List your services online and leave business cards at salons that don’t have a mortuary makeup artist on staff. Making connections within the community can lead to referrals, individual freelance jobs, or a full-time position. Keep in mind that there will be more opportunities and higher-paying mortuary makeup artist jobs in highly populated areas. Contact your local funeral home director and ask if they need a makeup artist. Many funeral homes will list job postings as needed so call or check their website frequently. Ask the funeral home director if they can put you on their list of potential makeup artists. Once you find a job posting for a mortuary makeup artist, fill out an online application or ask the funeral home for a paper application. Fill out the application with your contact information, job experience, and references. You'll also have to give the director a copy of your cosmetology license and show them a portfolio of your work. If you're genuinely interested in the job, find out if the job is full-time or freelance. For example, you may be offered contracts on an individual basis. Then talk with the director about the pay and job expectations. If you're just starting out, the job may start as an on-call or contract position. Once you've built up a bigger portfolio, you might be able to negotiate your position.

Summary: Spread the word about your services among local business. Reach out to funeral homes in your area. Respond to a job posting. Discuss terms of the job.


Smaller pieces of soap will dissolve more easily in warm water than big chunks, so it’s best to break it up. Since black soap usually comes in large blocks, it will probably work best to slice off a small piece that’s roughly 1 oz (28 g), then either grate it or chop it up finely with a knife. The measurement doesn’t have to be exact. Just use the initial weight of your black soap to estimate what 1 oz (28 g) would look like. For instance, if you buy a 4 oz (110 g) block of soap, you would use approximately a quarter of it. Even if you want to put your finished shampoo into a squeeze bottle for easy dispensing, it’s best to start out by placing it into a plastic or glass jar. This will make it easier to stir together the ingredients as you make your shampoo. Having a lid that seals tightly will allow you to swirl or shake the shampoo once you add in the oils. The hotter the temperature of the water, the better it will melt the soap. For best results, you should boil the water first, but if you prefer, you can just heat it up in the microwave.  If you want a thinner shampoo, use a little more water, or use less water if you’d prefer a thicker shampoo. Always use caution when microwaving water, and stop the microwave before the water boils. If it gets too hot, it could explode. Check your microwave’s instruction manual to find out how long you can safely microwave liquids if you’re not sure. The soap should slowly dissolve into the water as the mixture cools. Every 20 minutes or so, stir the soap with a spoon or a wooden stick to help speed up the melting process. If you notice that the water is completely cooled and the soap has not melted, place the mixture in the microwave for about 30 seconds and stir it again. Black soap can be drying on its own, so it’s best to add natural, nourishing oils to the shampoo so leave your hair super-soft. Once the soap and water mixture has cooled, add in oils like jojoba, coconut, olive, or argan oils. Other oils you could use include shea butter, grapeseed oil vitamin E, or neem oil.  If you use coconut oil or shea butter, just scoop out the amount you need and microwave it to melt the oil before add it to your base. This shampoo is endlessly customizable. If you’re not sure which oils you want to use, try reducing the recipe and make several small portions with different combinations to see what you like the best. If you want your shampoo to be scented, you can add essential oils like rosemary, chamomile, lavender, tea tree, or peppermint to your shampoo. Just measure about 10 drops of each into the shampoo mixture and stir them in.  In addition to smelling amazing, many essential oils can help improve the health of your hair. For instance, rosemary oil is thought to stimulate hair growth and increase circulation.  Lavender essential oil helps keep your hair shiny and controls dandruff. Peppermint oil helps to promote hair growth.  Avoid using citrus essential oils in your hair, as they can increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun. This can lead to a nasty sunburn on your scalp if you spend time outdoors. Once your shampoo mixture is finished, you may want to add it into a squeeze bottle so you can easily apply it to your hair. You can use an old shampoo bottle or a bottle with a pointed tip, such as a condiment dispenser, to make it easier to apply the shampoo directly to your roots.  If you used shea butter or coconut oil, you may need to microwave your shampoo to thin it out before you use it. African black soap doesn't expire, but some essential oils do have a shelf life, which may affect the life of your shampoo. soap shampoo. Wet your hair, then apply the shampoo to your roots and massage it in. Black soap shampoo will lather, but it might not lather as much as commercial shampoos that you’re used to.  Since some settling can occur, you might want to shake or stir the shampoo before you use it. This shampoo is very effective at removing dirt and oils from your scalp. As with most clarifying shampoos, it's best to limit its use to every 2-3 washes. Just as with regular shampoo, you’ll need to rinse your hair thoroughly after you wash it. Using cool water to rinse your hair will help close the cuticle, sealing in moisture and leaving your hair looking shiny and smooth. Since African black soap can be alkaline, you may want to rinse your hair with diluted apple cider vinegar to help balance out your hair’s pH before you condition it. However, if you don’t have apple cider vinegar, or you don’t like using it, this isn’t necessary. Thanks to all of the oils added in your African black soap shampoo, your hair will be nourished and moisturized. However, the shampoo does have a tendency to leave your hair tangled. To counteract this, condition your hair after you wash it with your favorite conditioner. Almost all commercial conditioners contain detanglers.

Summary: Chop or grate 1 oz (28 g) of African black soap into small pieces. Place the soap in a small jar with an airtight lid. Pour about 1 cup (240 mL) of very hot water over the soap. Let the soap mixture sit for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1.5 tablespoons (22 mL) each of 2-3 of your favorite oils. Add about 10 drops each of 1-3 of your favorite essential oils if you’d like. Transfer the mixture to a dispenser bottle if you want.  as usual with the African black soap shampoo. Rinse your hair with cool water or apple cider vinegar. Condition your hair with your regular conditioner.


Many electricians use electrical tape to make a final wrap or two around each switch to cover the screw terminals prior to installing the switches into their boxes. This is intended to reduce the risk of accidentally shorting things to the terminals. Double-check that all connections are proper before carefully packing the wiring and switches back into each switch box. Screw the switches into their boxes, being careful not to nick or pinch any wires.  Turn the light/device on and off with one switch, then off and on with the next, then off and on with the last. If changing any switch (up or down) does not turn the light/device on or off, regardless of the settings of the others, turn off the breaker and re-check your wiring. There are 8 possible combinations, when using three switches (on and off). They should all function properly.
Summary: Perform final assembly of the switches and wiring into their boxes. Restore electricity by turning circuit breaker back on. Test all of the switches.