and dirt from my hands, and there is no dirty residue left behind after I have washed my hands with this product.

I really do quite like the fragrance of the Asda Reviving Thyme Handwash, but find that the scent is very understated. It is not the type of product that has an abundant 'whiff' of fragrance being evident as you are using the product to wash your hands, and in actual fact I find I often need to 'seek out' the fragrance specifically or it would probably go undetected altogether. This is actually a positive point for me on this occasion, as if the slightly floral scent was any heavier, my other half would probably grumble about the soap being too girly for him! As it is, the scent is quietly fragrant on the skin after use, which is absolutely ideal for both my husband and I.

The fragrance contains individual scents that I find quite difficult to pinpoint. I had expected the aroma to be very herb-like and quite 'earthy', and whilst there is a definite undertone to this effect, it is delicately balanced with a more perfumed, floral scent. I find the combination of the two makes for a very refreshing hand wash product that is actually fairly unisex and one that I would say is suitable for the whole family. I find too that the fragrance lasts for a reasonable amount of time on my hands after use, without being domineering or too overpowering.

Asda do not allow any of their own-branded products to be tested on animals, and actually fund research into finding alternatives. The product is suitable for vegetarians.

I would recommend the Asda Reviving Thyme Handwash and it is a product that I would go out of my way to buy again as I liked the understated fragrance and thought that the large bottle and extremely low price tag offered a great economical liquid Handwash product.

It may be of interest to note that there is actually a whole range of "Asda Reviving Thyme" products available to buy from Asda, and all of them appear to have a great value price. Some examples are:

Reviving Thyme Bath Foam (1000ml) - £.0.69
Reviving Thyme Shampoo (500ml) - £0.80
Reviving Thyme Shower Gel (500ml) - £0.79
(Info correct as @ February 2012).