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MER•LAN•DE
Merlande is an award-winning master hairstylist, certified hair loss practitioner, wig maker and competing stylist who is known for bringing "smoke to the city" when she competes.
As seen on
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EARLY ON
MERLANDE KNEW SHE WAS DESTINED TO BE A STYLIST.
Merlande Petithomme is a first-generation Haitian-American raised in Lakeland, FL to Haitian immigrants, Leonvil and Yolande Petit-Homme. When Merlande was a little girl she would spend her summers coming up with new and different hairstyles for her dolls so she could perfect her braiding, parting and curling techniques. Merlande eventually upgraded to using her sister as her “mannequin” to test out her skills.
By the time Merlande turned 15, she was running a salon out of her parent’s garage where she offered basic services like box braids, finger waves and the oh so popular microwave ponytails.
In 2007, Merlande joined The Salon by InStyle inside JCPenney team in Tallahassee, FL where she quickly worked her way up to a Master Stylist. She also served as the salon's Lead Artistic Master Stylist. After being at this location for nine years, Merlande took the leap of faith and moved to Atlanta, GA to pursue her dream of having her own salon.
Today, she is the proud owner of Platinum Salon by Merlande located in the greater Atlanta area of Sandy Springs. This full-service salon caters to all hair types and textures. Specialties include pixie cuts, color and silk presses. But above all, healthy hair is the number one priority.
With over 10 years of experience as a licensed cosmetologist, educator and certified hair loss practitioner, Merlande is truly a Master Stylist.
ALL SHE DOES IS
WIN, WIN, WIN, NO MATTER WHAT.
Merlande is a competing stylist who enjoys concocting all types of crazy hairstyles. She has placed within the Top 3 in over 11 competitions across the U.S.
Her most recent win was the 2019 Fantasy Hairstyling competition in New Orleans. This competition was featured on the hit Netflix original, We Are the Champions, on November 17, 2020. Her witty one-liners, childhood hair loss struggles and determination to win made her a fan favorite.
Aside from the Fantasy Hairstyling competition win, Merlande has also won first place for the Bronner Bros. BB Cover Girl (2016), Champion of Weaves (2015) and Hair Fitness (2014). Merlande also placed second in the Coachella themed braiding competition (2017) at the Professional Beauty Association International Salon and Spa Expo in Long Beach, CA.
One of her most noted competitions was the August 2017 World Famous Bronner Bros. Hair Battle. This invite-only competition in Atlanta, allowed her to compete alongside some of the best in the industry including Gocha and Kevin Kirk.
With her grand entrance on a camel that went viral with over 100K views, it’s safe to say she definitely left her mark as a first-time competitor for this prestigious event.
YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN
MERLANDE'S WORK IN YOUR FAVORITE MAGAZINE.
Her work has been seen on countless billboards, television, print campaigns, fashion runways for publications such as Allure Magazine, Essence, Sheen Magazine, Kontrol Magazine, Black Bride Magazine, Bronner Bros. International Beauty Show, Huf Magazine, Upscale Magazine and many more.
One of her best and highly regarded projects to-date was her serving as the hairstylist for the American Heart Association’s Tampa Bay Stroke Hero campaign. This was a special project for one simple reason: the star was her mom.
In September 2015, Merlande’s mom Yolande suffered a massive stroke. Eight months later, Yolande and her youngest daughter Jen were asked to be featured for the American Heart Association's Tampa Bay Stroke Hero campaign.
What started out as a simple photo shoot, blossomed into two PSA television commercials, billboards throughout the Tampa Bay area and countless appearances. And of course, Merlande was there every step of the way.
SOME OF MERLANDE'S
FEATURES & COLLABS
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SHE'S ALWAYS
PERFECTING HER CRAFT
Merlande has a number of certifications from top hair brands and professionals such as CHI, Arosci, Matrix, Paul Mitchell, Mizani, Tamika Gibson (The Hair Diagram) and many more.
After years of personal struggles with hair loss stemming from her childhood, Merlande became passionate about helping her clients dealing with hair loss issues as well. This is what motivated her to become a Certified Hair Loss Practitioner with the US Trichology Institute (USTI) and the American Medical Certification Association (AMCA).
Additionally, Merlande holds a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Florida A&M University (Go Rattlers!) and a master's degree in Public Administration from Liberty University.
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