Brush Drying Apparatus

Most people do a brush-cleaning post.  All I have to say about brush cleaning is to get the product out -- preferably not with something that could disinfect your toilet. Also, while you rinse, aim your brush head down so the water won't get into the ferrule, i.e. the metal clampy bit that holds it all together.

What I do want to talk about is drying your brushes.  For me, this is one of the most important steps in brush care -- even if you manage to royally screw up some of the bristles, washing them will give you a chance to try and reshape everything.  Enter my brush-drying system.  For a glance at my brush storage, click here.

I was inspired by this DIY from Delicate Hummingbird's brush-washing post, but before I could wreak havoc in Home Depot's tension rod aisle (is there such a thing?), Tod pulled me back and said something very obvious.  Binder clips.  We use them for everything -- to hold lecture notes together (ah, university memories), to seal off chip bags, and as makeshift shadow puppets.

I buy the 2-inch clips and slide them to the free edge where I usually dry brushes.  Then I wrap a heavy-duty rubber band round the clip handles -- don't wrap too many times, you want a little wiggle room so your brushes will fit.  On either side of the clip, insert your brushes between the clip handle and the rubber band, then play the waiting game.  The brushes I normally hang like this are large, round, or tapered face brushes like the NARS Yachiyo, the Real Techniques Blush Brush, or my MAC 187s.  The rest I hang over a free edge.

Whenever I remember, I'll use my fingers to comb through any brushes that look like they might be drying a little splayed -- remember, they'll all look a little splayed at first, since the outside hairs will dry faster and pull away from the damp, centre ones.  Don't panic too much, since they'll all fluff out when they dry.  Sometimes I'll also take half a tissue and wrap it tightly around my eye brushes, since I like them to be especially tapered.  It also makes them dry faster.  I don't recommend using this tissue-wrapping method with large, extremely dense brushes because the middle will never take forever and a day to dry and you run the risk of mould.

This post was inspired by a conversation with Gummy; you can read it in the comments section of this post.

Please do share any and all brush care tips and favourites!  If you don't know by now that I'm a brush maniac, you will soon (hint: brush collection...?)!