The question of stropping or not after shaving

Sometimes things get confused when we start to read things on internet. There are people who argue that a straight razor should not be stropped after shaving, others say that should be...

Well

What's the valid opinion, if there is a valid answer?

The answer is - do what works for you.

I can't imagine that anyone is against stropping after shaving. Seems strange.

I strop before and after shaving. I have a large straight rotation, and stropping before shaving has become a ritual for me. I think it spruces up the edge, especially as I usually have to wipe oil off the blade before using it.

After shaving, I wipe off the water drops and then strop it on linen and leather to make sure the very edge is dry before I put the razor away.

Doing this treatment has led to excellent shaves and no rust issues on any of my razors. So I'm likely to continue doing this.

Of course, you're free to do as you like.

I like stropping after shaving as the poster said above me, it ensures you get the edge nice and dry before putting it away.

Funny you mentioned it, I did it for the first time today, although I stropped it on the leather side, as does this guy at the end of his video. I asked this person why and he said to make sure the blade was dry before putting the razor away.

I don't use a strait much anymore, but I was taught by an old barber that the best reason to strop after your shave was because you wouldn't have to work as much before your next. Made sense to me.

Gentlemen,

Stropping before the shave is much like fine tuning something: an engine, a paragraph, a musical composition, a gourmet meal, a . . . Stropping before the shave fine tunes the blade, so to speak. For me, the pattern usually is 30 strokes on canvas and 60 on leather. I always strop before the shave.

I also enjoy stropping.

Stropping after the shave, after the blade has been cleaned and wiped dry is to remove the remaining residue from the blade and ensure it is completely dry. At least that's my purpose for stropping after the shave. My pattern is 10 strokes on canvas and 15 on leather and that does it. A touch of Camellia oil spiked with alcohol keeps my blade happy until the next outing.

Stropping after shaving will, at least, dry the edge before storing the razor.

That can't be a bad thing.

Thanks for your answers guys.

I only strop before the shave, never had a problem with rust or a bad edge.

My personal opinion is that it really doesn't matter. Some face lather, some bowl lather. The end result is the same, so do what feels best.

I strop before and after shaving. Some of the new straight razors will come with instructions on stropping. They instruct to strop before and after shaving.

obie's post really mirrors my thought on the subject, only i use rem oil not the fancy camellia stuff (at least for now)

Obie is pretty much spot on and is the way I was taught many, many years ago.

(03-25-2012, 03:21 PM)PanchoVilla Wrote: I don't use a strait much anymore, but I was taught by an old barber that the best reason to strop after your shave was because you wouldn't have to work as much before your next. Made sense to me.

You gotta get back on the horse!!

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If you're proficient at stropping, it's not going to hurt the blade so no one should say its a no no. Whether it actually does something other than what we theorize is up for debate but it's not going to hurt. I personally strop after shaving.

There are some great suggestions,here. If you enjoy doing it and do it well, then, do what you like! i am sure your razor will be pleased.

(03-28-2012, 03:57 AM)global_dev Wrote: obie's post really mirrors my thought on the subject, only i use rem oil not the fancy camellia stuff (at least for now)

I use a little mineral oil on the blade between shaves.

Clayton

Just so you know how persuasive you chaps are, I've started stropping on linen and then leather after the shave

(03-26-2012, 12:27 AM)Obie Wrote: Gentlemen,

Stropping before the shave is much like fine tuning something: an engine, a paragraph, a musical composition, a gourmet meal, a . . . Stropping before the shave fine tunes the blade, so to speak. For me, the pattern usually is 30 strokes on canvas and 60 on leather. I always strop before the shave.

I also enjoy stropping.

Stropping after the shave, after the blade has been cleaned and wiped dry is to remove the remaining residue from the blade and ensure it is completely dry. At least that's my purpose for stropping after the shave. My pattern is 10 strokes on canvas and 15 on leather and that does it. A touch of Camellia oil spiked with alcohol keeps my blade happy until the next outing.

I enjoy stropping more than my strop does. My strop's name is Nick.

Learning how to do this (keeping my wrist straight) might prove to be the hardest part of straight razor shaving for me.

Here we are again...

I took this information from the Dovo website:

Quote:DOVO straight razors are whetted in the factory for use (whetting on leather by hand). If you own a suitable strop, you should nevertheless take into account that the razor must first "rest" after use. After the razor has been carefully rinsed and dried, it should not be used again for at least 24 - 48 hours because the fine "fin" on the cutting edge straightens up again extremely slowly. If the razor is stropped too soon (or stropped incorrectly by moving it backwards and forwards without turning it over), the "fin" which is necessary for a close shave breaks off.

From this words, I understood that stroping after the shave must be avoid.

Gentlemen, Dovo mixes "stropped too soon" with "stropped incorrectly by moving it backwards and forwards without turning it over" in one sentence with parenthesis and advises resting the blade "at least 24-48" hours. So I roll my eyes, shrug and shuffle off.

(06-01-2013, 05:05 AM)Obie Wrote: Gentlemen, Dovo mixes "stropped too soon" with "stropped incorrectly by moving it backwards and forwards without turning it over" in one sentence with parenthesis and advises resting the blade "at least 24-48" hours. So I roll my eyes, shrug and shuffle off.

Remind me not to buy a Dovo.