Ovulation strips
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Assuming your cycle is fairly regular e.g 28 days you would expect to ovulate about 2 weeks after the first day of your period. So if I were you I would start testing 1 week after the first day of your period just to get an idea. When the second line appears I would test 2x a day, again to see the progression, for some people the surge happens slowly but for others it can be over quickly so you want to keep an eye on things. When the test line is darker than the control that means you're having your LH surge- please note this means you are likely to ovulate in the next 24 hours not that you're ovulating right that minute. I recommend the premom app, there used to be a free version, it was quite helpful in identifying peaks and interpreting results. It can also help identify trends if you have to spend a fair few months trying, so for following months you can use less tests because you'll have a better idea of when your peak might be.
Also, premom is a good app to use! 🙂
Honestly I hated the things so if you're just starting out I'd try to keep the pressure off, or use them for a month to get an idea of your cycle then take a break, it can really take the fun out of things especially if you're using them for a long time!
The idea of ovulation strips is to find your ovulation window, so to speak. If you're not sure when that is yet, then I would recommend starting to use the strips about 10 days into your cycle and use them 3 x a day (morn,midday, evening) Some people have very short peaks, and others have slightly longer so testing more ensures you dont miss it. When trying for our 2nd I started testing on cycle day 10, seeing a rise (or near positive test around cycle day 12) then testing positive on 13 & 14 to then going back to neg. A positive ovulation strip is only postive when both lines are as dark as the control or the test line is darker than the control line (indicating peak fertile window) unfortunately you'll never know exactly when you ovulate unless you're also Basal temperature reading but it gives you an idea. It's recommend you have sex the days before a positive ovulation test, the day of a positive ovulation test & the day after your first postive just for good measure!