My beard grows pretty much parallel to my skin, and stretching does very little to stand it up. I have been experimenting with my lathering procedure so here it is.

1. Lather (duh)
2. Strop while it sits
3. Rub lather in against the grain with fingertips
4. Relather without rinsing
5. Shave

The only problem is that by the second pass, the remaining stubble is once again flat against my skin.

I remember seeing an add for some electric pre-shave treatment that is supposed to stand hairs up... Does anyone remember this/know if it works?