If you’re like most women, chances are you take pains to find and use the right products for your face. If that is indeed the case, do you take the same pains with your makeup brushes?

Clean brushes are a must not only to avoid infection, but to avoid applying makeup that looks blotched and streaky. Brushes are a magnet for dirt, bacteria and caked on makeup. Keeping your brushes clean will help your makeup go on smoother, keep your face cleaner and make your brushes last longer.

There are a number of quick, inexpensive and easy ways to clean and care for your brushes. There are a variety of brush cleaners on the market that do a good job, but most of the higher quality cleaners can take a bite out of your pocket book.

Brushes not only need to be cleaned, they could use a little moisture as well. Mixing equal amounts of olive oil and dish soap will do an effective job of both. The dish soap cleans and the olive oil moisturizes. Use an antibacterial soap to be sure all the bacteria is eliminated.

The same gentle soap you wash your face with will work on your makeup brushes. But, stay away from products containing exfoliating or acne fighting ingredients since both can damage your brush. Baby shampoo has been used for years and adding a few drops of tea tree oil will help disinfect brushes. A combination of one-third water combined with two-thirds vinegar is also an effective tool.

Taking care of your bushes on a daily basis will help keep them in shape and shorten the monthly cleaning time. After using your brush simply wipe it with a baby wipe to help remove and keep a buildup of oils and makeup from occurring.

Cleaning your brushes is a simple process. Fill a bowl with tepid water and add the cleaning compound of your choice, place the brushes in the water and move them around for two or three minutes. Don’t let them sit in the water too long and never use boiling or hot water for cleaning. Hold them under the faucet, using warm water rinse the brushes until the cleaning compound has been removed from the bristles. Dab, never rub, the brushes dry and squeeze out any remaining water.

The final and most important step is reshaping the brushes. You want brushes that will flow with the makeup and not end up with wild bristles sticking out in every direction. Use a clean, dry towel and lay the brushes, never stand them on end, down and allow them to dry.

This typically takes seven or eight hours so give yourself plenty of time. Don’t try to speed this step us by using a hair dryer since this will damage and weaken the brushes. Cleaning your brushes and allowing them to dry overnight will give them ample drying time and you will have fresh brushes for morning use.