Straight Razor Shave Experience Update

WARNING:  YET ANOTHER BORING POST

I have been keeping the scales dry and clean.  The Maas cream was able to remove 99% of the patina formed on the blade, it now still has a tiny microscopic dot there which doesn't seem to get any worse.  I am anal retentive but not to the extent that it bothers me (OKAY, just a tiny little bit).  I usually shave at night as I don't have time to fuss in the morning.  I am the last one to take the shower so I have no problem leaving the razor sort of to dry in the bathroom as there won't be any additional steam from any more shower.  The following day, I store the razor away from the bathroom to avoid moisture from showers.

The soaps I got from eBay were bad despite good service and allegedly made from all natural stuff.  I could never got a nice lather out of them, at least the two that I tried and they left my skin uncomfortable.  The one I got from another vendor seems far better.  I am able to whip some nice lather out of it and it doesn't irritate.  Before I never know what real lather feels like.  I had equated lather with suds.  How wrong was I?  With the good soap I don't really need after shave lotion or balm though I am sure I can use some but it doesn't bother me even if I don't.

Stropping is not all that difficult even with a 2-inch wide stop.  Naturally I am making an x motion pulling and pushing the blade on the strop.  It's no biggie, at least that's what I thought.  I did make a few nicks on the strop initially.  I should have slowed down a bit in the beginning.  I was not in a race why bothered to act like proficient while I was just starting out.

I used to just shave with the grain or across the grain, but I am doing the against the grain more so now.  But still the underside area between the chin and the jaw on both sides of the face are like the most difficult parts for against the grain shave.

I am able to use my non dominant hand to shave, that is my left hand shaves my left face without cutting up my face.  But still most of the time I use my right hand for against the grain shave.