If you take good care of your brushes and they are decent quality, they can last a few years. The best way to maintain them is to have good, clean habits while you are painting. You will need paint thinner (I like the brand "turpenoid" which is odorless), 2 jars preferably glass, regular soap or brush cleaner/conditioner, and rags or thick paper towels.
Pour the first glass jar about half full with the thinner. While you are painting, use the rags or paper towels to wipe out excess paint. When you need to really get the color out, don't store the brushes with the bristles laying at the bottom of the thinner jar. Instead, wiggle and rinse them on the top half of the fluid, again using a towel as needed. If you store your brushes in the thinner it can damage the hairs and they get all of the pigment trapped in the ferule/base of the brush which can be hard to get out.
Once you are done painting, really get as much paint out with the thinner that you can. Then use either the conditioning soap or household soap and water. Clean in the direction of the hairs delicately to keep the shape in tact, and focus mainly on the ferule. Let the brush dry.
The other important thing is to keep your thinner clean. After you finish painting, close that jar with the dirty fluid and don't shake it up for several days. Eventually gravity will make all of the paint pigment settle to the very bottom of the jar, and the thinner will be crystal clear again on top. When this happens, take the second glass jar and carefully pour the clear thinner into it. The first jar will now have a dirty base only, which you can easily wipe out with a paper towel. Once clean, pour the thinner back into the first jar and you're good to go!
Hope that made sense and happy painting!
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