REVIEW | Savvy Boheme Facial Trivium

Price

$30  | Vanity Size | 4 oz Scrub | .75 oz Raven’s Balm | 1.5 oz African Black Soap

$54 | Full-Size | 6 oz. Scrub | 2.65 oz Raven’s Balm | 3 oz. African Black Soap

Description

The word “Trivium” defines the place where three roads meet. And in this case, that is exactly what happened. Savvy Boheme combined their African Black Soap, Raw Sugar Scrub + Raven’s Balm to create the most effective, yet simplistic skin care routine – without complicated steps, “advanced technology”, or using ingredients with extra long syllables – including the letters “Z” and “X”. Over the past few years, customers were telling them how they’d been using their products, and a common thread was to: Combine the African Black Soap lather + Raw Sugar Scrub (converting to glycolic acid, a natural alpha hydroxy acid during the process) to save a step; Then apply Raven’s Balm to freshly prepared skin. Everyone who tried it loved how it made their skin look + feel. So, Savvy Boheme started training their new customers to do the same + have gotten the same, rave reviews!

Why the combo works so well

African Black Soap is an extremely clarifying facial (body + hair) cleanser that removes makeup, environmental grime, + draws impurities to the surface of the skin. It’s amazing for acne + skin discoloration, as well as eczema + dandruff.

Raw Sugar Scrub uses organic, Fair Trade sugar to remove dead skin, + contains naturally occurring glycolic acid (an alphahydroxy acid) for a deeper exfoliation, as well as adjusting your pH, making your face offensive to free radicals (aka, zit + wrinkle causers!). Highly beneficial oils, kosher vegetable glycerin + local honey are used to moisturize the new cellular turnover, + remove the oxidized oils that hold dead skin to your face.

Raven’s Balm is used to moisturize the freshly prepared palate +  give a breathable barrier of protection.  

 Ingredients

African Black Soap – Coconut oil, Raw, Organic, Fair Trade Shea Butter, Cocoa Pod Ash, Water, Palm Kernel oil.

Raw Sugar Scrub – Raw, Organic, Fair Trade certified Sugar, Organic, Raw, Organic Coconut oil, Olive oil, Grapeseed oil, Jojoba oil, Sweet Almond oil, Kosher Vegetable Glygerin, Organic Local Honey, Essential oils, and Vitamin E.

Raven’s Balm –  Unrefined, Organic, Fair Shea Butter, Evening Primrose, Lavender Essential Oil, Non-GMO Rice Powder.

 Packaging

The soap is usually in the form of a bar, but I believe they will soon be adding the option for a liquid version (don’t quote me though). The scrub comes in a plastic container with a screw cap. With the balm, you have the option to choose either a round, metal tin or a twist-up stick. While I absolutely adore these products, I think packaging + labeling is a little dated.

 Scent

They have several scent options for the scrub, so it really depends on the variety you choose. I’ve been using “Amelia” – Coconut + Vanilla, + my Mom has the “Tall Americano” – Coffee one. Both smell absolutely delish! As for the African Black Soap, I’m not even going to lie… it’s smells faintly like an ashtray (it’s the ash in the soap that makes it work so well though + it’s nothing I can’t get past). The Raven’s balm smells like a light lavender.

 Texture

The bar soap, lathers well. The raw sugar in the scrub is the perfect shape + size (not square or sharp like some others I’ve tried. Ouch!) so, it’s gentle enough to use everyday. When mixed together, the texture becomes a little thicker – like a syrup or a mask with sugar crystals in it. The Raven’s Balm is smooth + velvety.

 Pros

• Skin feels looks + feels totally ah-mazing after using this combo!
• You can choose a scent from several options.
• Helps with so many skin issues like acne, wrinkles, keratosis pilaris, hyper pigmentation + so much more!
• All the products seem to last for awhile, even with everyday use.

Cons

• It’s messy!
• The African Black Soap doesn’t smell or look pretty in your soap dish.
• I tend to run out of the scrub faster than the Soap or the Raven’s Balm. Luckily you can purchase them separately though!
• It’s not an all-in-one for me… the soap alone doesn’t remove my eye makeup, but many others say it does for them.

Final Thoughts

Ok, so I want to start by saying that this is my go-to Facial Cleansing Regimen (for the most part), in between testing other products. I’ve been using it for almost a year now + this set is probably in my top, favorite natural beauty products of all time!

Since giving up MAC + Proactiv (hormonal acne, most likely related to the Cancer) a few years ago, I noticed these teeny-tiny, flesh colored bumps on my cheeks that never really go away, regardless of diet or beauty products. Frustrated after a recent dermatologist visit where it was dismissed as acne + I was sent home with 3 prescriptions – I began really digging into the research… and I’m pretty sure it’s Keratosis Pilaris. Apparently, it seems as if it never truly goes away, but it can be managed with regular, gentle exfoliation + coconut oil – which, luckily –  these products can offer!  I haven’t used it religiously enough though since I figured it out, so that’s my next plan of attack! Regardless, it has really transformed both the look + the feel of my skin + I’ve had amazing results when I do use it on a regular basis.

I also gave this to my mother for Christmas last year + much like me… she immediately fell in love! Keep in mind, she’s someone who has never, ever liked scrubs. They’ve always been too rough for her. I’m the total opposite though – I like a good scrub. So this actually accommodated both of us! One thing my mom mentioned though was that she had a slight burning reaction to the Raven’s Balm – but only on her face. Not when she used it on her hands, body or anywhere else. She tried it both with + without the scrub, + even used ome of mine from a totally different batch, having the same issue. Now I don’t want this to deter you from trying this in any way, because it’s a really amazing set of products + this totally isn’t the norm. Nobody else I’ve recommended this to has had this issue, so I asked Keri (the owner) how this is possible, if she isn’t allergic to any of the ingredients? Keri said it may be because of the natural acids present in shea butter, + the less concentrated the shea is in the product, the less it happens. This product happens to have a very high concentration of shea. So, she sent my mom one of their Whipped Shea Body Butters instead, which has a lower concentration, + she hasn’t had any issues with it.

If I could change one thing about this, aside from squeezing it all out of one single tube (it’s messy, Lol) I wished it would remove all my makeup! The soap alone does not – at least in my case, so I usually end up using a separate cleanser to remove my eye makeup. I wish I didn’t have to though. To be fair – I do wear a lot of eye makeup + like drag-queen lashes, so this may not be the case for you! When the soap + the scrub are combined, most eye makeup comes right off – but I’m not sure how I feel about using a scrub on my delicate eye area, even though it super-gentle. Although – if it’s not a scrub, it’s rubbing with a cotton ball, wash cloth or something else. So I’m a little torn on this one.

All in all, Savvy Boheme’s Customer Service is really fab! You can really tell that Keri loves what she does – she’s a skincare maven! Anytime I’ve ever had a question, I’ve always gotten a really personal, in-depth response, right away! And that makes all the difference in her products. So, needless to say, I highly recommend the Facial Trivium! Thanks Keri + Savvy Boheme!

Buy it at SavvyBoheme.com

Have you ever tried  Savvy Boheme’s Facial Trivium? Check it out + let me know your thoughts in the comments below!