Bohemian Collection by Dominique and Syeed Harris

It’s 8:59am on a Friday. I am in Houston with my boyfriend for his sister’s weddings (Nigerian traditional and American church ceremony), so I am anticipating a weekend full of the food, music, dancing, and people watching. Legs inflamed with mosquitos bites, I resists the urge to remove my entire epidermis layer as my boyfriend irons my wide legs pants because that is the one domestic duty I cannot bear to do (I ain’t sorry).

With the obligatory family drama that comes along with weddings, I am reminded that just because love is beautiful does not mean it’s easy; actually, that’s what makes it beautiful. If there is anything I love, it’s a family-owned business. You see Rochelle and Demond Campbell of Alikay Naturals, Karen and Damani Saunderson of Karen’s Body Beautiful, sibling duo Obia and Omini Ewah of Obia Naturals, and today we’ll be highlighting husband-wife team Dominique and Syeed Harris of Bohemian Collection.

Introduce yourselves & why you do what you do.

Greetings, my name is Dominique Harris. I am the co-owner of All Things O’Natural, a holistic lifestyle brand that hosts our two product lines Natty Naturals and The Bohemian Collection, with my awesome partner and husband, Syeed Harris. We are your official handcrafted herbal apothecary mom and pop business.

Describe what sets Bohemian Collection apart from other skin care brands.

I could say it’s all about our plant-based ingredients, not testing on animals, or how the products are made with love, but many of the green beauty brands offer similar attributes. I believe what sets us apart is we believe in holistic living and understand that we are beings made of energy. There is so much power in creating with the hands. For example, I believe what we are feeling, our emotions, are transferred into the products; it’s all a connection. The ingredients are from the earth, which holds a ton of energy and our personal energy as humans should merge and create something dynamic. For instance, neither my husband or I will create a product if we are not in a good place mentally or spiritually that day. If I can’t shake off a slightly icky emotion, then I will wait and handcraft on another day. Thankfully, this is not often.

Did you have any negative experiences with skin care products in the past?

Yes! I have tried so many products in the past. This was before I embarked on a naturally holistic lifestyle and didn’t pay too much mind to ingredients and my skin suffered from it. Some adverse reactions were severe breakouts, acne scars, and hyperpigmentation.

What are the skin care concerns that Bohemian Collection address?

The skin care concerns that Bohemian Collection addresses are similar to many commercial brands: exfoliation for brighter skin, clearing up acne scars, lessening hyperpigmentation, and infusing the right moisture balance for all skin types, but I think that our line goes further, being plant based and holistically focused. We want our customers to understand that these same concerns and desires can be achieved from ingredients directly from the earth with no chemically-produced introductions. And you get so much more. For example, we have had so many of our customers speak about not only how they love the products and how well they work, but they also speak about how they make them feel, how many times they have helped rid them of headache, or encouraged an uplifting energy.

Getting into the Mix

Cacao Clay Cleanser: How often can this be used as a mask?

Our Cacao Clay Cleanser can be used once per week for normal/dry/mature skin and twice per week for oily/acne prone skin. As a daily cleanser, it can be used both day and night. Apply to damp skin and massage in upward circular motions for 60 seconds before rinsing.

Bath + Body Oil: What is a tip for someone who fears transferring oil onto their clothes after applying this product?

We try to instruct our customers to use the Bath + Body Oil while the skin is still damp from a bath or shower. This way the oil locks in the moisture, creating a natural lotion (water+oil) and allowing the oil to absorb nicely into the skin. You want the oil to properly absorb, then dress as usual. Try not to apply oils to dry skin; it will make you greasy vs. moisturized.

Herbal Steams and Tub Teas: Which ingredients make each blend unique to dry and oily skin types?

Each herb, botanical and spice, work in different ways to achieve different desired results. For example, the herb, helichrysum, is a magical herb that aids in balancing over producing oil in the skin, helping to soothe and calm oily and acne prone skin. This same herb would be too drying for dry/mature skin. It’s super important that we know which herbs do what and then educate our customers on which blend is best for their skin type.

