Thread: When to strop? Before or After?

After reading many shaving tips on stropping I've come across some people saying to strop right before you shave and some say to strop after you're done shaving. Some say to do both. I've been stropping after I shave to have it ready for the next time. Will it make a difference if I strop it again right before I shave? There is not a place to hang my strop in the latrine down here so I strop it in my CHU (Combat Housing Unit) after I shave with it. Can you over strop a razor?

I think it's a matter of opinion. Some say before, some say after of course. Over stropping technically could occur I guess. We're talking stropping improperly and for an abnormal amount of time. I always strop before I shave. It gives me something to do while the warm lather sits on my face for a minute or two. I really think the waiting 24 hrs before stropping/shaving with the same razor is a myth. Long story short, strop whenever you feel like you should! Have fun and thank you for keeping us safe by doing your thing in Iraq!

Personal preference. I strop moderately before the shave and lightly after.

I think before is the better. The after stropping is helpful to get rid of residual moisture on the blade, but I think that any kind of corrosion should be gotten rid of by stropping just before shaving as it affects the edge negatively.
Of course if your edge doesn't dry quickly the stropping after should be much better than stropping before.

It shouldn't matter, unless you are doing something incorrectly. If you don't dry the blade off after shaving, stropping after would benefit you the most. Stropping beforehand will eliminate any rust that has taken place between shaves if you do not keep it properly lubricated. In the end, the timing should not matter if done correctly, except that you should do it somewhere between honing and shaving and somewhere between shaves.

Personally, I do most of my stropping right before shaving, and then a few laps afterwards before lubing and storing.

I'm a liberally before and lightly afterwards advocate. Here is an interesting thread from bygone days if you want to research it a bit more. You can't overstrrop it if your doing it right IME.