So I'm about a half dozen shaves into straight razor shaving and while I was able to finish a two pass shave this morning with only the straight razor, I have to say the learning curve has been much harder than I expected. As of right now I am still struggling with three aspects of my shaving: 1) producing a good consistent lather that will last two shaves without getting too wet or dry, 2) stropping, and 3) maintaining a descent glide on my chin. I've read a ton of forum posts, watched videos, etc. but so far these three tasks seem the most elusive to master.

1) Lather - I first started with some AOS cream that was given to me a while back and have since moved to a soap, MdC, that was given as a gift in this endeavor. But truth be told I can tell I'm having the same problems with both, even though the MdC is way better. My problem is that I don't seem to be building a lather that will last through the duration of my slow shaves. I get plenty of soft peaks, but when I apply it to my face and start shaving, usually by the time I get to my chin or neck the lather seems to be too dry. When I try to add more water it just kind of breaks down the lather and I don't have enough glide. Again it seems so simple in the videos and pictures, but I have to say it's hard to know if you have built a good lather without having ever felt what a good lather should be.

2) Stropping - after the initial hiccups that I am sure we've all had when starting out with SE razors, I feel that I have the grip and movements down. What I don't know is if I am applying too much or too little pressure. Sometimes on my back-strop it makes a sound that is more... scratchy? I don't know if I can describe the sound but it is a higher pitch and more hollow if that makes sense. I can't tell if that is the right sound my strop should make, or if it should be much more muted. Again the videos help, but it is really hard to get a good feel for what a good strop technique should be.

3) Chin shaving - I'm sure this is somewhat related to both my lather problem and my technique, but by the time I get to this section I really do struggle with consistent strokes. It seems like my razor tends to get "caught up" in my stubble much more often as I initiate strokes in this area. To be honest, I have really only been tackling this area for the past 2-3 shaves and I still haven't found the best grip for tackling this area, but I can honestly say most of the videos out there make it look way too easy when they hit these areas!