Your straight razor should rest at least 24 hours after shaving. Before the next shave (not after) freshly sharpen your razor on a leather strop. The linen backside is for pre-sharpening your straight razor. During the stropping process the belt must be taut, because otherwise the blade of the razor becomes rounded and dull. To strop your razor, you move the straight razor's edge forward and back against a razor strop. Simply attach one end of the strop to an immovable object, like a towel bar and pull the other end taut. Using light pressure, run the blade horizontally (spine first) up the leather surface with the blade flat against the leather. At the end of the stroke, flip the blade over and run the blade horizontally back down the strop. It is recommended to do this about 40-60 times.