How many times do you strop in a shave session?

I was wondering that since us headshavers have a lot more to take off before we are done with our shave, and many even have separate blades for our heads, but if you shave with a str8, how many times and when do you strop during the shave before you call it done. Now I understand that a big factor is the edge quality, but I was wondering on average how many times you strop. For me I normally strop 3 times during the shave. The pre-shave stroping, once after I finish my face and before starting on my head, and then once more before going ATG on my head. I may strop one time more or less depending on how the edge is performing. So how about yall?

My edges are very keen. No stropping required during my shaves.

If I had to strop with any blades during a shave,I would go back to carts:)

never during a SHAVE

Before and after, never necessary in the midst of the shave.

I have only gone at my scalp once with my Straight, and that was unintentional (wanted to try a quick pass, and it just expanded from there). I am not as experienced as some (all), but I would think that needing to strop during the shave would indicate a VERY poor edge on your razor. I strop mine about 20 passes after clean up. Between shaves I will occasionally bring it out to practice stropping (50-100 passes), and then , before a shave, I will go 30-50 passes to prepare the blade for work. Once I get my stropping technique down, I will likely eliminate the practice sessions.

Depends on the razor for me. With my known pro edge I strop before and after. With a couple others that need touched up I may strop before atg. Lately if I use a straight on my head I've switched to using a feather. No strop required.

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

If I had to strop with any blades during a shave,I would go back to carts:)

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As another Curmudgeon...I agree with Attachment 194071

I strop my straigth razors on strop only before and after shave. If you need seriously stropping in the shaving may be the razor isn't so shave ready :D
BUT between the first and second pass i usually wash razor and strop it on my hand's palm(4/5 times)...in this way i clean the edge from soap and water.

Well, though I wish the answer to my question was something else, at least it puts me on the RIGHT path and not allow me to think wrongly. That will be my goal for now on is to get through the face and head shave without stropping again. Thanks

Do you have a Barber's Hone or similar? Maybe spending some time there then stropping will get you there? Otherwise, time to look for a Local Mentor or send it for Honing would be my advice. Just don't get so focused/determned that you suffer an uncomfortable shave just to get through it without stropping.

Like a lot of others, I just Strop once... 20 on Felt then 80 on English Bridle Leather before I shave and that's it. I use Tuf-Glide on the steel after each shave so no worries about corrosion between shaves.

A single stropping session before the shave is usual these days, but most of us do multi-pass shaves which only fussy clients would have demanded from their barbers in years gone by. I'd be surprised if the old barbers hadn't stropped their razors before starting the second pass. I wish I'd taken more notice as a kid, back when there were real barber shops.

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Originally Posted by Maladroit

A single stropping session before the shave is usual these days, but most of us do multi-pass shaves which only fussy clients would have demanded from their barbers in years gone by. I'd be surprised if the old barbers hadn't stropped their razors before starting the second pass. I wish I'd taken more notice as a kid, back when there were real barber shops.

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I miss those days

I got a SR shave every time I got a haircut back in the 50's & 60's. My barber was a family friend. He would strop a couple times during each shave and always did two passes

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Originally Posted by Prahston

Do you have a Barber's Hone or similar? Maybe spending some time there then stropping will get you there? Otherwise, time to look for a Local Mentor or send it for Honing would be my advice. Just don't get so focused/determned that you suffer an uncomfortable shave just to get through it without stropping.

Like a lot of others, I just Strop once... 20 on Felt then 80 on English Bridle Leather before I shave and that's it. I use Tuf-Glide on the steel after each shave so no worries about corrosion between shaves.

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Good thing is I do have a mentor relatively near me that I've started conversing with. I think my issues are lying with "sneaking up on the edge". To elaborate, I'm sure that the bevel is set. My mentor confirmed that, however what I think I'm doing is not knowing when to stop honing either at the bevel set or somewhere in my progression allowing me to thin out my edge too much, thus the result becomes a dull edge before I finish with my headshave. Plus another added factor is I'm still working on my technique when it comes to my head.

40-50 on the fabric (tight or coarse weave Tony Miller cotton..depends on the strop) and then another 40-50 on the leather before use. Afterwards, 15-20 laps on the fabric after drying the razor off. Never had an issue following this routine.

