Catherine Dupuis never had much hair, she says with great frankness. But this characteristic trait, which remains a great source of concern for her, gave her the strength and inspiration to launch serums aimed at giving women back a certain dignity by regaining hair that makes them feel good.
Published at 8:00 a.m.
“When I was a baby, my mother went to see the doctor to ask if my hair would grow,” says the 27-year-old entrepreneur. When I was 13, I wore clip-in extensions for the first time because I dreamed of having long princess hair, like Rapunzel’s. At 15, I had my first permanent extensions. They were braided extensions, like African braids which really weren’t suitable for my hair type.
“At a very young age, every dollar I had, I invested in products, treatments, techniques, extensions. »
She quickly realized that there were no products on the shelves “for a blonde with thin hair who wanted to have long, voluminous hair.” “I told myself that I would find a solution for myself… and for other women too. » She recalls that in addition to genetics, stress, trauma or chemotherapy are all factors that lead to hair loss.
From the bandage… to the solution
She first founded her salon 10 years ago. CD Extensions, located in Quartier DIX30, specializes in the installation of extensions. But that wasn’t enough for her.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Catherine Dupuis, president of CD Extensions and Dupuis
Over the years, I have acted a bit like a plaster, but not as a solution. I’m hiding a reality, the complex of thousands of women I’ve worked with, but I’m not solving the problem. And by the same token, I camouflage my own complex too.
Catherine Dupuis, president of CD Extensions and Dupuis
Over the last two years, it has entered a research and development phase, and it has developed Dupuis, its famous range of products. Offered online on the Dupuis website, it was launched in October.
“We use a trilogy, so we treat all possible areas to obtain results,” she explains. We treat the scalp and we treat the lengths and ends. We start with the food supplement, then we have an anti-hair loss serum and a regenerating serum. » A routine that lasts three minutes, to be done for four months.
Female hair loss
If men also lose their hair, Mme Dupuis remains convinced that they do not experience it in the same way as women.
A man will often talk about it openly, his friends will make jokes. We don’t say it. We put extensions. We put thickening powder. We camouflage it. We suffer in silence.
Catherine Dupuis, president of CD Extensions and Dupuis
“I just come into contact with women who have complexes, who have had chemotherapy treatments, who have had trauma, phases of stress,” she adds.
Lucid, the main interested party knows that even with her products, she will never be able to have the thick hair she has always dreamed of. “On the other hand, if I didn’t have the right products, I would really have less hair than I do now. »
Catherine Dupuis also recalls that hair is often synonymous with femininity for many. “Hair is what makes you feel like a woman. I always say that a woman who loves her hair is a woman who is ready to take on the world. »
Why Dupuis?
For as long as she can remember, Catherine Dupuis has always been concerned about her very fine and thin hair. What she clearly defines as a complex, which goes well beyond physical appearance, led her to look for solutions to overcome this problem. She therefore created Dupuis, a company which has developed a range of products to promote hair growth and also shed light on a taboo and emotional subject which affects many women, according to her.
