Another thing to keep in mind - it has potential to hang around on the surface a little while. I would use one side with soap, and the other without. All of my naturals and barber hones have a slick coat of dry soap on them from being used with lather. Not particularly bad for the ones I use exclusively as a finisher, and not that hard to remedy with a rubbing stone, sand paper, or good soak in water. But something to be mindful of because it does change how the stone behaves.