Hi everybody, I wanted to introduce myself and tell you more about my products and journey. My name is Tara and I am the founder of Dacosta-Joy Naturals.
The story began in October 2019 when I bought the most amazing, lovely-smelling hand cream in America. I knew once it was finished, I couldn’t go back and buy more, so my thought process was, to buy the ingredients and make it myself.
Fast forward to 2020 and the first lockdown. I had bought the ingredients, but with life and its new surreal times, I didn’t get around to making them.
Fast forward again to May 2021. I had a medical procedure done which resulted in an open wound that needed daily dressing changes. Unfortunately, the wound got infected twice. The second time it went into my bloodstream stream, and I ended up being in the early stages of sepsis.
I was extremely ill, but thankfully it was treated in time. One of the effects of the toxins leaking into my system was the skin on my hands peeling off (once my hands recovered my feet started peeling). I am extremely squeamish, so this was a lot for me to handle. The advice from the nurses and doctors was to keep my hands as moisturised as possible and let them run their natural course. I tried to do this, but unfortunately, nothing I bought worked. E45, Sudacream, nothing moisturised my hands.
Through talking to friends, I was reminded of the products I’d bought, and I immediately started researching how to make hand cream. It wasn’t very clear with videos on YouTube. I thought about how I make my hair pomades and decided to apply the same process.
I purchased all the ingredients needed and thankfully the process worked, the texture was amazing, and it was like my hands “Saving Grace”.
I loved the cream, but it was missing the fragrance. Thankfully I managed to source a great natural fragrance and made a new batch.
I always knew I wanted to do something for the nurses to say thank you once my wound healed to let them know how much I appreciated what they did for me. It was far beyond changing my dressings. They were keeping me mentally stable. They uplifted me and encouraged me in my many down moments. What they did for me was priceless so I wanted a meaningful way to say thank you, as it was daily dressing changes for three months.
I then thought of the cream, I was speaking to my sister, and she said the same thing. And so that is what I did.
Each nurse was thankful, grateful, and appreciative. One nurse said they wash their hands so often now (because of the pandemic), so this is perfect. Hearing that truly made my day. They were so encouraging and suggested I should be selling it.
When I gave it to the nurses to thank them for what they’d done for me, I never expected to get the responses I got from them all. It was never a plan to sell, I just needed something to try and cure my hands, and I wanted to show my gratitude and appreciation to the nurses for all they’d done for me. That is why I gifted it to them. The response was overwhelming, but also extremely complimentary.
Everyone else that I gifted the cream to all said the same thing. This helped and encouraged me to decide this is what I should pursue and do.
The name of my Business was not the planned name. The original name was threatened to be opposed. I believe this name was meant to be. Dacosta was my Dad’s middle name, Joy is my Mum’s middle name.
Dacosta comes from my Grandmother (My Dads Mum) who was born in Panama. Before my Dad was born she went back to Barbados, and he was born there.
The logo is a picture of a flower that grew in my Dad’s garden. When he passed away it started growing in a row of three. Whenever I saw it, it filled me with joy and I would say it represents me, my mum, and my sister. When thinking of what I could use for the logo, a friend suggested using a picture taken from my Dad’s garden I immediately thought of this flower.
The flower is called Nasturtium It can be eaten in a salad and represents victory in a battle or conquest. (It is also the logo for our Grief Blog Grief Probate Journey).
So that is my story, and this is my journey of how Dacosta-Joy Naturals came to life. I hope you enjoy using my products as much as I enjoy making them.