Today I will hopefully be keeping it short and sweet while explaining the benefits of a brush tree! No 20 10-sentence paragraphs here; I'll save that for my ipsy review:-P
Washing your brushes is great, but what do you do with them AFTER?
You've used your favorite brush cleanser and scrubbed them clean, but what happens to your brushes while they're waiting to dry?
First of all, most brushes, both small and large, have a part called a "ferrule" that holds the bristles of the brush on the handle. Ferrules are usually made of metal and can look somewhat different depending on the size and type of the brush.
When you are washing your brushes, it is important that you do not run the water anywhere over where the handle and ferrule meet. Try to keep the flow of water somewhere between the middle of the ferrule (like where the pink arrow is in the above photo) and the bristles.
If water regularly gets in the ferrule of the brush, it can start to eat away at the glue and cause your ferrule to come loose and the handle to separate from the ferrule and bristles.
I know many people wash their brushes and then put them in a cup like this...
When you store your wet makeup brushes like this, the water from the bristles is now running down into.......the ferrule! Big no no!
People also store them the same way, but bristles-down. This is a step in the right direction, but I shudder to think of the bristles getting bent or splayed from the brush sitting bristles-down. If you want to put your brushes like this, I recommend getting some of those mesh brush shapers, although it takes FOREVER for brushes to dry this way because the bristles are tightly packed together and do not get as much air flow.
I used to set my brushes on a counter or bathroom sink to dry before I got my brush tree, and this is a step in the right direction; however, a brush sitting on a flat surface still angles the water from the bristles down to the ferrule, depending on the brush type.
Better!
ENTER....THE BRUSH TREE!
Meet the Benjabelle Brush Tree! The model I have is the Daisy.
As you can see, the brush tree has a series of silicone slots that resemble the top of a fast food cup lid where you insert the straw. The Daisy model has 8 small, 4 medium, and 2 large slots.
I do keep the silicone slots and top clean, and it's about time for another wipe-down!
The small slots are good for some eyeshadow, liner, or other brushes with thinner handles. The medium slots work well with many blush, powder, and foundation brushes. The large slots can hold almost anything the medium slots can hold (I've never had anything fall out), along with larger handle brushes and some kabuki brushes. My e.l.f. Studio Kabuki brush fits nicely in the large slots!
As you can tell from the above pictures, all you do is take the damp brush and stick it handle-first into the slot from the bottom, and ta da!
By storing your wet brushes this way, any water in the bristles is not running into the ferrule; it's headed the opposite way! Also, your brush is not sitting bristles-down in a cup, bending and messing up your bristles! It's a win-win situation in my book.
The reason I decided to go with the Daisy is because of the variety of slots. I can wash a few eyeshadow brushes, some powder brushes, and my kabuki and have room for them all. I am thinking of graduating to the larger Sunflower tree, which I will tell you about below!
What other trees does Benjabelle offer?
Benjabelle offers several different styles of tree, so get what works best for you!
Original Brush Tree $34.95 - 14 large slots (can also put several thin brushes in one slot)
Sunflower Brush Tree $39.95 - 16 small, 6 medium, 4 large slots
Daisy Brush Tree $19.95 - 8 small, 4 medium, 2 large slots
Tulip Brush Tree $24.95 - 8 small, 4 medium, 2 large slots. This is a round version of the Daisy Tree.
Benjabelle also offers a brush tree spinner base for $12 if you think this feature would be convenient for you.
Most of the items come in black, white, and pink, but you will have to check and see what is available at the time of purchase.
For me, brush trees are not a gimmick or fad item; they have become an integral part of my brush-cleaning routine. They help maintain the quality of my brushes and prolong their lives by practicing good brush cleaning and drying techniques!
Let me know if you have any questions. I will put links for finding these products below.
I got my Daisy tree from Amazon just because I had an Amazon gift card.
*All opinions are my own and products were purchased myself. No links contained in this post are affiliate links*
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