Yep quit thinking you can master it in a few shaves , it'll take closer to a hundred shaves to really get smooth with a straight . It takes some practice to learn your face and to really get a feel for the razor technique that works for you.mand yes the strop is one of the most important aspects of keeping that blade perfect for the BBS shave, now another thing, I've been doing this for a couple years and I found out that I don't need a 3 pass shave everyday. Two is fine for most dYs , because I have learned to shave my face ,, slow down and keep it simple and one day you,ll have an ahhh haa moment and then BBS comes any time you want it. Tc