i just completed what i guess u could call my first straight shave. i work at hooters so when i got home i was pretty greasy as u can imagine. i hoped in the shower, cleaned up and dried off. when i got to standing in front of my mirror about to shave i have to say i was a little intimidated. i started but stropping my dovo 5/8 special 20 times on the linen side and 40 times on my illinois strop. this was pretty much my first time stropping so im sure i was FAR from a perfect job. i used my brush to get some lather going. im using a colonel conk bar (amber scent) i can get decent lather going i just can never seem to get A) tons of lather i get enough but after a certain point i cant get any more and B) a very thick lather. ive seen videos of ppl making lather and it seems like theirs almost has a whipped cream texute. i am only using a boars hair brush but im not sure how much of a difference that makes (any suggestions on how to get that great lather would be greatly appreciated). so i re-wet my face and start applying my mediocre lather which isnt very thick it seems to be the watery although i dnt know how becuz i removed the excess water from the brush and all i did was swirl my brush over my soap and began building lather in a mug and never added any water but watever-onward. so i start actually shaving. my hands dont feel entirely comfortable no matter how i position them but i press on. my cheeks were def. the easiest part. i started with the cheeks with no problem then moved to the mustache. this wasnt as easy. i couldnt get it BBS like i did with my cheeks and the area directly under my nose was impossiblt but by far the hardest part was my chin and under my chin. by this time im looking in the mirror and notice 4 or 5 red spots of blood. ni major cuts the tinyest little nicks. the razor (honed by lynn) was so sharp i guess i didnt even realize i nicked myself. but back to the chin. im sure i just need to practice but my chin under chin and jaw line going around to my side burns wasnt very smooth. im sry to say i had to pull out the Mach 3 to get everything looking even. all i rly had to do was my under chin jawline and i little but of my chin. all in all i call it a success? i def. c y ppl call str8 shaving an art. i cnt wait to give it another go and c wat kind of results i get. any comments or tips about lather, technique, stroping, prep. etc. would be very much appreciated. everyone on this site has been so helpful and i look forward to getting to know u all better. thanks everyone