How exactly does stropping help the edge? Every time I do it it seems to not do anyrhing.
Look it up. There's lots of videos and stuff on how to use a strop effectively, not to mention loads of info on this forum. I can't help much because I don't know what you're doing wrong, but here's some basic stuff:
Strops basically realign the microscopic damaged material on the edge, and if you use a compound with the strop you're also polishing the edge with a very fine abrasive at the same time. It will only work well if you already have a very sharp edge. You cant go to a strop unless you've already worked your way up to a higher grit stone, or else you won't see much of a difference in the edge. It'll still help, but you won't see the best possible results.
TIPS:
Either use light pressure and match the angle perfectly, or use slightly heavier pressure but go a little lower with the angle. OR.... Some strops require light pressure AND a lower angle
Some strops are stiffer that others, so you'll have to play around with how much pressure to use and at what angle
Its tricky stuff..... I would say the best thing to do is find someone more knowledgable about this stuff than me. Which isn't too hard to do
