What skincare do tradies in New Zealand use?

The skincare routines of male tradies in New Zealand leave a lot to be desired, with a high number using nothing more than a classic soap bar to remove the debris of a hard day on the tools. Photo / Getty Images.

In New Zealand, women make up 50.4% of the population, but only 3% of tradespeople in this country are female. So when writer Lucy Slight reached out to her community on Instagram to get an insight into the type of skincare Kiwi tradies used, she knew she’d hear from the female partners of tradies, but she didn’t expect to be in touch with many women in the industry. However, three New Zealand women working in the trades industry did hit her up with some insightful recommendations for their soap bar-loving male colleagues.

Tradies, be they builders, bricklayers, electricians, plumbers or roofers, spend a lot of the day either outside or driving between building sites, so you’d assume as they’re constantly exposed to the elements, they’d have a good routine in place when it comes to protecting their skin from the environment.

As it turns out, this is far from true - at least where male tradies are concerned.

In a bid to find out what tradies in all areas of the industry use on their skin, I took to Instagram and posted a story asking Kiwi tradespeople (or their partners) to share their favourite products.

“I live with a tradie, and his idea of skincare is using the leftover shower gel on his hands from washing his body on his face while he’s in the shower,” was one response.

“Chris is an electrician and his skincare routine is a bar of soap” and “Whatever soap I use on my body, I use on my face” were just two of countless messages confirming the number-one skincare product used by men who work in the trades is simple old bar soap.

But it seems many of these guys are more than happy to reach for their partners’ expensive skincare when the soap bar isn’t quite cutting it.

“My 60-year-old drainlayer dad switches between a bar soap (it’s the only thing that removes dried concrete apparently) and Mum’s fancy products. He loves her Clarins milky cleanser and salon shampoo and conditioner, and always comments on how good he feels after using them in the shower,” another woman wrote to me.

That’s when I sent a DM to Tegan Williams (@tradiegal), a professional painter and decorator. If the men weren’t going to offer up inspiring product recommendations, I needed a woman to come through.

Williams describes her day-to-day skincare practice as a “very simple routine for on-the-go”, with just three easy steps - cleansing, hydration and sun protection.

“After a good cleanse, I love [using] snail mucin to lock in some fresh moisture before sunscreen. But it’s the sunscreen that is the most important for me,” she says, explaining that when painting outside she’s often exposed to different reflective surfaces, which increases the chance of sunburn and skin damage.

If you’re wondering what on earth snail mucin is, it’s an essence that helps protect the skin from moisture loss and the Cosrx product that Williams’ uses has a cult following in the Korean beauty landscape. And yes, it is made from the slimy stuff excreted by snails. If this is just a bridge too far for you, a hyaluronic acid is a great alternative.

To cleanse, Williams uses Essano Happy Skin Clean Canvas Jelly Cleanser and her SPF is Cancer Council SPF 50+ Face and Body Moisturiser. She wears this all year round as she gets laser treatments to manage her rosacea, which can make skin more sensitive to sun exposure.

Cancer Council SPF 50+ Face and Body Moisturiser SPF 50+ Matte Finish, $21.28.

Sally Wills (@salbuilds), an architecture grad and second-year building apprentice, is passionate about skincare and also uses snail mucin as one of her hydrating steps each morning. She too rates the Cancer Council’s SPF 50 for keeping her face and neck protected while on the job

“I’ve tried what feels like about 10 brands of sunscreen,”she tells me via DM. “The reason I like this one is it has the happy medium between good-quality and [is] cost efficient. Also, it’s matte. I’ve used plenty of greasier sunscreens and everything on-site sticks to them.”

“At smoko, I try really hard to quickly splash my face at the tap (again, hard in winter!)” she adds. “I’ve always got concrete/silica/dust/dirt all over my face, so it’s not ideal for my skin or for reapplying sunscreen. Then I reapply sunscreen so it’s ready to go for the second half of the day. I also try to wear chapstick when I remember.”

At the end of the day, she cleanses her skin twice with an oil cleanser, followed by a salicylic acid cleanser to ensure she’s removed everything that may have come in contact with her skin while on-site, including her sunscreen.

CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser, $24.99.

Graphic designer-turned-qualified carpenter Chelsea Roper (@shebuildsbro) tells me she has done a lot of research into her skincare to make sure she’s using products that work.

“I love the Tatcha Rice Wash, it’s hands-down the one thing I’ll constantly buy,” she says of her favourite cleanser.

She also uses Mecca’s To Save Face SPF 50+ Superscreen. “I’m outside heaps and the Mecca sunblock is the only one that doesn’t feel like a sunblock, or smell like it.”

Her other skincare favourites are the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Toner, Go-To Much Plumper Skin (a super-hydrating hyaluronic acid serum), Glow Lab Retinol Pro Power Repair Facial Serum at night, and she finishes her nighttime routine with either the Glow Recipe Watermelon Moisturiser or Glow Lab Hyaluronic Acid Night Cream.

Go-To Much Plumper Skin, $58.

What each of these women has confirmed is the importance of hydration and sun protection. If you’re a tradie looking to embrace a simple skincare routine (or you live with one who could do with a little help), a three-step routine of cleansing, hydration and SPF is the perfect place to start.

Lucy Slight is a beauty and lifestyle columnist for the New Zealand Herald. She has worked in print and digital publishing for the past 17 years in both New Zealand and Australia, across a number of well-known fashion, beauty, entertainment, food and home titles. Recent helpful advice includes how to read more books this year, the best seasonal produce to buy, and how to make your cut and colour last longer.