Women Wednesday with Johanne Joseph
#womenwednesday
Across all Hope's social media platforms, this biweekly series will highlight inspiring women to know.
Hope Magazine is a team of thinkers, seekers and creatives who find inspiration in movement, exploration and sisterhood. We want to create meaningful relationships inspired by real women and their stories - all designed for the way you live today!
Meet Johanne Joseph, Founder & CEO of J’Organic Solutions
Johanne has spent the past few decades flourishing in the beauty industry and a Hair Care Brand Entrepreneur.
It was her early life, filled with tremendous low self-esteem, that transformed her personal self-image and her desire to make an impact in the industry. During her painful teenage years, Johanne recalls her hair being “a problem” no one wanted to “deal with”. She recalls the very existence of her kinky, natural hair causing her to experience significant feelings of inadequacy and emotional trauma. Every time her was combed and styled, it was met with intolerance, aggression and pain. Her coarse hair, although full and beautiful in her eyes, was deemed “unmanageable” in others.
Once Johanne immigrated to the US from Haiti, she took matters into her own hands. At the age of 16, she realized she simply could not allow people to continue to abuse her hair. She later transformed her pain to power by gently caring for her own natural hair and ultimately becoming a successful hairstylist and an advocate for other women with natural hair.
For 15 years, Johanne was a Master Hairstylist, building a reputation as a go-to in the industry. Not surprisingly, one of her two hobbies was formulating products, which she began experimenting in her kitchen, and sharing those products with friends and family. It was their honest, positive and encouraging feedback that empowered Johanne to create and launch a Beauty Brand business.
It’s said, “adversity can be the maker of great ideas through authenticity.” This sentiment is true of Johanne, who embarked on a quest to create all natural products for textured hair in her kitchen to give women and children the esteem they deserve through quality products.
Johanne comes from a family who values using herbs and natural resources to heal and solve problems – she spent years perfecting and researching to ensure she delivered safe, effective and organic products. Her father was an Agronomist, a person studies plants and how they can be grown, modified and used to benefit society. With that great influence, Johanne was emboldened to develop products with the same care and appreciation for using locally sourced natural ingredients. In an effort to preserve the rich agriculture of Haiti, she imports Moringa and Castor Oil that is used to create J’Organic Solutions products.
Do you have a personal quote or life's motto you live by?
You only fail when you give up, so keep on trying.
What inspires you?
This is a question I get asked a lot, and my answer will always be, whether in the US or internationally, Black women are the least protected, the most oppressed, disrespected and yet we are spreading Black girl magic everywhere we go and through everything we do. Watching all these women moving mountains with their bare hands every day has always been very inspiring to me.
A fun fact about yourself:
Growing up, most people thought I would grow up to become a fashion designer or a chef, due to the fact as a little girl I used to spend a lot of time sketching and hand sewing doll’s clothes and coming up with different recipes and cooking methods. I used to even bake cookies and sell them outside of my mom’s windows whenever she would go to work so I could save up money to buy school clothes. It wasn’t until when I was about 15 years old I started taking interest in hair and beauty, although I was good at it, I continued to sketch until I was about 18 years old, which gave the impression I would’ve probably pursue fashion or cooking.
More about J’Organic Solutions
@johannejoseph_
