Hello, Hickey21:
As a rule, stropping before each shave is advisable. If stropping properly, there should be no worries about ruining the blade.
For me, I strop 25 strokes on canvas and 75 on leather. Sometimes I do a 50 to 100 ratio, depending how hard the steel on my razors.
Please view as many stropping videos as you can find. Several SRP experts have made topnotch videos.
Regards,
Obie