New member intro : & question 'will this strop I just bought be OK?

Hi B&B,

I've read quite a lot of posts on this forum over the last 6 months and thought it was about time I registered to join in your discussions. To be honest the only reason I didn't join sooner as I know that the second you join a specialist forum you can kiss any money in your bank account goodbye

So a brief bit about my experiences: I used a Mach 3 for years, but I suffer from quite sensitive skin, so after a shave my face would explode with a red, almost rash-like problem which would take a good day and a half to calm down, so I started looking around the web from people with similar issues and the general consensus was to ditch the Mach 3 and get a DE razor. Well I did just that around last December and noticed a difference straight away. The redness would still happen though and it wasn't until I read a thread about shaving with cold water that I had my 'Eureka' moment.

I honestly wouldn't have believed that I could have a shave and have completely smooth skin and my face to look it's normal skin colour a year ago, and assumed I was destined to have that razor burn look for half of my life. So a quick thanks to the forum and contributors otherwise I may never have stumbled across this revelation.

My razor is a Jagger DE86 with Feather or Astra Platinum blades, and creamwise I still go for the ones for sensitive skin, and use Proraso (white and green), Arko and Taylor. I used to use Biotherm Aquapower after shaving with my Mach 3 which was the only thing that would help calm my face down, but now use the Proraso post-shave balm. Don't know if this is appropriate, but aftershave-wise my favourites are Floris Santal, Lalique Encre Noir and Guerlain Vetiver.




So this kind of leads me onto my question part of the post. I knew fairly quickly after using the DE that I'd want to try out a straight razor at some point, but wanted to feel confident with the DE first before jumping in, and probably slicing my face off with a straight. So now I feel that time has come I went to http://www.razorguyuk.co.uk/ as I need to get a razor that is shave ready, and purchased a gold dollar one, as the seller states that it holds a perfectly straight edge after he's honed it.

Then did a bit of research on strops and people were generally saying for your first one don't spend much as there's a good chance you'll nick it with the blade as you learn the stropping technique, so I went for this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380159232808?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

So here come the stupid questions:
Do I use both sides of this? I've read that you use the very smooth leather as the regular finishing strop, ie what to do right before you shave, but this has a light suede side that's very smooth, and the darker, shinier back side which is a bit bobbly, and wondered if this is normal, or if you're not meant to use this side.

If that's the case, will using the suede side keep my straight razor sharp? Are the bobbles on the other side normal? Will they smooth over time?

Here are some pics of the strop:



Main side









Back







Any advice would be truly appreciated.

Thanks for reading, and look forward to all future discussions



Cheers,
Tris

Welcome to B&B Tris!!

I'm not a straight shaver, so I can't help you with your questions. Someone, however, will be able to help you shortly.

Also, if you haven't already done so, stop by the hall of Fame and tell us a little bit about yourself. (link is in my sig below)

Happy shaving

Hello and welcome. On the strop - it's OK, but not great. It will serve you well for a starter. Your next one should be wider (at least 2.5" or 63mm and longer at 24" or 60 or so cm). You should only strop on the smooth side. You can read up on stropping in the straight forum and also there are several good videos on YouTube.

Cheers for the replies.

BSAGuy, thanks for that. Potentially won't screw up my first straight razor now by using the wrong side of a strop.

Can see this is going to be a much steeper learning curve than DE shaving ;-)

It is a long hard curve but so worth it in the end

Tris,
C'mon by the straight shaver sub forum and there's some good info in the Strops sub forum that will help with your question. BSAguy already answered your question though about which side of the strop to use and I concur.

On the topic of aftershaves, you have some high end ones there. I also used to have the Floris Santal in ASB and AS. And while I don't have either of the other two you've mentioned, I have used some high end aftershaves. If you have sensitive skin, and mine's moderately sensitive, then you'll find over time that the high end aftershaves from primarily perfume or designer houses lack the skin care properties available in other less elegantly scented products. I was never satisfied with any of the Floris products and their impact on my skin, but the scents are fabulous. Especially the Santal. These other products, mind you, aren't cheap, but they won't cost what Floris or Guerlain cost. Here are a couple of recommendations:

Floid Blue: one of my favorites. A classic barbershop scent to it and the bottle is wonderful. Scent is not overpowering, but lasts an hour or two.
Eau D'Emeraude and Lotion Opaline: Since you're in the UK (based on your post I'm making the assumption), you can pick up either of these for much less in shipping than we can in the states. I believe they're only available in France, but at one time there was a distributor in the UK. Check on the google. Both of these are monastery made products and, in the case of the Emeraude, made continuously for over 400 years. The Eau is incredibly soothing with a faint herbal smell. The Opaline has a much bolder but very summery lime scent to it. Neither of them are long lived and so you can choose an EdT after using either of them. The Eau is my desert island aftershave. It's what I reach for whenever my skin is irritated or one of my straights had too harsh an edge.
Musgo Real: good soothing properties but I confess I'm not crazy about the scent.

Good luck with your straight shaving progress. It's a ball.

Welcome to the forum !!

My advice would be message buca3152 (Bill) and get a strop set from him it's 25 bucks and it is well worth it not to mention he sells great razors that all you have to do when they arrive is lather and shave

Welcome to the Forum Tris.

Take your time & you won't nick your strop. Speed will come naturally.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/79-Straight-Razor-Shave-Clinic

Try the link above. ..they are the strop pros.

Cheers for the welcome. This seems like a really friendly place

jez foster said:

because it has that little bit of "give" in the surface, may round the edge on the razor and blunt it. hope this helps, check out the stropping subforum .

Click to expand...

That's what I'm worried about, but you're the first person to mention it.

Russjones16 said:

My advice would be message buca3152 (Bill) and get a strop set from him it's 25 bucks and it is well worth it not to mention he sells great razors that all you have to do when they arrive is lather and shave

Click to expand...

Can see my bank account emptying sooner than expected ;-)

oakeshott said:

Eau D'Emeraude and Lotion Opaline: Since you're in the UK (based on your post I'm making the assumption), you can pick up either of these for much less in shipping than we can in the states. I believe they're only available in France, but at one time there was a distributor in the UK. Check on the google.

Click to expand...

Cheers for that.

Just ordered a bottle of Opaline from Buckfast Abbey

Welcome aboard.