Purple Prairie Botanicals Hand Sanitizer Review

Pros: Non-drying! It's actually more like a lotion than a traditional gel hand sanitizer. I prefer it to many of my other products that are actually marketed and sold as lotions. Frequently I use it in place of lotion even when I don't need to sanitize my hands because it's so moisturizing. In the winter months when I'm constantly washing my hands, it's been an absolute life saver. I enjoy the scent and find it very calming. It's heavy on the tea tree and lavender notes and reminds me of a spa. The ingredients are fantastic, natural, and clean (see ingredient list below and it's EWG rating here).

Cons: If you're not a fan of lavender and tea tree essential oils, the strong scent may be off-putting. Though the scent does fade. I don't know if it kills germs like MRSA, Listeria, e-coli, etc.

I emailed Purple Prairie to inquire if they had found any research to support the effectiveness of their ingredients for germ-killing and received this reply:

"We use the current research available on witch hazel, tea tree, lavender and lemon essential oils. We have not done any studies on the actual product itself, only on the ingredients.
Thank you for your business!"

What I most appreciate about their response is that they were honest, prompt, and did not try to oversell the efficacy of their product. So would I trust it if I was working in a hospital? No. But for everyday use, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It's a lovely NON-DRYING formula, which is fantastic for dry cold winter months/flu season. I'd much rather use a gentle all-natural formula than the industrial strength stuff that dries out my skin.

I might consider adding thyme essential oil as I've heard there is research supporting thyme oil as an effective agent to kill MRSA. It also happens to be an active ingredient in Clean Well's antibacterial soap, hand sanitizer, and hand sanitizing wipes. I've used Clean Well's hand sanitizer as well, but it's not moisturizing and has a liquid/watery consistency. The fact that Purple Prairie's hand sanitizer doubles as a lotion and hand sanitizer is a WIN WIN in my book.

Purple Prairie also offers lots of other fantastic clean products (check their brand out on EWG). Look for future reviews on some of their soaps, massage oil, lotions, and sunscreen products in the future.

Order Purple Prairie's hand sanitizer here.


Ingredients include: hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) extract, organic helianthus annuus (sunflower) oil, cetearyl alcohol, citrus limonum (lemon) oil, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil, melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil, polysorbate and rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract.

Cell Swatches: Pacifica 7 Free Nail Polish

Pay no mind to how terrible my nails look:) Hopefully the swatches help prospective buyers. Pink Moon is more matte than the other colors. Unicorn Horn is a lovely sheer pearly iridescent shade. I did NOT use the Top & Base coat for the nail swatches. Click the pictures to see larger versions of the photos.

Left to Right: Cinnamon Girl, Sunshine Daydream, Turquoise Tiara, Pink Moon, Unicorn Horn, Gloss Top & Base Coat

Finger Left (pointer) to Right (pinky): Pink Moon, Turquoise Tiara, Sunshine Daydream, Cinnamon Girl. Thumb: Unicorn Horn

Close up of Unicorn Horn. It's a lovely sheer iridescent color.

Pink Moon, Turquoise Tiara, Sunshine Daydream, and Cinnamon Girl.

Cell Swatches: Pacifica Charmed Shadow Palette

Left to Right: Unicorn, Big Sky, Charming, Purple Haze, Moody, Alchemy, Avalon

Super fast Cell Swatches of the Pacifica Charmed Shadow Palette. No full review yet. I haven't had time to wear any of the shadows, but it's a new Pacifica palette and I thought people might like swatches before buying. I'm taking it on our trip over Memorial Day weekend, so I'll let you know. I had a hard time getting color payoff on my arm swatches, but you can see my finger swatches are more intense. Charming, the orange color, has a lovely pink iridescence that pictures just don't do justice to. I'll have to see how they do when applied on the eyes. I love the range of colors. Some neutrals and some fun colors for summer. It's a perfect travel palette because you can do more subdued looks as well as brighter looks. AND I love that you get seven colors instead of Pacifica's typical four-pan palettes, though each pan is smaller. For some reason the colors in the palette look slightly more intense in the pictures than they do in real life. Click on the pictures to scroll through and see larger versions.

The finger swatches are top to bottom: Unicorn, Big Sky, Charming, and Purple Haze.

All the arm swatches are top to bottom: Avalon, Alchemy, Moody, Purple Haze, Charming, Big Sky, and Unicorn.

