Now hold on just a second , you ' ll get a few bucks back on your taxes as well , easily enough to pay for any medical condition under $ 500 when combined with your voucher . So just relax and everything will work out just fine . s <| sep |> Seconding arbarnes it ' s cosmetic and just needs honing . If you don ' t want to invest too much at this point , other solutions are to use folded newspaper as a strop check the razor forums for tips use your hand or jeans covered thigh works but not recommended scary but useful when you ' re on holiday and have forgotten your strop . . Buy some soap , but use a large soft paintbrush instead of investing in a dedicated shaving brush . Obviously not as good as the proper kit , but if it ' s this or not having a go at all then it might help as the cost can escalate pretty quickly .