I’m a mortuary worker – I’ve had some bizarre requests & even know how to do acrylic nails & fake lashes for dead bodies
A MORTUARY worker has lifted the lid on her job and some of the bizarre requests she gets.
Mortician Hayleigh appeared on the Tea At Four podcast and revealed how she even does acrylic nails and fake lashes on dead bodies.
Speaking to hosts Lauren and Billy, she revealed what it’s like to work with the dead.
She shared: “I basically prepare the deceased.”
Lauren asked her if people can request to be placed in certain poses in their coffin, and Hayleigh revealed you can.
Demonstrating her hands crossed in front of her, she answered: “We have girls who want their hands.
“And we get the lid on you as well, so we don’t want to be hammering your knees down, really.”
Hayleigh shared how she also does beauty treatments on corpses so they look their best.
She added: “I mean, I can do acrylics, eyelashes, eyebrows.”
Billy was amazed and asked if she does teeth whitening on deceased individuals.
The mortician replied: “Why would you want your teeth on show when you’re dead? That’d be terrifying.”
Billy agreed saying: “I didn’t think of it like that.”
The host then joked how he wanted to be buried with his hands crossed on his chest and with his face in an open-mouthed smile.
Hayleigh laughed: “I was gonna say, I’ve never had that one before.
“I think I would be like, oh no.”
The mortician said that one of the only treatments that doesn’t work so well is fake than as it “doesn’t sit right.”
She explained: “You look like a drumstick.
“It won’t sit right, I’m afraid, ’cause there’s no moisture in the skin, it just sits.
“Even if you do a bit of mousse, it doesn’t look great.”
Billy came to the conclusion that he didn’t want to be embalmed and perhaps would opt for a closed coffin instead.
Hayleigh revealed: “Yeah, that’s what I’m going with.”
The rise of undertaker jobs as eco-friendly funerals gain popularity
IT’S the one industry all of us are guaranteed to use yet working as a funeral arranger is still seen as an unusual career choice.
The sector is relatively small with around 20,000 undertakers, mortuary and crematorium assistants working nationally, plus jobs in support services such as coffin making and headstone and memorial carvers.
A rise in eco-friendly funerals and more families choosing highly personalised celebrations rather than traditional mourning means the industry is attracting a wider range of talent.
Dubbed the “Youngertaker”, many staff are joining straight from school or college, attracted by the caring nature of the profession.
A spokesman for the National Association of Funeral Directors explains: “Funeral service is not always included in the list of caring professions recommended by career advisors, but it should be.”
More people are also joining the sector later in life, often after seeing how funeral staff cared for one of their own loved ones.
As well as practical aspects, the job also requires emotional skills to provide support and advice to families.
Salaries are slightly below the national average, but most staff point to the immense job satisfaction.
Large firms such as Dignity and Co-operative Funerals have launched apprenticeship schemes.
Many people were amazed at the revelations, with one person writing: “This is soooooo reassuring cos I dare my family to let ONE person see me without lashes.”
Another added: “This was so insightful and emotional to watch.”
Morticians or undertakers prepare a deceased’s body for funerals, and can assist with urn or coffin selection and aid with the transport of the body from the funeral home.
They also may help cremate or preserve the body, making it presentable with makeup, clothing, and hair styling.