Thread: Newbie questions

Thanks for the advice. I didn't realize that there was a benefit to stropping that many times. I'll give it a try and report back.

I don't think you can really over strop unless you going into 200 strokes or something. I find less than 50 can make a difference in the shave though.

Thanks for the info. I am going to try adding a steamed towel into the mix as well. Seems like everytime I got a nice shave from a barber, they put a steamed towel on my face for 5 minutes or so.

Originally Posted by Disburden

I don't think you can really over strop unless you going into 200 strokes or something. I find less than 50 can make a difference in the shave though.

All great advice. One small remark, though...
You can't overstrop, period. Not if you do it right. One of the most respected members of SRP did extensive stropping tests once, and he found that 60 laps was enough to get the maximum benefit out of the strop.
Ever since reading that, I have relied on 20 laps linen and 60 laps leather prior to a shave. It works very well.

On the side-burn goatee issue: I can see how it could be problematic if you have a wide goatee and wide sideburns, leaving only a narrow strip to shave. The only real solution to that is asking one of the razor craftsmen on the forum to customize a razor for you by shortening the blade. Or to order one custom make from on of the razor makers. In the mean time you could consider adjusting your beard model a bit, so the strip to be shaved would be somewhat wider.

Best regards,
Bart.