Health Treasure Chest: Owens Acres Herbal Teas

The first thing I want to say about Owens Acres is--I LOVE LAURA.  Laura Owens is the owner of Owens Acres and is a Certified Master Herbalist.  She also provides the most prompt, friendly, and informative customer service I have ever encountered.  I emailed back and forth with her so many times with questions, and she has been so patient and kind.  I'd be tempted to recommend Owens Acres just because of Laura, but it turns out they have fantastic products too!  I ordered some teas, natural perfumes, and other fun goodies.


During my informal email interview/pestering of Laura, I asked her this:  Of the teas you make, what are your personal top five most frequently brewed teas? And of course--Why are they your top five?  Answers in italics.
This changes a lot, depending on the weather: 
1.  Lemongrass Rose - Light and great hot or iced anytime.
2.  Peppermint Twist - Warm, soothing, and fruity sweet naturally.
3.  Owens Acres Suntea - Great hot or iced anytime.
4.  Winterberry Bliss - Warm and spicy
5.  Chamomile - soothing, warm, and quiet
6.  I like Lemon Verbena with hibiscus, but it's not an official tea, I sometimes just mix up what ever comes across my mind
I pulled these descriptions of the teas I ordered from the Owens Acres website, but Laura mentioned to use this disclaimer as well:   "Herbalists are not doctors and therefore we do not diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease.  If you have a medical question or concern, please consult your physician."

So I ordered a ton of tea.  In fact, I ordered so many that you wouldn't want me to review them all at once so I'll just mention my two favorites.  Italics are descriptions from the Owens Acres website and Laura's answers.

Dandelion Orange Tea

Healthy, sweet, and earthy warm.  Very calming and rich in minerals and vitamins.  Yummy hot or iced and great for kids.  Who knew a tea this good for you could taste good!
-Doesn't taste particularly like oranges, but I've thought it would be fun to add fresh orange slices.  I like that Dandelion is great if you've had your gall bladder removed (like me) since it increases bile flow.  And it turns out Dandelion greens are super healthy to eat on their own too (I've tried them in smoothies in addition to kale and spinach).  Laura suggests using "regular ol' dandelion growing in your lawn as long as you do not fertilize your lawn!"  Here's what Laura had to say about Dandelion:
...anti-rheumatic, blood purifier, diuretic, tonic.  Dandelion is high in potassium and Vitamin A (more than carrots) and is a superior diuretic.  Increase flow of bile from the liver, and can reduce serum cholesterol.  It's just healthful to eat or have in a tea and has been used for centuries as a liver tonic. 

Loose dry Orchard Delight Tea

Orchard Delight

Sweet and fruity blend of dried Pears, Apricots, and Apples with sweet ruby red Hibiscus flowers, zesty Lemon Verbena, and calming Chamomile.  Full of vitamins and antioxidants makes a healing cold tea or yummy iced tea.
-This is my new favorite.  I taste the verbena and chamomile, yet it's subtly fruity and mildly sweet.  It smells amazing!  Someone take me to a late fall orchard--I smell ripe apples and sunshine with a whiff of herbal flowers.  I've been making a whole pot of this and enjoying it throughout the day since it's caffeine free.  Don't get me wrong--I love a good cup of coffee, but I get a little nutty if you give me coffee after 3pm.

Brewing Orchard Delight

Laura offers a huge variety of herbal teas.  I was just browsing the Owens Acres Herbal Tea section and saw a new flavor called Island Song--a blend of Hibiscus, dried Pineapple, Jasmine flowers, Lemongrass, dried Coconut, and dried Mango.  Summer here I come!  Definitely on my "I can't wait to try this!" list.


I also ordered a few of Laura's medicinal teas or "Teas with a Purpose."  Laura has some other great options in this category like teas for IBS, a Bone Builder Tea, Headache and Migraine, and Cold and Flu tea (just to name a few, there's a bunch more!).  Check out Owens Acres Teas with a Purpose.

