First few shaves ...

Well, I'vew given straight razor shaving a go .. first shave wasnt very spectacular .. and I expected that due to technique and such ..

This morning I went at it again and the blade was in fact cutting hair but it felt as if I wasdragging sandpaper on me face as well. Only madfe one pass with the grain to develop technique and because iI didnt want to compleetely shread me face off.

Ok, so I am missing something .. what is it?

Been using newspaper to strop because I dont have a leather strop yet. I wanted to try the shaving first to see if I am comfortable with handling the blade before investing in a bunch of gear and deciding I dont like it. So far, I dont like straight shaving because:
- my face feels scratched/demolished when I am finished.
- iI need to make a few passes to get a shave that resembles 8 hour growth. By this time, I cant even smile without pain for 2 days.

any help owould be appreciated ...