Aussie summer · Back to work
Back on the tools: the men's skincare reset after two weeks off
Sun, salt water, sweat and a few late ones. First day back, you catch your face in the ute mirror. Here's why it happens, and the five-minute routine that sorts it.
Made by two tradies · trusted by 40,000+ customers
The Christmas shutdown was everything it should be. Beach every day, cricket in the backyard, a few too many late ones and not a single alarm. Then it's the first Monday back, the alarm goes at 5:30, and the bloke looking back at you from the ute mirror looks like he's had a bigger holiday than he remembers.
Peeling nose, dry flaky patches, blackheads you didn't have in December. And it doesn't get better once you're back, because now you come home dirty every arvo too.
Your mates notice. The missus notices. Your mum definitely notices. You're not imagining it, and it's not just "getting older". Two weeks off does four specific things to a bloke's face, and every one of them can be sorted.
What the holidays actually do to your skin
Four things happened while you were off. Here's each one, in plain English.
Sun
Two weeks of beach, boat and backyard days with the hat left in the ute. Skin that's been cooked dries out, tightens and starts to peel, usually starting with the nose and forehead.
Salt water and chlorine
Great for a swim, rough on your face. Salt and pool water strip the natural oils that keep skin comfortable, so it ends up tight, rough and flaky.
Sweat, dirt and sunscreen
Mixed together all day and only ever rinsed off with water, they sit in your pores. That's where the blackheads and the odd breakout come from.
Late nights
Less sleep and a few more beers show up on your face as dull, tired-looking skin that takes a while to come good.
The real problem isn't the holiday
Here's the bit nobody tells you. The sun, salt and sweat are only half of it. The other half is that most blokes have nothing in place to undo any of it, so the damage from two weeks off carries straight into the first month back.
If you've had a go at sorting it before, it probably looked like one of these:
Water, or a bar of soap
Water doesn't shift sunscreen or grease, and soap is made for hands and bodies. It strips your face, which is why it feels tight straight after.
Whatever's in the shower
Body wash, shampoo, the missus's expensive face stuff. None of it is made for a bloke's face after a day on site, and some of it gets you in trouble.
Sunscreen you won't wear
Most blokes skip it because it feels greasy, sits heavy and runs into your eyes once you start sweating. A tube in the glovebox protects nothing.
None of these fail because you're doing it wrong. They fail because none of them is a routine.
Why men's skincare doesn't need 12 steps
Most blokes have no routine. Not because they don't care, but because they don't know where to start. Walk down the skincare aisle and it's serums, toners, essences and twelve-step guides written for someone with a bathroom full of time.
Skin care for guys on the tools has to fit between the alarm and the ute. That means four jobs, done in order, by four products that each do one of them: clean it, clear it, put the moisture back, protect it. Four products, five minutes, done.
And if you're the one who's been trying to get him onto a routine for years: this is one he'll actually use.
The four-step men's skincare routine for summer
Each step undoes one thing the holidays did. They're numbered 1 to 4 on the front of each product, so there's nothing to remember.
-
Step 1
Cleanse
The Daily Facial Cleanser is a no-fuss face cleanser for men. Two pumps on a wet face, sixty seconds, rinse, and the grime of the day is gone: dirt, sweat and sunscreen. If your men's face wash right now is a bar of soap, start here.
Morning and night -
Step 2
Scrub
The Grub Scrub uses charcoal and fine rice husk to help lift blackheads and the dead, sun-cooked skin that makes your face feel rough. A facial scrub men actually stick with, because it takes thirty seconds in the shower.
Two or three times a week, not every day -
Step 3
Moisturise
The Daily Moisturiser, made with avocado oil and Tasmanian kelp, puts water back into dry, flaky skin. A light men's face moisturiser that soaks in fast and doesn't leave you shiny.
Morning and night -
Step 4
Protect
Sun Gear'd SPF50, the step most blokes skip. It's a mens moisturiser with SPF50 built in, so it's sunscreen for men who hate sunscreen: one less thing to put on. Reapply after a sweaty arvo or a swim, because summer isn't over just because work is back.
Every morning, last
Morning
1 → 3 → 4
Cleanse, moisturise while the skin's still damp, SPF over the top, out the door.
Night
1 → 3
Wash the day off, moisturiser on. No SPF needed once the sun's gone.
2-3 times a week
2
Swap the cleanser for the Grub Scrub in the shower.
