Hair diagnosis in Paris: what really happens in our Marais atelier
· 4 min read
A hair diagnosis in Paris at Homnès is an examination of your scalp with a trichoscope, a small camera that magnifies it on screen, followed by a few questions and a tailored care recommendation. It takes place in our Maison-Atelier in the Marais, at 5 rue Charlemagne (Paris 4th), by appointment, and it is free. Here is what really happens during the appointment.
People rarely walk into a hair atelier for a diagnosis. They come for a product, the shampoo that will fix everything, the treatment a friend raved about. Then they sit down, see their scalp on screen for the first time, and realise they have been asking the wrong question all along.
Why have a scalp diagnosis?
We often care for our hair the way we would tend a garden by looking only at the flowers. Yet everything happens in the soil. The scalp is the ground: it is where the hair fibre is born, where sebum is regulated, and where most of the problems we wrongly blame on the lengths actually sit.
A hair is already the past: the visible part is no longer alive. What is alive, what can change, lies underneath. Having a diagnosis simply means you stop staring at the flowers and finally look at the soil. To learn more, read The scalp: what we never look at (yet it decides everything).
How does a hair diagnosis work at the atelier?
Trichoscope observation
In practice, we look at your scalp very closely with a trichoscope: a small camera that magnifies the skin and follicles. Things no mirror can show appear on the screen:
- hair density;
- the condition of the openings the hairs grow from;
- whether or not there is sebum;
- redness or scaling (small flakes of skin coming away);
- how fine the hairs are.
A few questions
We add a few questions: your lifestyle, what has changed recently, how long something has been bothering you. Nothing spectacular. Methodical observation, where people usually improvise.
What difference does it make for your hair?
You stop buying at random. Many of us pile up products that do not match our scalp: a "dry hair" treatment on an oily scalp, a harsh anti-dandruff shampoo for simple sensitivity. We spend, we get frustrated, we start again.
A diagnosis brings order. It tells you what your scalp really needs, and often what it does not need. Fewer products, better chosen.
What do you leave with after the diagnosis?
Not necessarily a full bag. First, with understanding: finally knowing what is happening on your head, and why. Then with a recommendation tailored to what we saw: a treatment, a habit, a washing frequency. And with our honesty: if what you need is not something we offer, we will tell you that too.
That is the whole difference between buying a shampoo and understanding your hair. The first option is available all over Paris. The second is what we do at Homnès.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a charge for the hair diagnosis?
No, the scalp diagnosis is free. It is by appointment, at the Maison-Atelier, and lasts about thirty minutes.
I am not in Paris: can I still have a diagnosis?
Yes, our online hair diagnosis points you to the right treatment in a few questions. It does not replace trichoscope observation, but it is a good starting point.
Does the diagnosis replace a medical consultation?
No. It is a cosmetic diagnosis, to help you choose the right care. For significant or lasting hair loss, persistent dandruff or irritation, see a dermatologist. Our article Hair loss: what is normal, what is not, and what to do helps you tell the difference.
Want to finally see what is happening under your hair? Book a diagnosis at the atelier, in the heart of the Marais. We switch on the trichoscope, and we take a look.
