Educator sells all-natural remedies at Golden Temple

Three years ago, when Ramsay High School teacher Yolaine Joseph began to sell some of her all-natural skin care products, Five Point’s Golden Temple Health Foods and Cafe got on board and requested a bulk order of Yolaine’s Enhancing Skincare Products.

“It’s just amazing to me how many people have sensitive skin and can appreciate being able to have luxury products they can use,” Joseph said.

Although many of her customers buy from her in-store selection of products at Golden Temple, Joseph also sells them online and at other places around Birmingham. Through those sales, she said, she has come to meet a lot of vegan and Muslim customers, since her products are animal-free and alcohol-free. 

Her recently-made logo features her holding a bottle of essential oil in one hand and lavender in the other hand.

“It is good to you and good for you, that’s our motto,” she said.

Joseph’s products she sells in Five Points include a full line of body scrubs, with some of the popular ones including brown sugar, green tea, coffee and her personal creation, Happy Poppy, which consists of poppy seeds, a blend of citrus essential oils and sugar. 

She also makes her own hair care products and serums, in addition to grooming products for men like beard wash and beard oil. 

Her products, which use essential oils instead of other fragrances, are preservative-free and don’t interfere with any other chemical medicines her customers might be taking. Using natural products, she said, doesn’t cause cancer or other long term effects.

Joseph said her interest in natural skin care and health remedies began when she saw her grandmother making them. When she had two children who suffered from severe bouts of eczema and allergies, Joseph made them all-natural and effective skin care products for the outbreaks. 

After one of her daughter’s outbreaks, Joseph found that her own creations were working better than the one prescribed by her doctor. 

That prompted Joseph to make them more often and give them away as Christmas gifts, until one thing led to another and she decided to start her own business. In 2021, she said she plans to retire and focus her full energy on Yolaine’s Enhancing Skincare Products.

Golden Temple Health Foods and Cafe is located at 1901 11th Ave. S. For more information, go to yolainesenhancingskincare.com.