From cooked and clogged to clean and clear
After two weeks off
- Peeling, sunburnt skin
- Tight, flaky patches
- Blackheads and clogged pores
- No idea where to start
With the four-step routine
- The day washed off, every day
- Moisture put back, morning and night
- Scrubbed clear two or three times a week
- SPF50 on before the ute
$114.99 for all four · ships free · 30-day money-back guarantee
Made by blokes who've been on the tools
Frasé Skin was started by Zac and Beau, two tradies from Dubbo. They kept sneaking into their mum's cupboard for moisturiser, and copping it from the blokes on site for using skincare at all.
So they spent two years learning what men's skin actually needs, then worked with Australian cosmetic formulators to make skincare for tradies, by tradies: made by the boys, for the boys. No fancy packaging, no 12-step routine, just products that do the job.
What blokes and their families say
★★★★★
"My boyfriend used to wash his face with just water, or steal my EXPENSIVE skin care which would send me through the roof. … Now we're both happy as I have my own skincare and he has his own now too."
★★★★★
"As a 22 year old refrigeration mechanic ive always looked for something that would help with my skincare troubles being in dirty and sweaty environments."
★★★★★
"Fantastic product as a tradie I come home dirty and this cleans my face without drying my skin out"
★★★★★
"Purchased this for my husband, for Father's Day. He used it today and said his face feels so clean and soft! He is a tradie so the face sunscreen and moisturiser will be great protection for his skin throughout summer."
Customer reviews from fraseskin.com.au, quoted as written.
Picture the second Monday back
Same 5:30 alarm. Splash, two pumps, rinse. Moisturiser while it's still damp, SPF over the top, out the door. Five minutes, and you've done more for your face before the ute's warmed up than you did all of last year.
Come home dirty, wash it off. A couple of nights a week, the scrub. That's the whole routine, and it's the same one that works all year, not just in summer.
Start the summer reset
Everything in this article, in one box.
Frasé Skin
Ultimate Starter Kit
The no-BS men's skincare kit. A Cleanser to ditch the dirt, a Grub Scrub to boot breakouts, a Moisturiser to hydrate and an SPF50 to shield. The whole summer reset in one men's skincare set.
- 1 · Daily Facial Cleanser$29.99
- 2 · Grub Scrub, 100 mL$32.99
- 3 · Daily Moisturiser$34.99
- 4 · Sun Gear'd SPF50, 75 mL$32.99
- In the kit$130.96$114.99
- Four full-size products, numbered 1 to 4
- Save $15.97 vs buying one at a time
- Ships free, Australian made and owned
Most Aussie orders arrive in 2-7 business days.
30-day money-back guarantee
Take a photo before you start and one each week. Use it for at least 30 days. If your skin isn't fresher, send the time-stamped photos to support@fraseskin.com.au for a refund. Change of mind isn't covered.
Questions, answered
Do I really need all four?
Each one does a different job. The cleanser gets the day off, the scrub clears what the cleanser can't, the moisturiser puts water back and the SPF50 protects. Skip one and that job doesn't get done. Most blokes skip the SPF, which is exactly why it's in the box.
What order do I use them in?
Cleanser, moisturiser, SPF in the morning. Cleanser and moisturiser at night. Swap the cleanser for the Grub Scrub two or three times a week. The numbers are on the front of each one.
My skin's oily. Do I still need the moisturiser?
Yes. Skin that's stripped tends to make more oil to compensate. The moisturiser is lightweight and non-greasy, and the niacinamide in the cleanser is there to help keep oil in check.
Can I use the scrub every day?
Don't. Two or three times a week is the sweet spot. Any more and you're taking off skin faster than it can come back.
Will it break me out?
Everyone's skin is different. If you're new to skincare, try each product on a small patch of skin first, keep the scrub to two or three times a week, and stop using anything that irritates.
Is it just for tradies?
It's made for blokes who work hard and don't want a complicated routine, but anyone can use it. Plenty of kits are bought by mums and partners for sons, husbands and boyfriends.
How fast will it arrive?
Orders ship from Frasé's Australian warehouse with tracking. Most Aussie orders arrive in 2-7 business days, and the kit ships free.
40,000+ happy customers
See it in action
Tap a video to pause, or the speaker to hear it.
P.S. You don't need to become a "skincare guy". You need four steps you'll actually do, in five minutes, before the ute. Start the reset this week and it's done before the second Monday back. See the Ultimate Starter Kit.
The Frasé Skin team
Individual results may vary. Always read the label and follow the directions for use. New to skincare? Try each product on a small patch of skin first, and stop using it if irritation occurs. Sunscreen is only one part of sun protection: reapply after sweating, swimming or towelling, and cover up with a hat and shirt when you can. Full 30-day money-back guarantee terms are on the Ultimate Starter Kit product page.
Five-minute skin reset
See the kit