I used to strop after my shower, right before I shaved, but now I like to strop before I shower b/c it takes me some time and I don't want my face to dry out between my shower and shave. As per Lynn's tip, I started rubbing my horsehide strop with my palm many times in order to warm it up and give it some extra draw. Today after I shaved I gave my razor a few laps on the strop just to keep it dry and all, and I noticed the strop had *far* less draw than it normally does.

So I started thinking, with all the hot steam produced during my shower in this small bathroom, I bet the strop gets pretty moisturized as a result, maybe making it a bit slicker. Has anyone else noticed this?

It seems like many people, during their stropping, like to go from high-draw surfaces to low-draw surfaces (like starting with a linen and ending with a low-draw 'finishing strop'), as they find it gives a better, sharper edge. I bet if one were to strop before a shower (high-draw), and then some after the shower before they shave (low-draw due to moisturizing steam), it would have a similar effect of putting a nice finishing touch on to the edge. I'll give it a try when i get home after Thanksgiving.