And guess what?!  Owen's Acres is CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) certified.  Curious about what that means and what it takes to become CCOF certified?  Check out this link about the CCOF certification process.  Here are a few of Laura's answers (in italics) regarding organic:


I noticed you're CCOF certified.  Are all of your products 100% organic (I'm particularly interested in your teas)?                                                                                                                           No. Our farm is a certified organic herb farm and we grow a lot of our ingredients, but unfortunately our climate/elevation don't allow us to grow some of the ingredients.  That said, I make every effort to buy from reputable suppliers and buy organic or wildcrafted when available.  I have a 75% rule, which far exceeds other like companies who use 10% organic ingredients and call it 'organic'.  Products that meet my 75% rule are labeled organic.  


Are the fruits in your fruit tea blends organic? Like your Cherry Jubilee or Orchard Delight teas (both of which I'm excited to try!). 
Yes, all the fruits used in the teas are organic and from California, I use Viva Bella Farms.                                                                                                        


I'm not necessarily an organic purist (I understand the expense and availability often hinders 100% organic), I'm just curious about your product ingredients.  Can you tell me about the difference between CCOF and USDA certified?
Yes, CCOF is "California Certified Organic Farm" which is a higher standard than USDA.  We are also USDA certified.  Our farm is 100% certified, versus some farms who have a small area certified, but still claim their products are 'certified'.  It's very deceptive to the buying public and consumers....

Here's what I like about what Laura has to say--she's honest and frank.  No skirting the issue.  I'd much rather buy from an honest company that tries to do their best to maintain a high ingredient standard (and organic when possible) than one that is not honest in their labeling practices.  


Not a tea fan?  Owens Acres offers tons of other great products.  I'll just mention my favorites because I've tried way too many.

Headache Balm and Headache & Sinus Inhalers

Headache balm--it smells like peppermint.  The other day, I was using it and started craving mint ice cream.  I don't thinks it's supposed to have that affect, but that's just me.  I'm weird.  I apply the balm to my forehead and temples, massage it in, and if I can, I lie down and close my eyes (this is my migraine protocol).  Laura also had headache tea and aromatherapy inhalers available if you want a trio attack.  And tons of other healing salves for a plethora of skin complaints.

Lemon Lotion Bar--this is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE Owens Acres product.  If winter dries out your skin, or you are a constant hand washer/hand sanitizer person in an effort to avoid a cold/flu, or if you work somewhere with constant hand washing like a restaurant or hospital--this is for you!  After I wash my hands, I don't dry them all the way so they're still damp.  Then I scoop a little lotion bar from its screw top tin and apply, massaging it into my hands, focusing on the knuckles and cuticles.  Let is soak in for a minute and there's no greasy or oily feeling.  Your hands will feel so soft and moisturized.  And this lotion bar survives a  hand washing or two, no need to reapply every five minutes like those water-based moisturizers.  Also, it smells like lemon!  Every time I apply it at work someone asks me, "What is that?  It smells so good!"  It's the perfect gift for your favorite nurse or chef! 

Solid Perfumes!  Anyone else have trouble finding a delicious perfume that's free of synthetic fragrance oils?  I find sweet and fruity scents are particularly difficult to find. But I found three winners from the Owens Acres perfumes.  My favorites are Ooh So Citrus, Vanilla Sandalwood, and Calming.  Ooh So Citrus smells wonderfully fruity, citrus-y, cheerful, uplifting, and sweet.  I'm a HUGE citrus fan.  Except lime.  Limes just don't seem as sweet.  Anyhow...  Laura offers solid and roll-on perfumes.  I don't know if it's the beeswax, but the solid Ooh So Citrus perfume smells sweeter than the roll on to me.  It seems to have more depth and an extra something.  I've recently started layering the roll on perfume over the solid for some extra staying power or to update my perfume throughout the day.  I experienced the same thing with the Vanilla Sandalwood solid and roll ons.  Vanilla sandalwood is a yummy, sensual, sweet, yet relaxing scent.  Calming smells about the same as a roll-on and as a solid (a blend of lavender, lemongrass, and orange).  I keep my Calming perfume in my purse for an on-the-go de-stressor.  All of Laura's perfumes/products are scented with essential oils except Fruit Salad, Cucumber, and Mango; which are fragrance oils. Essential oil perfumes don't last as long as synthetic fragrances, but I find refreshing my perfume in the afternoon is an uplifting yet relaxing daily ritual.  Laura's perfumes are also very reasonably priced--only $8.95 for a one ounce solid perfume tin!

Also, YAY TEA!  And thanks to Laura of Owens Acres for answering all of my questions!  Check out the Owens Acres website here.