Bath Salts: Are these two options based on fragrance?

The Bath Salt blends do offer two different aromas, but the herbs in the salts are different. The Pink Himalayan Salts is infused with organic rose petals, lavender, chamomile herbs, and an essential oil blend that is combined specifically for relaxing the mind, body and spirit, perfect for an evening bath. The Eucalyptus and Lemongrass Salts use different herbs for more uplifting and is heavily geared for awakening the senses and chakras.

Coffee + Cane Sugar Body Scrub: Are there benefits to the coffee beans being sourced from Ethiopia, Colombia and South Africa?

There is always a benefit when beans are sourced from different areas. We must remember climate, soil, and energy from that area. Most importantly, the coffee is sourced from fair trade co-ops, which means that each worker is paid fair wages. We all want to be paid fairly for what we do. Also, when testing the various beans, I fell in love with the Ethiopian blend. It brought a sense of euphoria and that’s the same feeling I wanted transferred into our Coffee Body Scrub.

Do you plan to add more facial products to the collection?

Absolutely! We are always working, planning, researching, and testing new products for release, but we are slow producers. We like to make sure we are absolutely in love with a product, test it, fall in love again, and then introduce it into our product line. It’s like sipping an amazing wine; it’s better with slow age. It may take us 6 months to 2 years to introduce a new product and our customers love that.

How do your customers inspire you?

Our customers inspire us by how much they are willing to learn. We have been in this business for 5 years now, beginning with our hair care line, Natty Naturals. We have built enough trust that they are hungry for more knowledge and conscious of what ingredients are in products. I absolutely love that! We are also seeing a totally different demographic with the release of our Bohemian Collection, so it’s a beautiful marriage.

Share your skin care regimen.

Since handcrafting products, I have discovered a whole new love for skin care rituals. When I used to visit the spa for facials, I used to wonder how can I love this ritual in the comfort of my home and that’s exactly what we created with our Bohemian Collection.

Daily regimen (morning and nighttime)

Full spa skin care ritual (every 2 weeks):

Cacao Clay Cleanse (cleanser)
Oats Scrub Grains (exfoliant)
Herbal Steam (steam)
Cacao Clay Cleanse or Oats Scrub Grains (as a mask)
Rose+Neroli Toner Mist
Rosehip Facial Serum

Quick questions

What’s on your vanity and what’s in your purse or travel bag?

On our vanity sits the Herbal Tooth Powder and Oral Rinse, Cacao Clay Cleanser, and either our Natty Butter or Bath + Body Oil. In my purse, I always keep my Rose+Neroli Toner Mist (great for kids, refreshing, and gives an amazing cooling burst), homemade hand sanitizer, Might Mint Lip Balm, a miswak (teeth cleaning bark), 2oz Oral Rinse, and Baby Oil from our future momma + baby line. In my travel bag, I include the Natty Moist, ACV Mist, and Natty Butter. I also pack our Bath Salts, Body Scrub, and travel sizes of our Bohemian Collection facial care line.

What are your best sellers and what are your favorites?

Our Cacao Clay Cleanse, Herbal Steam blends, Rosehip Facial Serum, Tooth Powder, and Oral Rinse are the best sellers. My faves are the Cacao Clay Cleanse, Rose Toner Mist, Rosehip Facial Serum, Bohemian Forest Herbal Steam blend, Calm Body Oil, Tooth Powder, and Oral Rinse.

Where can we find Bohemian Collection?

You can find our Bohemian Collection at NattyNaturals.com and Etsy.

What skin care tip do you live by?

Enjoy skin care as a ritual. When we move beyond viewing it as a task to viewing it as a ritual, that’s beneficial for our mind, body, and spirit; that’s when it moves from dread to joy. I absolutely love skin care and bath rituals more now than ever.