When travelling about on public transport, using public toilets or even pushing the trolley round the supermarket I always feel like I am surrounded by millions of germs and start thinking I am going to come down with yet another dose of flu or a cold (a bit of a hypochondriac I am!), hence I always carry around with me some kind of hand gel.

I came across the Carex Hand Gel with Aloe Vera a few months ago, whilst in Boots browsing through the many different ones that were available. I liked the sound of it simply because it contains aloe vera, which is an ingredient that I really like, so I decided to buy it.

The Carex hand Gel with aloe Vera is made by Cussons (a well known and trusted brand in my opinion), and comes in a clear, see through plastic bottle containing 50 ml. On the front, there is the blue Carex logo, underneath Hand Gel Aloe Vera and it claims to kill 99.9% of bacteria. You are supposed to get 100 applications out of the 50 ml bottle, something that I don't think anyone can argue with, because who is going to count the number of times they actually use it?! Saying that, one of these bottles usually last me a good couple of months, and I use it two or three times a day, so that sounds about right. On the back of the bottle there is a list of ingredients (a lot), the usual warnings (flammable, don't get it in your eyes and so on), directions for use and details for contacting Cussons.

The gel is dispensed via a pump, and there is also a plastic lid that covers this, to protect the pump from being activated whilst in your handbag I suppose. The gel is a very light green colour, which makes it that bit different from the other typically clear hand gels.

Once you dispense a couple of small blob of this gel, it sort of turns quite runny, so it is easily rubbed in and absorbed immediately, without leaving your hands feeling wet. What I love about this gel is the refreshing aloe vera scent, which lingers for a while. I think that some hand gels smell quite medicated, but this really makes your hands smell like you have just used a very nice soap. When you have rubbed it in, it also makes your hands feel very cool and tingly, a wonderful refreshing sensation. Another good thing about it is that it doesn't dry your hands out, like some other hand gels do, so no need for moisturising after.

I think this is the best hand gel that I have ever used, and even though it is slightly more expensive than others (only by pennies mind you), I think it is totally worth it and would recommend it to anyone who uses hand gels.