You have an edge quality issue, most probably caused by stropping with too much pressure or an incomplete shaving edge.

Just look at the edge straight down with magnification. Any shiny spots are where the bevels are no-longer meeting.

Depending on what you see, will determine if you need stropping, touch-up or full bevel re-set.

If you are having to strop in the middle of a shave, the edge was not shave ready when you started.

Before I started to progress beyond the bevel set, I looked down with mag and had no shiny spots and no lines. After I finished it was the same. I didn't check after the strop just shave tested and it had a clean cut no pull. But as the shave progressed it began to tug and by the end before a post shave stropping there was a clean thin uniform line on the bevel when looking at the edge again under mag.

Well...I thought that I would post a follow-up. I rehoned my razor, and I had to go back to the basics. Before I was using a progression method, and I was consistently getting an edge that would not hold up to the full shave. So I thought I would go back and do a pyramid. I went back and reestablished my bevel on the 2k. pyramided on the 4k and 8k, up to 20 strokes on the 8k got a good test shave, then finished on the 16k for about 20 strokes with 10 on crox. After stropping I was able to get a complete enjoyable dfs shave without re-stropping. Thanks guys for pointing me in the right direction.

Twice...before i do 15-20 linen and 60-80 leather; after i do 10 or so linen and 30-40 leather.

Great job rlmnshvstr8!! Way to hang in there and switch it up to get the results you are chasing! :)

I usually have to strop before finishing both my face and head if I do two passes. I am sure that it could be my honing or stropping technique, but I have had one razor professionally sharpened and purchased a relatively expensive new ones that do not seem to be any sharper than the ones I sharpened. Actually I usually just use a second razor. Mine are still not a sharp as the Feather DE blades that I used prior.

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Originally Posted by Euclid440

You have an edge quality issue, most probably caused by stropping with too much pressure or an incomplete shaving edge.

Just look at the edge straight down with magnification. Any shiny spots are where the bevels are no-longer meeting.

Depending on what you see, will determine if you need stropping, touch-up or full bevel re-set.

If you are having to strop in the middle of a shave, the edge was not shave ready when you started.

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Steel quality also may be an issue, either a factory fault or rust on edge can be a problem . Stropping will smooth the cut more than create sharpness so some razors will perform better for ATG etc with a light stropping.

never during a SHAVE... a good sharp razor dont need that. there a guys they do that but thats only in there head that it must.

I respectfully disagree. I shave both my face and head. The hair on my chin and back of my head is particularly course. If doing two passes, I use two razors. Everyone has a different situation. I believe it is impossible to say that a razor will not get dull just because it does not on your face.

I have had at least five razors professionally honed and these fared no better.

It works for me.

I've found that the more experience you have the less you dull a razor, angle and pressure tend to wear a blade faster, I used to have to send a blade out after a couple of months , now it is more like a year , and my beard is as tough as any out there, plus I shave every day, so this could be an issue , not sure but I have never had to strop during a shave. Tc

Not to seem argumentative but I do see that some of you do not shave your head and have facial hair. There is no comparison. I am shaving the equivalent of a basketball. Attachment 219646

I am the philosopher on the right.

Not unusual, it can take a while to master stropping, up to a year. No doubt your edges and shaves will be better a year from now.

Most use too much pressure and try to go too fast. It’s not the razor or the honing…

I do shave my head thru the summer months, when I worked out in west Texas and New Mexico during the summer I found that heat and a hard hat were a bit too much so off came the head hair, and as for the face hair, only on my days off , so ya I do know. Tc

I love straight razors but, I have not even remotely tried on my head - I use a DE for that for now until I perfect my technique! I am trying to get expert level on three different styles of razors simultaneously.

I honestly stop midway through about every other time. I just ate a snack mid shave.. lol

I hear cheetos are way better for skin stretching finger grip than an alum block ;)

Don't know anything about Cheetos.

Strop 50-55 each fabric and leather. 20 or so each afterwards. That's just to make sure everything is dry

I strop before I shave and then I strop a few laps to make sure it's dry. If i have to strop during shaving i get a different razor and touch up or re-hone that blade.

45 on linen and about 100 on soft leather gives me the edge I like. If I'm away from home for months on end I'll do about 70 on hard leather every other day.