- Sharpen your razor or change blades, if necessary/applicable. Never strope or changed blades naked.
- Take a warm shower or wash your face and place a warm wash cloth over your face for a couple minutes.
- Apply pre-shave gel, if desired.
- Apply shaving cream liberally to your face, preferably with a horse hair brush.
- Clean brush.
- Brush shaving cream upwards on face to raise hairs.
- Open straight razor to a 270º angle.
- Run straight razor under warm water.
- Hold the razor in a backhand position. All shaving stokes should be with the grain at about 30º angle blade to face. Short strokes work best.
- Shave under nose, working your way to the corner of your lip.
- Shave left hand side of chin.
- Shave left hand cheek and jaw. Puffing the cheek sometimes makes shaving this area easier.
- Wipe shaving cream off blade with a tissue, carefully.
- Run straight razor under warm water.
- Wipe straight razor with a towel.
- Run straight razor under warm water.
- Hold the razor in a forehand position. All shaving stokes should be with the grain.
- Shave under nose, working your way to the corner of your lip.
- Shave right hand side of chin.
- Shave right hand cheek and jaw. Puffing the cheek sometimes makes shaving this area easier.
- Wipe shaving cream off blade with a tissue, carefully.
- Throw tissue away.
- Run straight razor under warm water.
- Close straight razor.
- Rinse face with cold water.
- Apply after-shave gel, if desired.
Below is a picture of a strope that you should probably own if you have a straight razor that does not have changeable blades. I'd write an SOP on stroping, however, I am possibly the worst stroper ever. My strope also has a "finishing linen strap." Despite looking for information about the linen strap, I've been unable to determine how or when to use it, except to assume you finish with it.
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