Sometimes when I'm on the road, and I see young, poor dreadlocked backpackers, the only thing I want to do is comb their hair. I should just give them this pop-up brush.
The concept of a travel pop-up brush is fairly simple but effective, just like the Colgate travel toothbrush we covered a couple of weeks ago. In this case, we found that many brands offer the same version of this brush, so it's not actually necessary to go ahead and buy a specific brand. I do have to say, though, that the pop-up brushes that are circular and oval in shape tend to perform a lot better than the ones that are rectangular.
The generic pop-up brush is about the size of a compact or a foundation case, though it's substantially a bit thicker. Once you open up the brush, one side reveals brush bristles and the other side a mirror. You need to manually push the bristles through so that they "pop" out, while the mirror side doubles as the handle. It basically eliminates the need for carrying two beauty tools at once. It's just a traveling basic that no one should go without.
My only complaint is that it's pretty impossible to use the mirror and the brush portion simultaneously (obviously) but given its obvious benefits, I'm inclined to gloss over that. The brush is pretty sturdy and performs well as any normal brush. I mean, just the fact that it's able to comb out the knots in my long, thick Asian hair is amazing in its own right. The only time I've ever had to replace the brush is when I've absently misplaced it, which results in a hunting mission at Target.
The pop-up brush is available through several outlets like Target and other convenience stores, where I picked two up for about 99 cents apiece. It's also available on Amazon, though you might have to buy in bulk. For those wondering, Sephora also offers the exact same brush for $7. (It's very common for a large brand to stick their label on a Chinese-manufactured product and upsell it for 15x the normal cost. In many cases, it's exactly the same.)
Now, please put yourself together while you're traveling.
