Valerie Boyd and Sonia Faye’s Botanicals
Loving and honoring a legacy
By Alice Crann Good Photo by Kate Treick Photography
Herbalist Valerie Foster Boyd wholeheartedly embraces a healthcare movement, the resurgence of herbal and natural remedies in our world of synthetic drugs and products.
After all, she learned decades ago that her Aunt Sonia Faye’s medicinal plant recipes are far more than folklore.
Starting her wellness boutique, Sonia Faye’s Botanicals LLC, Boyd has purposely become part of the centuries-old ancestry and legacy of Black herbalists that paved the way in our nation. And she has done so in honor of her late aunt, Sonia Faye Harrison.
Boyd warmly recalls spending childhood days with her aunt in the outlying fields of Bessemer, Alabama.
“My Aunt Sonia was a registered nurse, but she never gave us medicine; she was also an herbalist and always gave us one of her concoctions for a cold and flu,” Boyd said.
“I was alone a lot as a latchkey kid. My mother was also a registered nurse, but she worked long, late shifts at two different hospitals. Because my mother worked so many hours, I was also raised by my grandmother, grandfather and Aunt Sonia, who loved being an herbalist.”
Some of Boyd’s most happy and influential days of her young, solitary life were spent foraging for medicinal plants with her aunt.
“Whenever she went somewhere, I wanted to go with her,” said Boyd, who smiles while recalling the long-ago days. “She would just pull the car over to the side of the road and say, ‘See that white flower out in the field. Go get it for me.’ She would be so excited. She really enjoyed herbalism and always found natural remedies for illnesses.”
The distance between that fond memory and today is long and swathed in a series of low and challenging life experiences, Boyd said. Her story weaves descriptions of crime-ridden neighborhoods, a teen pregnancy, being a victim of a carjacking, domestic abuse, a nasty divorce and sadly more dark memories.
But no doubt about it, she is a survivor and much more than the sum of those profoundly bad times, Boyd said.
While she dipped her toe into a pool of careers, earning college degrees/certifications to become an occupational therapy assistant, medical assistant and real estate sales rep, and also tried many “dead-end” jobs, Boyd relied on her tenacity and what she inherited from her mother, a “hard work ethic,” and from her grandmother, “the importance of family.”
“My grandmother was a true believer and always had me in church and Bible study,” Boyd said. “Whenever something bad happened in my life, she reminded me that I had God’s love and her love.”
This advice proved to be invaluable over and over throughout the years, she said.
It was another family moment that spurred her on to start Sonia Faye’s Botanicals in 2022. An uncle who was battling cancer became sad when he saw how the harsh treatments were changing his skin and hair. So, bolstered by familial encouragement, Boyd sent her uncle some of her herbal products. And they worked.
“Even his doctor noticed the positive change,” Boyd said.
It was then that Boyd decided to go beyond solely helping family and friends, get a business license and business banking account, and find a commercial space. She said she turned to God’s guidance, again.
“When I was looking for a building that I could afford, I was out driving around and saying aloud, ‘Please Lord, give me a sign. Please Lord, give me a sign.’ And then I looked over at a building on Old Palafox and a sign that said Jim’s Herb & Vitamin Shop. It was closed down … so I wound up in a building that also sold herbs!”
But the challenge wasn’t over. To pass a Department of Agriculture inspection, she had to install an expensive commercial kitchen. Determined, Boyd did it.
She sure did. With the completion of a Centre of Excellence Holistic Herbal Product-Making course, incorporating invaluable information passed down from her aunt, constant research and additional studies, travels abroad and using global sources, Boyd is establishing her place in the world of herbalism.
She takes great pride in producing high-quality products for all hair and skin types. Two best-sellers: sea moss gel and herbal tea.
Regardless of what customers select, all the boutique’s herbal products are handmade. Boyd uses “the very best organic herbs, seeds, flowers, oils and butters from around the world,” including sea moss from St. Lucia, ashwagandha from India, maca root from Peru, lion’s mane and spirulina from different parts of the United States.
“All of our products are organic, cold-pressed and noncomedogenic, so they won’t clog your pores,” Boyd said. “We are unique because we combine 23 of the most researched, premium ingredients that work synergistically to naturally regenerate skin, stimulate and strengthen hair follicles as well as increase blood flow. You won’t find any harsh chemicals or cheap fillers in our ingredients list.”
And everything is fast-absorbing, gentle and safe for kids and seniors, as well as suitable for all hair and skin types, Boyd stressed.
While she still hits potholes every now and then, Boyd said she is lucky to have a very close mentor in her life. Today, whenever Boyd needs words of wisdom and encouragement, she turns to her son, Dominique Foster, Ph.D., an industrial-organizational psychologist.
“Instead of telling me what I want to hear, he tells me to look at the big picture and to use critical thinking to find the best possible solution,” she said.
Heeding her son’s advice is working, Boyd added.
In July 2024, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc./Delta Iota Omega Chapter honored Sonia Faye’s Botanicals, LLC, as Business of the Month. And the company also garnered a Business Rate Pensacola Best of 2024 for Outstanding Customer Satisfaction; the accolade is based on recent “genuine” online reviews. And Boyd was an invited motivational speaker for a Pensacola Network event in August 2024; the organization connects African American business owners, organizations and professionals.
To keep pace with Sonia Faye’s Botanicals’ news, products and offerings (such as the 2025-2026 Sea Moss and Mermaid Bosses of the Gulf Coast Calendar) and special events, visit soniafayesbotanicals.com, Facebook and Instagram. You can also buy Boyd’s handcrafted products at the Black Café & Bookstore in Pensacola.
“Stay in touch!” Boyd said. “The future hopefully includes a move to a high-traffic hub in the heart of Pensacola, and more products on our website.”
