Michelle Blackwell

Michelle Blackwell is a stylist and co-owner of Salon Èlan. She is a licensed senior cosmetologist who trained at Maryland Beauty Academy in Essex after high school, and she passed the State Board theory and hands-on exams on her first attempt after earning her license. Before co-opening the salon with a long-term friend, she spent nearly a decade at a previous salon.

She built her client base through word of mouth and through Instagram posts of client before-and-after photos. She keeps her skills current with continuing education classes, and she plans to return to the salon field as a coordinator and teacher.